What do mood swings, motivation dips, and your productivity have in common? Hormones, baby.

In this episode of Productivity Nerd, host Kathy Soulsby chats to nurse and clinical hypnotherapist Liz Sherlock about how our hormonal cycles can mess with our mojo - and what to do about it.

If you’ve ever wondered why you feel like Superwoman one week and a sentient sock the next, you’re not imagining it. From the gym to the boardroom, hormones like oestrogen, progesterone, and cortisol can have a huge impact on how we work, think, and feel.

Kathy and Liz cover:

– How to work with your cycle, not against it

– The impact of perimenopause and menopause on productivity (hello, brain fog)

– Tips for men who live, love or work with women (hint: don’t say “calm down”)

– Why ignoring your hormones is like trying to schedule a strategy meeting during “crying over burnt toast” week

Whether you’re tracking your cycle with military precision or just vaguely aware something’s up, this episode offers science-backed advice and practical hacks to stop fighting your hormones and start flowing with them.

Because productivity isn’t just planners and Pomodoro timers. Sometimes it’s knowing when to rest, when to push, and when to eat chocolate and hide in a duvet fort.

If you want to learn more visit Liz's website: https://sherlockhypnotherapy.com/

Ever feel like no matter how much you get done, it’s never quite enough? Like you're on a hamster wheel powered by colour-coded to-do lists and vague guilt?

In this episode, Kathy talks about toxic productivity - that sneaky voice that tells you to "try harder" even when you're running on fumes. We’ll meet the ancient metaphor of the “hungry ghost” (spoiler: it’s not just a spooky concept, it might actually live in your inbox) and explore why modern hustle culture leaves so many of us feeling hollow.

This isn’t a productivity pep talk. It’s a gentle, tea-sipping nudge toward ambition without self-punishment. Because yes, you can want more ... without believing you’re not enough.

In this episode of Productivity Nerd, Kathy Soulsby is joined by her fellow productivity enthusiast Claire Ennion for a deep dive into Living Forward by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy. This isn’t your standard self-help hustle fest. It’s about escaping “the drift” - that sneaky slide into autopilot - and creating a Life Plan that helps you live on purpose.

They chat legacies (yes, there’s talk of funerals again), life “accounts”, and why your weekly planner might need a spiritual check-in alongside the school run and sales calls.Expect thoughtful takeaways, a few tangents (including haunting people via stationery sabotage), and some very honest reflections on what it means to design your life when life itself feels a bit… unscheduled.

In this bite-sized January episode, Kathy (planner addict, colour-code enthusiast, and long-time hot water bottle evangelist) dives into the art of staying warm without melting your budget.Because it’s 2026, energy bills are still soaring, and frankly no one should have to freeze just to get through their inbox.From USB hand warmers to bubble-wrapped windows (yes, really), this cosy listen is packed with practical tips, historical oddities, and the science behind warm socks and better focus. You'll hear why heating you beats heating the whole house, how to build a “thermal productivity zone,” and what medieval straw-insulated floors have to do with your 3pm slump.Perfect for anyone trying to stay productive, semi-sane, and vaguely defrosted this winter.So, grab a brew (or two), wrap yourself in something fleece-adjacent, and enjoy.Stay warm, stay nerdy...and remember: the only thing that should be frozen in January is the peas in your freezer.

In this episode, Kathy is joined by the marvellous Helen Taylor for what might be the boldest experiment yet: attempting to break up with their phones. Or at least see less of them.

Inspired by How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price, they dive into the weirdly intense relationship we have with our screens. From dopamine doom-scrolling to the panicked need to check WhatsApp mid-Netflix.

Together, they explore:
– Why our phones are basically clingy exes in our pockets
– How they’re quietly trashing our attention spans (and possibly our empathy)
– What a 30-day digital detox actually looks like
– And which small changes have actually stuck

Expect shocking stats (yes, during sex), emotional confessions, and the sort of gentle accountability that only comes from trying to read Deep Work and failing because a dancing parrot popped up.

It's not about ditching your phone entirely, more about setting some boundaries, reclaiming your brain cells, and maybe remembering what it’s like to finish a book without checking three apps in between chapters.

Until next time: may your notifications be few, your focus deep, and your phone…occasionally face-down in another room.

Hello shiny new year, fresh notebooks, and big plans!

In this mini episode of Productivity Nerd, Kathy kicks off 2026 with a thought experiment inspired by productivity favourites Ali Abdaal, Will MacAskill (maybe?), and Stephen Bartlett.

