Positively Living®: Shame-Free Productivity Conversations

Lisa Zawrotny
  • 5.0 (58)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

The Positively Living® Podcast brings you shame-free productivity conversations for the overwhelmed multi-passionate creatives, caregivers, and multi-taskers who never clock out, juggle countless responsibilities, and quietly wonder if there's a better way. Hosted by Lisa Zawrotny, Productivity Coach and founder of Positively Productive Systems, the show replaces rigid productivity rules with flexible approaches that respect your energy and priorities. Through solo episodes, expert interviews, and live coaching sessions, Lisa covers the topics that actually affect your ability to move forward: stress management, habits and systems, decluttering, self-awareness, boundaries, mindset, entrepreneurship, and more. This is productivity for real life, helping you breathe easier, move forward sustainably, and make space for what matters most to you.

  1. 2d ago

    How to do a Mid-year Reset

    Text your thoughts and questions! The halfway point of the year brings up a mix of thoughts, from wondering where the time went to figuring out what comes next. Maybe your January intentions are thriving, or perhaps they quietly dissolved back in February, leaving you with low-grade guilt while you scrambled to stay busy. January 1st is an arbitrary date driven by culture rather than internal readiness. Forcing yourself to overhaul habits during the darkest, coldest, most energy-depleted stretch of the year forces your recovering nervous system to sprint when it naturally wants rest. June offers a perfect opportunity to check in and choose to change. Instead of relying on predictions or hopes, you now have six months of real data to assess what actually got your attention, where your energy went, and how to look both backward and forward at the same time. This week, episode 316 of the Positively Living® Podcast shares a simple, three-question framework to help you pause, clear out what isn't serving you, and make a sustainable plan on your own terms. Key Takeaways: Realize that sustainable change requires adequate energy and internal readiness, not just an arbitrary calendar date during winter depletion .Use the halfway mark of the year to work with actual factual information about your habits instead of relying on predictions or guesses .Name your systems and small wins without rushing through them, because identifying what went right shows you the conditions that helped you thrive .Identify where plans fell apart and look closely at the root cause, whether it was wrong timing, over-planning, or a lack of capacity .Choose how you want to feel or who you want to be over complex, rigid goals when your next immediate steps are unclear .Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways! Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/ Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Resources Work with Lisa!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Episode 136: Reflections Instead of Resolutions Episode 242: A Reverse Approach to Better Achieve Your Goals Book a Clarity Call (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3 Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny Start your own podcast with Buzzsprout! The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    14 min

  2. May 25

    How to Soothe Sunday Scaries and Start Your Week Right

    Text your thoughts and questions! If Sundays elicit a sense of dread or a creeping feeling of anxiety that builds as the day progresses, you are experiencing a very real psychological phenomenon known as the Sunday scaries. This anticipatory anxiety occurs when your brain projects into the unknown of the week ahead and treats that uncertainty like an immediate threat. Data shows you are genuinely not alone—recent studies from early 2026 reveal that a massive 88% of Americans experience this weekly dread. The good news is that you cannot simply logic your nervous system into relaxing, but you can take action. Taking small, deliberate steps interrupts the mental spiral, grounds your brain in the present, and allows you to reclaim your weekend. This week, episode 315 of the Positively Living® Podcast maps out a calm, intentional, and minimal weekly reset strategy that eases the transition back into your routine on your own terms. Key Takeaways Understand Anticipatory Anxiety: Sunday dread is a physical threat response triggered by your brain projecting into an uncertain weekly schedule.Interrupt the Spiral: Small, intentional actions shift your brain away from worst-case future scenarios and ground you in the present.Establish a Calm Space: Clear your immediate environment before you plan, as visual clutter leads directly to cluttered thinking.Unplug for Clear Focus: Turn off all phone notifications for just five to ten minutes to allow your nervous system to focus without distraction.Empty Your Mental Storage: Complete a pen-and-paper mind sweep to capture pending tasks, free up cognitive capacity, and stop mental rumination.Practice Minimum Effective Planning: Avoid over-planning every hour, which creates rigidity and guarantees frustration when real life disrupts your schedule.Build a Skeleton Plan: Layout core commitments and just one key priority per day instead of an exhaustive, rigid task list.Focus on Monday Only: When completely depleted, plan only for the next day's non-negotiables and map out the rest of the week on Monday morning.Choose Your Best Window: Reset when your natural energy peaks, whether that means a quiet Sunday morning, Saturday afternoon, or Friday before closing down.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways! Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/ Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit MENTIONED: Ep 314: How to Calm Your Nervous System for Better Focus and Energy Ep 306: Planning a Day that Works for You Ep 133: The Dangers of Over-Planning Ep 140: How to Declutter Your Mind in One Simple Step Minimum Effective Day Mini-Training CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Resources Work with Lisa!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3 Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny Start your own podcast with Buzzsprout! The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    19 min

