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Happy October, guys, gals, and non-binary pals—this is Productivity, Without Privilege, probably the chattiest productivity newsletter you’ll ever subscribe to. So far it seems like that’s been working out okay, so let’s keep it up, yeah? 

As always, I’m your humble Maître d, Alan Henry, and once again I am asking you to consider picking up a copy of my book, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. It’s my birthday month, so you can give me a present by picking up a copy, or one for a friend, or a student, or to decorate your bookshelf, I’m not picky. Besides, the cover is really pretty, and did I mention that my publisher hired the typeface designer for Spike Lee to do my cover? They did! There’s a fun fact for you. 

Now then, let’s get started. At the end of September, just after my previous newsletter, I was in San Francisco for RE:WIRED Green, which I’ll get to a little bit later in the recommendations section, but between then and now a lot of things have happened in the news cycle. I walked away from that event both inspired and hopeful, but also kind of thoughtful about the future of the planet. 

Hello friends, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege, brought to you by readers like you. Thank you. 

I’m your host, Alan Henry, and I have a book that hopefully you all know about already, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. It’s the end of the summer by most accounts (and for my friends in the southern hemisphere, it’s the end of a long winter,) and that usually means that at this point we’re watching the daylight fade, slowing down just a little bit, but also well aware that with the cooling weather means the demands and obligations of the end of the year are right in front of us. 

Well hello there! Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. Pull up a chair, I’ll put something on the grill for you. Drinks are in the cooler too, grab whatever you like. I’m Alan Henry, and I’ll be at the grill for this particular cookout. Hit me with your special requests, I can accommodate. So, did you enjoy your labor day? I hope you got a chance to relax, reflect, and consider seizing the means of production and unionizing your workplace! Yeah? Wonderful, let’s get started. 

This week let’s talk about what success looks like to you. 

I’m partially inspired by this tweet, but also by a few interactions I’ve had recently with people asking me what my “secret to success” actually is. The fact that people even ask me, of all people, that question, is utterly laughable to me, but I do have to recognize on some level that I’ve done some things that a lot of people want to do, so maybe I do have some advice to offer. But it’s not the kind of advice you might think I would offer. 

Well, well, well. Look who we have here? You! My honored guest! Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. I’m your host, Alan Henry, and as always, if you haven’t picked up a shiny copy of Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, please? If you have already, thank you! Maybe it’ll make a nice gift for the coming holiday season! Eh? Eh? Aw, you know the drill. Let’s get started. 

This week I want to talk about gatekeeping, whether it’s in literature, publishing, media, or anywhere else. 

Hello friends, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege, where I try to explain how you can do your best work and live your best life regardless of the social baggage you may carry and the systemic issues and challenges you may face. I’m your host, and hopefully your friend, Alan Henry, and it’s my honor and privilege to write this newsletter for you. Seriously! 

As always, I have to plug Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, which I hope you’ve all purchased at this point, but if you haven’t, I would greatly appreciate it if you did! Or maybe you grab a copy for a new grad you know, or someone headed to college this fall, or someone starting a new job! But on a serious note, it’s difficult for me to believe that it’s been two months since the book came out. It feels like it was just yesterday and yet so long ago. Of course, I’m happy to say I’m still doing interviews and getting invitations to speak about the book, so clearly the message is resonating with people! 

Hello and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege friends. I’m your host, Alan Henry, and if you haven’t picked up a copy of Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, now is your cue to do so! For those of you who have, I thank you immensely. If you have a copy and you’d love me to sign it, or if you want a signed copy, drop me a line and we’ll work it out! I’m just glad to be here with you, once again. 

First, a little housekeeping! You may have noticed your once-Monday newsletter is here on a Tuesday! That’s intentional, I promise. I’m taking the advice of a number of my good friends and doing two things: One, bumping the newsletter to Tuesday gives you something to read that’s not part of the hectic Monday morning “gotta-catch-up-with-everything” rush. Two, it means I actually get to enjoy my Sundays before sending this instead of stressing out about making sure you have quality content in your inbox! It’s a win-win, wouldn’t you say? 

