We’ve all been taught a certain definition of “productivity” – accomplishing more, reaching more goals, and (often) making more money. But shifting the way we think about productivity, rest, and leisure time has the power to change our lives. 

Our guest this week is Jeni Raitsin: she’s a mindful productivity coach, mental fitness trainer, and speaker on a mission to redefine productivity outside of hustle culture and help people innovate the way they cultivate happiness and growth. Her work is the intersection between productivity and well-being, combining time and energy management strategies with positive intelligence intentionally designed to help people reach their goals without stress or burnout. 

Listen to the full episode to hear more of the conversation about mental fitness, positive psychology, the different kinds of “mental muscles” we all have, how to better integrate productivity with leisure, and more. 

What You Will Learn: 

1:15: Jeni introduces herself and explains the work she does to help people increase their productivity in a healthy, sustainable way

5:42: How to combine energy management, productivity strategy, and mindset shifts to integrate more leisure into your life 

9:09: The role self-compassion and taking breaks play in making sure you carve out the time and space for play or leisure 

12:22: What “mental fitness” is, plus Jeni’s advice for cultivating more of it 

15:47: The approach Jeni takes with clients in order to strengthen the “three mental muscles” and help them integrate positive psychology into their daily lives

19:44: More about the “survival brain” and the “positive brain” and how each one influences our emotions, plus the difference between grief and other “negative” emotions

24:35: The advice Jeni would give to people for changing their negative thoughts and emotions into positive ones 

26:33: How to balance productivity and leisure in a sustainable way

28:42: Why it’s important to think back to what you enjoyed doing as a child, and how to integrate those activities into your adult life

31:29: How to choose yourself, despite other responsibilities or other people’s needs

33:35: The difference between needing to change your job and needing to change your perception of your job 

35:03: The advice Jeni would give to people going through (or thinking about) big job transitions 

36:44: How Jeni lives a life she doesn’t need a vacation from

Relevant Links: 

·       Learn more about Jeni and her company, Leisure Hacker: https://leisurehacker.com/ 

·       Follow Jeni on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leisurehacker/ 

·       Free Soulcation Daily Planning Page: https://www.melodymiles.com/daily-planning-page

·       Follow Mel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulcationmel/ 

·       Purchase the Soulcation Planner: https://www.melodymiles.com/soulcation-planner