I've been both highly productive and horribly unproductive in the last two weeks.
Which has set me thinking about a simple but smart way to improve your productivity.
To explain: I spent a week at the delightful Swanwick Writers' Summer School, teaching aspiring authors.
It was great fun, uplifting, and so rewarding.
But was it, strictly speaking, productive?
In a word, no.
I was only teaching for a relatively few hours in the week, and although it was a joy to be back in the lecture theatre...
The rest of the time was spent chatting, relaxing, unwinding, socialising, going to talks, out for a walk or run, for lunch...
In other words, more of a holiday.
(And it was blooming wonderful!)
However, the downside is that I couldn't keep on top of all my company's work, which meant...
When I got home, I had a big backlog to work through.
You know that feeling. Not so much fun at all.
Having now got on top of it, after a fairly brutal and challenging few days, I'm feeling better again.
It was certainly a productive week.
But was it fun, like Swanwick?
No! Not in the slightest.
Which brought me to the conclusion that peak productivity probably comes with a happy mix.
If only I could do some socialising, with some teaching, some going to talks and out for runs/walks, a bit of writing, with some looking after Creative Warehouse in between...
Then I would probably hit peak productivity.
And perhaps more importantly...
Peak happiness.
Because it's surely true that contentment and productivity dance together in the moonlight like the most beautiful of couples.
In future, I shall try to get a good weekly mix of my workload, however tricky that might be.
Both for my wellbeing, and my professionalism.
The most productive day would be pure variety.
Perhaps a couple of hours of teaching, some time to write, run Creative Warehouse, and socialise, keep fit, relax and unwind.
Well, it's worth aspiring to, even if life so often gets in the way of such ideals.
But will I refuse to take up opportunities like Swanwick, see friends, and generally have a life?
No. No chance. Never.
If the last 18 months of this awful pandemic have taught us anything, it's that life is fragile and brief, and is there to be embraced.