Happy Monday, if there is such a thing, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. I’m your inbox harbinger, newsletter companion, and erstwhile friend, Alan Henry, and hopefully this week I can get back to offering you some tangible tips and suggestions to make your work and your workplace a more inclusive, effective place. 

Before I get started though, of course I have to ask if you’ve ordered your own copy of Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, available now wherever books are sold! (I love being able to say that.) If you’d like a signed copy, The Strand bookstore here in New York City still has a couple in stock, shipping nationwide! And for all of you who have bought the book, reviewed it, encouraged other people to buy it, and shared your book photos with me, thank you so, so very much. It’s been a month since the book came out, and I’m still doing podcasts and media appearances to promote it, and I couldn’t be happier.   

So, looking back over the past few months and thinking about how many times we’ve had to shift gears because something awful or noteworthy happened is a little demoralizing. So this week I want to talk about something important based on a conversation I had on a podcast (which isn’t out yet, I’ll let you know when it is!) recently: the importance of being able to make mistakes.

Welcome back, friends, to Productivity, Without Privilege! I’m Alan Henry, your friend at the bar, who’s back at the bar, and you probably knew before you opened this that you could find him at the bar. I saved a seat for you. Can I get you a drink? We have to look out for each other more than ever right now, don’t we? 

Before we get too deep though, I do have to ask if you’ve picked up a copy of Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized yet? If you’d like a signed copy, you can order one from Strand Books right here (and at the time of this writing, there are only nine left!) 

Hello and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege! For those of you following along, this week has been incredible. Tuesday 6/7 was publication day for Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, and if you pre-ordered, thank you! If you’re waiting for your copy, thank you! If you haven’t purchased a copy yet, please do, and thank you! 

This week has been a whirlwind of activity, interviews, excerpts, events, parties, and really, truly, just joy and gratitude. For all of you who have come on this journey with me, thank you so much. I can’t properly express how humbled, grateful, and just blissfully joyful I am to be surrounded by people like all of you. Thank you. 

Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege friends, where given the state of the world and the news recently, it feels weird to promote my book. I’ll do it anyway, because frankly, I want to make sure this is as much of a success as possible, but it still feels strange. That said, I’m going to keep this week’s newsletter relatively short, partially because it’s a holiday and instead of reading me, I sincerely hope you take the day to share your heart with your loved ones, and partially because it’s a holiday and you deserve to rest as well. 

Now then, if you haven’t pre-ordered Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, please do! If you’re particularly interested in a signed copy, you can pre-order one from The Strand’s online store here, the only place you can get them right now. 

If you’re in the New York City area, consider coming by The Strand on 6/10, where I’ll be in a Secrets of Publishing panel to celebrate my debut book, along with some other amazing authors, editors, and journalists—all thanks to the wonderful Susan Shapiro, who put the event together for me.

Hello friends, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege! If you’re new here (and there are quite a few new faces, welcome, all of you!) my name is Alan Henry, your humble host and MC, and can you believe my book, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, comes out in TWENTY-TWO DAYS? 

It’s the culmination of over a year’s work and energy and effort, but honestly, it’s only the beginning of something wonderful, I hope. But I am looking forward to having a little more free time, I’ll say that. Anyway, if you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, I’d be eternally grateful if you did! My personal goal is to outsell Megan McCain if at all possible, which I think is a pretty low bar, so let’s make that happen, shall we? 

Happy May, friends, and welcome back to another Productivity, WIthout Privilege. I’m your ever-stalwart host and companion through these ridiculous times, Alan Henry, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask you to pre-order Seen, Heard, & Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, which comes out 6/7/22 if you haven’t already. We’re getting so close to the book launch now! I’m excited, and I hope you are, too. 