  3. May 18

    How to Calm Your Nervous System for Better Focus and Energy

    Text your thoughts and questions! You can own the best planner in the world, maintain a beautifully organized workspace, and set clear priorities, yet still feel like you drag yourself through wet sand. Systems and strategies fail to function if your body runs on high alert. Your nervous system state operates underneath your productivity tools and dictates whether your strategies can express themselves. This week, episode 314 of the Positively Living® Podcast addresses the physiological layer of productivity. Learn how to transition from survival mode into a state of calm focus so you can make good decisions and execute your best work. Key Takeaways:  Your nervous system scans your environment outside your conscious control and treats a full inbox or a tight deadline the same way it treats an actual physical threat .Fight-or-flight responses push your brain's prefrontal cortex offline, which temporarily impairs your capacity for focus, decision-making, and creative thought.Shift your body into parasympathetic dominance to create the space required to absorb information and think clearly .Signal safety to your body by make your out-breath longer than your in-breath, which directly stimulates the vagus nerve to slow your stress response .Combine a double inhale through your nose with a long, slow exhale through your mouth to down-regulate your system faster than traditional mindfulness meditation .Use physical movement like stretching, a brisk walk, or shake out your hands to release the physical energy that modern conflict leaves behind in your muscles .Splash cold water on your face to activate the diving reflex, or hum along to a song to stimulate the vagus nerve where it runs through your vocal cords .Complete a pen-and-paper mind sweep to capture random thoughts and stop the unconscious mental loops that keep your stress response active .Document exactly what is factually true in the current moment to ground your mind and prevent worst-case scenarios from hijack your focus .Develop a flexible nervous system that naturally rises to meet daily demands and returns to center quickly when a task finishes .Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways! Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/ Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Resources Work with Lisa!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Episode 79: How Your Body Responds to Stress Ep 257 The Special Nerve That Helps With Stress Ep 140 How to Declutter Your Mind in One Simple Step. Ep 183 for a no fail approach to gratitude journaling Resources Page (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3 Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny Start your own podcast with Buzzsprout! The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    25 min

  4. May 11

    Hidden Energy Drains That Affect Your Productivity

    Text your thoughts and questions! Have you ever sat down to work with everything you needed, yet still couldn't get anything done? While we often blame a lack of motivation or discipline, productivity stalls are frequently caused by hidden energy leaks rather than a lack of willpower. Energy is the true currency of productivity, and several specific factors can drain it in ways you might not even realize are connected to your output. This week, episode 313 of the Positively Living® Podcast explores five critical factors that have a direct, measurable impact on your focus and ability to finish your tasks. Key Takeaways: Sleep is not a luxury or a reward for finishing your to-do list; it is a biological requirement for your brain to function.Losing just one or two hours of sleep a night significantly impairs attention and decision-making.After seventeen to nineteen hours without sleep, your cognitive performance is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.Your brain consumes roughly 20% of your body's total energy, and blood sugar crashes from skipping meals can slow your reaction times and increase irritability.Hormones like estrogen and cortisol directly affect your mood, motivation, and the part of the brain responsible for planning and focus.Simple changes like opening a window or adjusting your lighting can have an immediate impact on your ability to concentrate.Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/ CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Resources Work with Lisa!  LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Books Mentioned Amazon Glucose Research Prefrontal Cortex Research Menstrual Cycle Research Environment Research PTSD Research Ep 312: Why Your Energy is More Important Than Your Time  Ep 249: Five Energizing Habits to Make You More Productive  Ep 243: How Your Home Office Makes You More Productive  Decluttering Playlist (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3 Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny Start your own podcast with Buzzsprout! The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    25 min

