I've been thinking a lot about productivity and perfectionism. And let me be someone who can reassure you: not every day needs to be (or even can be) a superhero day ... go easy on yourself.

How do we carve out legato time when the world seems designed to keep us in staccato mode?

Do you make New Year's resolutions? I don't—hear me out.

How did I get to this week of peace and a little Christmas magic? In large part, I went by feel (a classic HSP tool).

One of my absolute favorite books about conquering procrastination is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, by L. Michelle Tullier, Ph.D.

Anyone stressed as the holidays kick into high gear? My hand is raised.

I've really taken some lessons forward from my time off, and I want to share those gentle reminders with you.

When overwhelm threatens, remember that one of your best defensive responses is delegation!

Sometimes if we try a little something outside our norm, some fun things will probably happen.

"The most dramatic, effective way to boost your productivity is to completely avoid e-mail for the first hour of the day."

You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning with good intentions, and then suddenly it's 1 a.m. and you're still working? Yeah. I've been living that reality for longer than I care to admit. And a couple Mondays ago I ran myself into a brick wall at 90 miles an hour like a 1980s crash test dummy.

I've developed a fresh appreciation for my favorite topic: overwhelm. Though I'm not sure it's the field test I wanted, I'm smack in the middle of taking my own advice. My best friend has been my GPS system. You've heard me talk about this before: Gather, Prioritize, Simplify.

You know exactly what you need to do. The task sits there on your list, staring at you with judgmental eyes. But somehow, you just... can't start. Welcome to the peculiar purgatory of the overwhelmed overachiever: knowing what needs doing but feeling mysteriously unable to do it. This paralysis isn't a character flaw—it's a predictable pattern with predictable solutions.

It's 2 AM and you're lying in bed, mentally composing emails while planning your grocery list and worrying about deadlines. Welcome to the overachiever brain—that magnificent, exhausting organ that never learned how to turn off. Here's how to harness that spinning energy instead of letting it drain you, starting with the game-changing difference between ideas and action items.

You know that feeling when you walk into your office and immediately want to walk right back out? When just looking at your desk gives you chest palpitations? When your email notifications sound like a smoke alarm that won't quit? This isn't the time for elaborate productivity systems or color-coded organizational schemes. When everything's urgent, you need emergency triage. You need tools that work fast, cut through the chaos, and give you immediate breathing room.

If you're reading this, chances are you're drowning in responsibilities. We need fast, practical solutions for actual problems—our own version of the magic bag, ready for deployment when chaos strikes.

Last Friday at 5:47 PM, I typed the final period on the last sentence of my academic book draft. No fanfare, no confetti cannons—just me, my laptop, and a quiet sense of "Holy cow, I actually did it."

An important reminder from high achiever Susan L. Taylor for we fellow high achievers: relaxation is not a luxury. If you don't make time to recuperate, you will burn out. Please don't do that to yourself. You're worth taking care of!

If I say the word “routine” to a group of people, you can bet there will be two kinds of reactions: a visceral shudder, and a smiling nod. Why? Well, I would say it’s because that word means very different things to these two groups. And it’s such a polarizing word that really I haven’t seen a reaction anywhere in the middle. No “meh, a routine.” Just either a screeching “I hate routines!” or a beaming “Boy, I love routines!"

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) was founded in 2010. Their mission? They provide workshops, tools, mentoring, buddy networks, and more to faculty, graduate students, and postdocs for success in the academic world. I’ve been on their mailing list for years now, from the beginning or very near it, and I am consistently impressed by the quality of their offerings. If you need one-on-one support as well, get in touch with me!