I’m writing this week from an empty conference room at a hotel, just after giving my keynote talk and stepping off stage at the American Society for Journalists and Authors annual conference, to whom I’m exceptionally grateful for asking me to speak. One thing that came up during the talk that I think deserves a little more space is the concept of owning your own voice, and fostering the relationships necessary to tell your own story. 

Good morning, afternoon, or evening wherever you are, my friends. I’m Alan Henry, your host for this email. I’ll bring some bread for the table if you like, but don’t worry, we have more than bread on offer, I promise. Oh, and also, see that shiny new banner up there? It’s your cue to, if you haven’t already, pre-order Seen, Heard, & Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, which comes out 6/7/22. That’s all you have to remember: six-seven. Easy, right? 

Anyway, if you’ve preordered already, again, thank you. If you haven’t yet, or you’re planning to, thank you. If you’re not planning to at all, thank you for putting up with me asking you to do it over and over again. 

Now then, with all that out of the way, let’s get started, shall we? I feel like so much happens between these dispatches, but this week I want to talk about the value of social media, and the importance of social media for people who have to build their own “brands,” as in, the dirty way we describe people who have to build their own reputations for good work, and for being good to work with. 

Hello guys, gals, and non-binary pals, my name is Alan Henry, author of Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, and I’ll be honest with all of you: this is not going to be a newsletter about The Slap. It will, however, be a newsletter about respectability, and about the images—the masks—we build of ourselves, out of necessity, to put in front of the people that we work with. It’s also going to be about what happens when those masks come down, and people get a view of who we are underneath, for better or for worse. 

Before that though, I have to ask: have you preordered my book? It’s up for pre-order now, everywhere books are sold! (Including Bookshop and Indiebound, so you can support local bookstores!) Ask your favorite book store to carry it, and while you’re at it, see if they’d like me to stop in to sign a few copies? I’d be happy to if I can get to where you are. 

Now then, let’s get into it. I am infinitely bored of the slap discourse, because it’s tinged with…a lot of things that I could get into here, but honestly, I’m sure you’re done hearing about it too. But I do want to talk about one specific reaction that resonated with me, largely because it’s one I’m used to hearing, and one that I grew up assuming was The Way Things Were: that somehow in order to succeed you had to present yourself in a certain manner that was palatable to authority figures.

Of course, what I didn’t realize until later in life was that A: those authority figures are usually the most privileged among us (e.g., white men, in most spaces, so the whole idea is an artifact of white supremacy) and B: that kind of self-moderating (dare I call it self-censoring?) has a name: respectability.

Hello, hello! Welcome to Productivity, WIthout Privilege. I’m Alan Henry, and I’ll be your host this evening. It’ll be a few moments before your table is ready, but if you’d like, I can seat you by the window and get you a drink on the house while you wait? Excellent, I’ll tell you a story while you wait. 

Earlier this week I caught myself feeling jealous of someone I’d never met. 

It was an unusual feeling because I’m not a jealous person. If anything, I’m usually the first person in line to congratulate someone on their achievements. I mean sure, I can get a little envious when I see someone with a nicer kitchen than mine, or a cooler gaming rig than mine, but I usually translate those feelings into thinking about ways to obtain the things I want for myself, not seething over the idea that I can’t have them, or that someone else does. 

But it did get me thinking about pride, jealousy, and how important it is to surround yourself with people who affirm your achievements and compliment your abilities and accomplishments. People who challenge you to be better without minimizing the things you’ve already done, or the things you know you can do. Those kinds of people are highly underrated, and sometimes it’s not even that you need to intentionally seek them out—they may already be in front of you. Think about the people you follow, the people you read, or the people you look up to who inspire you to be great at the things you do. Or the people you learn from because they’re great at what they do. Think about the people in your life who see your abilities clearly and encourage you to not just rest on your laurels but reach further to your own dreams and goals. Those people are invaluable. 