  5. May 4

    Why Your Energy Is More Important Than Your Time

    Text your thoughts and questions! Have you ever reached the end of a day where you technically had enough time to do everything, but it still felt like you got nothing done? We talk a lot about time—how to track it, schedule it, and protect it—but time isn’t the only variable in the productivity equation. Time management has a fundamental flaw: it treats all hours as equal, but they aren't. An hour of work at 9:00 AM when you are sharp and focused is completely different from that same hour at 3:00 PM when you are running on empty . This week, episode 312 of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast is about energy management—the practice of paying attention to, protecting, and replenishing your energy so you can show up fully for what matters . In this episode of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast, I share how to identify your natural rhythms and why managing your energy is the secret to sustainable productivity. Key Takeaways: Understand that a schedule cannot account for sleep, stress levels, or hormonal cycles, which dictate what you are actually capable of in any given hour.Pay attention when you start reading the same paragraph over and over; that is your clear signal that you lack the energy for the task at hand.Manage your capacity across four critical levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.Align your most demanding work with your daily "peak windows" and save low-stakes tasks for your natural dips in energy .Build in "buffer days" and recognize that your motivation in January will naturally look different than it does in July.Use curiosity instead of judgment to document when you feel most capable and when you feel drained throughout the day.Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Resources Work with Lisa!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Ep 215: Why You Need to Know Your Internal Productivity Rhythm  Ep 119: Seasonal Energy Ep 160: Seasonal Planning with Erik Fisher Ep 245: Using Themes to Organize Your Life Ep 249: 5 Energizing Habits to Make You More Productive (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3 Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny Start your own podcast with Buzzsprout! The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    18 min

  6. Apr 27

    Making Your Inbox Work for You

    Text your thoughts and questions! Last week, we focused on clearing the digital clutter through unsubscribing and archiving. Today, we move from the cleanup to the construction of a better system. Whether your inbox is currently chaotic or freshly cleared, the goal is to build a structure that handles community commitments, client needs, and family logistics without competing for your attention. This week, episode 311 of the Positively Living® Podcast is about how to organize your inbox so it stops being a source of stress and starts being a system for living well! In this episode of the Positively Living® Podcast, I share how to use filters, labels, and strategic forwarding to ensure your inbox supports your real life. Key Takeaways: Automate with Filters: Set up automated instructions to apply labels or archive emails based on specific criteria, such as the sender or subject line.Create Intuitive Folders: Build labels that match how you naturally search for information, whether by topic or by sender.Avoid Overcomplicating Categories: Use larger, intentional categories instead of creating a folder for every single thing to prevent a different form of overwhelm.Route Information Strategically: Use forwarding to keep collaborators in the loop or send action-oriented emails directly to a task manager like Todoist.Flag for Follow-Up: Utilize the starring feature as a lightweight way to curate a list of emails that require your attention later.Distinguish Archive from Delete: Archive for intentional preservation of items like contracts, while deleting anything that has served its purpose and is no longer needed.Define the Tool: Treat your inbox as a decision-making tool rather than a primary to-do list.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways! Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/ Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Work with Lisa!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Ep 310: Easy Ways to Declutter Your Inbox  Tech Tools Playlist  Book a Clarity Call (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3 Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny Start your own podcast with Buzzsprout! The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    18 min