It’s a bit of a mash-up - like most good ideas - and it all centres around how we spend our time.

Think of your hours like casino chips. You get 100 a week (after life’s essentials like sleep, snacks and showers). How are you spending them... and more importantly, would you choose to fast forward through some of them?

Kathy introduces the “Fast Forward Test” , a simple but brilliant way to check in with how you’re using your time.

Are you speeding through your days like a bad audiobook on 1.8x speed, or are you actually enjoying the moments that make up your life?

It’s a gentle nudge to be more present, notice what brings real satisfaction, and maybe tweak the parts of your week that feel more chore than choice.

Perfect for business owners, freelancers and permanently exhausted pigeons looking to make 2026 feel a little more intentional.

Nothing says “festive cheer” like a looming tax deadline, right?

In this not-at-all-scrooge-y episode of Productivity Nerd, Kathy is joined by resident tax whisperer Laura Green for a surprisingly comforting chat about self-assessment. Whether you’ve already filed, haven’t started, or are deep in denial, this one's for you.

Expect:

📆 The key dates you really shouldn’t ignore
💸 What happens if you miss them (brace yourself)
📎 Common mistakes people make (and how to dodge them)
🧾 When to call in an accountant (or just call it quits and outsource)
📬 And what to do if you open your return to find a scary number you can’t pay

Plus, Kathy shares a cautionary tale about one very lost Government Gateway number, a swearing fit, and a smug dad with two coffees and a completed return.

So, if you’d prefer your January to involve less panic and more smugness, pop this in your ears. Filing may not be fun...but it can be a whole lot less faffy.

It’s beginning to look a lot like… planner season!

Only joking - in this mini-episode of Productivity Nerd, Kathy’s resisting the urge to bang on about her favourite notebooks (again) and is instead diving into a festive round-up of productivity books.

Think of it as a Christmas wishlist for nerds. Or a gift guide for that one organised friend who colour-codes their inbox.

From timeless classics like Getting Things Done and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to the broccoli-in-book-form that is Deep Work, this is a whistle-stop tour through the titles that might just help you get your life together in the new year (or at least feel smug reading about how you could).

Expect strong opinions, some festive sass, and a reminder that “Eat That Frog” is both a book and a terrible breakfast idea.

Whether you’re shopping for yourself or trying to drop unsubtle hints to your loved ones, this episode has your productivity stocking fillers sorted.

This episode mentions:

• Getting Things Done – David Allen

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey

• Eat That Frog – Brian Tracy

• The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss (brace yourself)

• Deep Work – Cal Newport (aka productivity broccoli)

• Atomic Habits – James Clear

• Plus bonus nods to Michael Hyatt and Leena Norms

Snuggle up with a Baileys, embrace your inner nerd, and let’s get bookish.

Hiring a VA isn't just for fancy people with private jets and personal chefs. It's for normal, busy humans who are drowning in emails, double-booking meetings, and Googling “how to add hours to the day.”

In this episode, Kathy is joined by two brilliant minds from the virtual assistant world — Amanda Johnson (VA trainer extraordinaire) and Gwen Backhouse (head of the Society of Virtual Assistants, no less) — to bust myths, share war stories, and explain how to actually work well with a VA.

We talk about:
– Why expecting one VA to be a social media guru and your diary ninja is… optimistic
– What makes a dream client (hint: it’s not mind-reading)
– How to hire and onboard properly without the dreaded “LinkedIn free-for-all”
– Red flags to watch for on both sides
– And the future of VA support in a world full of AI and overwhelmed humans

If your to-do list is giving you mild hives, this one's for you.

👀 Grab Kathy’s book: How to Work with a Virtual Assistant: Outsource Everything but Your Brilliance

🔗 Find Amanda at the VA Training Academy
🔗 Find Gwen at the Society of Virtual Assistants

And remember: emails, like nettles, grow back the second you turn your back. You don’t have to deal with them alone.

Ever sat down to relax only to be ambushed by a mental to-do list you didn’t ask for? That’s the Zeigarnik Effect in action and in this mini episode, Kathy gets into it.

Named after psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, this psychological quirk explains why your brain keeps circling back to things you haven’t finished (like that half-written proposal… or the dentist form from three weeks ago).

In this short and sweet episode, Kathy explores:

• Why your brain holds onto open tasks like it’s running its own internal tab manager

• How writing things down can calm your mind

• The surprisingly motivating power of starting just a little

• And the joy of telling your brain “shutdown complete”

If you’re feeling a bit scattered or find yourself thinking about emails at 2AM, this one’s for you.