Morning (or afternoon, or evening, wherever you may be) friends, and welcome back to Productivity, WIthout Privilege. 

I’m Alan Henry, and this time around I’m not the captain, I’m not your pilot, or your commander, or some other authority figure. This week I’m sitting next to you at the bar, ordering a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned or something else that’s strong enough to take the edge off but tasty enough to be enjoyed slowly. Why? I mean…look around, right? 

If you haven’t already, please preorder Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, which I’ve been told is now available over at Bookshop, among other places, so you can support your local indie bookstores while also supporting…well…me! Thank you. Oh, and if you haven’t followed me over at Goodreads yet, feel free! Feel free to ask me questions about the book or the process of writing it if you’d like, and I’ll answer them there, too!

Now then, let’s get into the topic, and why I wanted to start off a little more collegially. It’s a question that I can’t really stop asking myself these days, as we continue to stare at our screens while also trying to trudge through the day-to-day of our jobs, our responsibilities, and even our hobbies. What is productivity to a world at war? 

Hello again friends, I’m Alan Henry, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege, where look at me—look at me. I’m the captain now. 

If you haven’t already, I am once again asking you to preorder my book, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. I had a wonderful (but also extremely overwhelming) meeting with my publisher about how we’re going to promote the book, so I’m probably going to be very busy soon! I’m excited! But also terrified! I’m a whirlwind of emotion. And speaking of which, I also have a Goodreads author profile now! I’d love it if you’d follow me over there, maybe add my book to your shelves? I appreciate you. 

So let’s jump in today, shall we? This week I want to talk about something maybe not quite related to productivity, but something I still think is really important: Why you’re seeing so many bad opinions lately.

And by bad opinions, I mean why you’ve seen a trend in major publications’ op-ed pages to giving space to writers who are, generally, not representative of the publication’s newsroom or audience, to share some of the absolute worst takes imaginable. You’ve likely seen what I’m talking about. I did a quick thread about one last week, and even after that there was another terrible take by another well-paid columnist about the Covid-19 pandemic that I won’t abuse you by linking here. In both cases, the takes were bad, horribly bad, and generally the result of people sheltered enough by class and privilege that they’ve never once considered that their opinions may not be indicative of most peoples, or their own thoughts anything but original and inspired. 

Hello friends, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege! My name is Alan Henry, and I come in peace. And I come to, yet again, ask you to pre-order a copy of Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, coming out on June 7th! Sheesh, it’s only a few months away, isn’t it? 

It’s almost time to start planning book launch activities, and I have more than a few in the hopper that I can’t talk too much about just yet, but I do have one I can discuss: I’m the keynote speaker at the American Society of Journalists and Authors conference this spring, May 1-2, 2022. If you’ll happen to be in the NY/NJ area and want to both attend an informative conference with amazing panels and also hear me kick the whole thing off by talking about how to get into the industry and convincing people to let you tell your stories, check it out! 

But let’s get into this week’s topic though, shall we? This week I want to talk about who gets to be marginalized. Spoiler: The answer is everyone. All of us. So now that you know where we’re going, walk with me while we get there.

Hello friends, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. I’m Alan Henry, and I am once again asking you to preorder my book, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. 

If you already have, thank you so much! I’m marching ever closer to the book release and promotion is starting to ramp up, so your support means everything to me, and I can’t wait to have the book in your hands. I truly hope you enjoy it, and if you don’t enjoy it, I hope you at least find it useful. 

And speaking of useful things, this week I want to talk about a tool that I elaborate a lot on in the book, but I don’t think it’s the kind of thing that should be behind a hardcover purchase: The Work Diary. 

Hello and Happy New Year, friends! Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege.

I’m your ever stalwart host and master of ceremonies, Alan Henry, and with a brand new calendar year means a brand new opportunity to….honestly do nothing different, and I’ll explain why in a minute. I’m not a terribly superstitious person, but I do like the opportunity of a new calendar year to give me some kind of fresh start, an opportunity to say “okay, here’s day one of this thing I’ve been meaning to do.” But then again, I use every first of the month for that. Or every Monday. You see what I mean here.