  7. Apr 20

    Easy Ways to Declutter Your Inbox

    Text your thoughts and questions! When you open your email, how do you feel? If you feel dread, overwhelm, or a low-grade anxiety that makes you want to close the tab immediately, you are not alone. We often focus on physical or mental clutter, but digital clutter is just as real and just as heavy. Your inbox is one of the biggest contributors to your digital mental load, often accumulating faster than you can handle. This week, episode 310 of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast is about reducing the weight of your email and creating a system that functions the right way for you! In this episode of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast, I share practical moves to clear out the digital noise and regain your focus without the pressure of achieving a perfect empty inbox. Key Takeaways: Digital clutter contributes to a heavy cognitive load and acts as a background hum of unfinished business that drains your energy.Use your email's built-in categories, like Gmail tabs, to automatically separate marketing emails from your primary correspondence.Unsubscribing is the most effective long-term move you can make; use the sidebar options or individual links to clear lists without hunting through tiny print.Work smarter by using the search bar to pull up specific categories like old receipts, confirmations, or newsletters to delete them all at once.If the backlog feels paralyzing, try the "fresh-start" approach by moving everything currently in your inbox into a dated "Old Inbox" archive folder.Remember that small, consistent action beats a perfect overhaul; pick one simple task today to start reducing the weight of your digital space.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways! Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/ Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Resources Work with Lisa!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Ep 244: How to Clear Your Digital Clutter Ep 308: Declutter Your Calendar for Better Time Management (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3 Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny Start your own podcast with Buzzsprout! The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    18 min

  8. Apr 13

    How to Deal with Sentimental Clutter

    Text your thoughts and questions! Physical clutter is one thing, but sentimental items are in a category of their own. Whether it is a gift from a loved one, a childhood keepsake, or something belonging to someone you have lost, these objects often feel like stand-ins for the people and experiences we cherish. If you have ever felt frozen in front of a box of old cards, you know that this is not just about cleaning—it is about emotional attachment, grief, and identity. This week, episode 309 of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast explores why sentimental clutter hits differently and how to navigate the process of letting go without rushing your heart. In this episode of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast, I share why you do not have to get rid of anything to be successful and how to use decluttering as a tool for healing rather than a source of guilt. Key Takeaways: Understand Emotional Attachment: Objects often serve as buffers or anchors to meaningful versions of ourselves and those we love.Honor Your Own Timeline: Grief and decluttering have no expiration date; you are ready to decide when you feel ready, not when someone else says so.The Maybe Rule: If a decision feels like a maybe, it is a keep. The cost of letting go too soon is often higher than the value of the space gained.Identify Obligation: Recognize if you are keeping an item for yourself or because you feel a betrayal of a relationship.Shift to Curation: Learn how to reduce a collection to its most meaningful pieces rather than keeping every single item.Use Strategic Deferment: Tools like the Maybe Box or macro decluttering allow you to take back your living space while buying time for harder decisions.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways! Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/ Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY: Facebook Instagram Resources Work with Lisa!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Declutter Workshop Declutter Playlist Grief and Trauma Playlist (Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.) The Self-Care to Wellness Bundle is available for 1 week only - from July 9th - July 16th

    20 min
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About

The Positively Living® Podcast brings you shame-free productivity conversations for the overwhelmed multi-passionate creatives, caregivers, and multi-taskers who never clock out, juggle countless responsibilities, and quietly wonder if there's a better way. Hosted by Lisa Zawrotny, Productivity Coach and founder of Positively Productive Systems, the show replaces rigid productivity rules with flexible approaches that respect your energy and priorities. Through solo episodes, expert interviews, and live coaching sessions, Lisa covers the topics that actually affect your ability to move forward: stress management, habits and systems, decluttering, self-awareness, boundaries, mindset, entrepreneurship, and more. This is productivity for real life, helping you breathe easier, move forward sustainably, and make space for what matters most to you.

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