So anyway, buy my book (you didn’t think I’d let the opener go without that, did you?) if you haven’t already. It comes out June 7 of this year, and I honestly can’t wait! More on all of that soon, but suffice to say starting in a couple of months I’ll be ramping up book promotion a bit, which means articles, events, and other fun stuff that I hope you’ll enjoy. Now then, let’s get into it. 

This week I want to talk about fresh starts, and who gets to demand them.

Hello friends, and welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. I’m Alan Henry, I’ll be your host this evening. Buy my book if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to tip your server, okay? It’s been a tough year for all of us. 

Speaking of a tough year—this is the last newsletter of the year! Happiest of holidays to you, your loved ones, friends, family, and everyone else in your lives. I know I only started a few months ago, but thank you, all of you, for coming along on this ride with me. I’m not stopping, but I do want to stop for a moment and express my gratitude, including for those of you who (and I see you!) do belong to the privileged majority in many places, and you’re reading this because you can empathize, you want to be better allies and friends and loved ones to the marginalized folks in your life, or you just, heaven forbid, give a crap about other people. 

I know, it’s wild, right? But remember, there are so many people out there who don’t, so please, keep going. Even when it’s difficult. Especially when it’s difficult. 

So let’s get right into it, shall we? This week I want to talk a little bit about something that’s near and dear to my heart, that hopefully you all will resonate with as we head into the new year: how to thrive even you’re asking yourself “Why the hell do I keep doing this to myself?” When you’re wondering what it is exactly that’s supposed to get you up and out of bed in the morning. 

Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. I’m your host, Alan Henry, and my book has a new cover! Look, look: 

Isn’t it gorgeous? And of course, Seen, Heard, and Paid is available for preorder wherever books are sold! And if you’d like to support your local bookseller while I’m in the process of figuring out with my editor why it’s not listed at Bookshop, you can always grab it at Books Are Magic instead, or, if you’re really feeling up to it, ask your local bookstore to order you a copy! Any advance interest helps me out a ton, so thank you, whatever you do, even if it’s just telling your friends about the book, that helps more than you know as well! 

Now then, let’s get into it this week, a topic that is near and dear to my heart: white male mediocrity. 

Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. 

I’ve been told that for a newsletter that’s at least partially supposed to help drum up interest in my book that I’m not talking enough about my book, so please, if you haven’t already, consider pre-ordering Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, coming June of next year! If you’ve already pre-ordered, thank you from the bottom of my heart, it really does mean everything to me. 

So while I generally don’t want to turn this newsletter into one of those news-relevant things where you can expect me to have a hot take on the news of the week, it’s kind of hard to talk about how people are treated differently based on who they are, what their background is, or what social baggage they carry … without talking briefly about the Rittenhouse verdict. So, briefly, I’ll just post a screencap of this tweet:

Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. 

If this is your first time with us, please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. We cannot be held liable for lost items on the ride, but if you do lose something make sure to alert a staff member immediately. 

So let’s get started. 

Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. 

I’m Alan, I'll be your captain today, and once we have all luggage properly stowed and passengers seated with their seat belts on, we’ll get ready for departure. We’re expecting clear skies today and a smooth ride to your destination, but just in case of turbulence, you may want to remain seated for the duration of the flight. 

Now then, let’s begin. 

Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege. 

I’m Alan, I’m your host. Pull up a seat, I’ll get you something to drink. Maybe a snack? You might need one, because this week I want to talk about something basic, but really important when it comes to the way you engage with any “productivity” discourse, whether it’s about doing more stuff at work, or organizing your to-dos at home. Ready?

Oh, hang on. I need to remind you to pre-order my book, . Would you be so kind? Maybe tell a friend? Thank you so much.