SMARTER is like a guidebook and pep talk for every woman who wants to define success on their own terms. In it, the author shares her own experiences and provides strategies and tools to help women navigate how they live and work to reach their own goals.

Emily M Austen is on a mission to help people live and work smarter. “I do not want my legacy to be that of ‘the tired woman.’ I do not want to be remembered for always being late, stressed, busy and exhausted. I want to be someone who lives abundantly. A woman with a connection to my values, an ability to set and maintain healthy boundaries. A life in which success is not defined by how late I stay in the office, whether I performatively rise before 5am, whether I choose to miss important days or how often I post about my job online.” 

Emily's journey in PR started way back in 2012 when she boldly decided to start her own agency. As a female professional in a predominantly male-dominated domain, the challenges she encountered included having her authority and capabilities questioned solely based on her gender; and was even told on occasion that if she were a man, she'd be taken more seriously.

“I have spent the best part of two decades with the attitude that visible stress, hardship, personal sacrifice, damaging my mental and physical health and reaching burnout are essential parts of the reality of trying to achieve success. I overlooked the wins, dwelled on the losses, and lived under a veil of shame, guilt and low self esteem. My approach when it was difficult was to turn the screw even harder.” 

On top of that, women have to deal with a system that glorifies burnout and makes women think they couldn't have a successful career and a personal life at the same time. But Emily believes this mindset needs to change, and she's passionate about empowering women to work smarter and live healthier. She believes in taking care of ourselves, setting boundaries, and creating work environments that foster creativity and teamwork.

“A truly smarter life is one in which putting myself first is not selfish. One where I don’t have to be 100% sure all the time. One where I can be determined, ambitious and successful, most of the time. One where softness is not weakness, and one where I create my own definitions, with the courage to change things if they no longer serve me. I don’t believe it to be easy, but I do believe there is evidence all around us that it is possible. I’d like my legacy to be that I was part of that evidence.”

The SMARTER method aims to redefine success, shifting the focus from over-productivity to long-term achievement. It challenges the notion that stress, burnout, and personal sacrifice are necessary for success. The author, drawing from personal experience and insights from successful individuals, offers a practical guide to achieving a fulfilling life and career. 

“For the last 12 years, running my own agency and working with the most successful people on the planet, I began to consider that there might be a different way. Not to replace the graft, the determination or the commitment, but to consider that success at all costs is not conducive to a happy life, and to challenge societal frameworks of success. I have written this book in the hope that you are able to embrace your life abundantly, achieve all that you wish to, and maintain balance, in whatever definition you have.”

The book includes ten achievable steps, such as reframing thought patterns, cultivating an abundant mindset, setting healthy boundaries, and prioritising energy management over time tracking. The SMARTER method emphasises self-compassion, aligning with personal values, and creating sustainable systems for lasting success. It ultimately aims to empower individuals to achieve their goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

The SMARTER method encourages individuals to rethink their productivity by challenging the notion that self-worth is tied to productivity and questioning the amount of time spent seeking validation from others. It reframes the idea that over-productivity equals success and proposes a more balanced approach to work and life. It promotes a more balanced and sustainable approach to work and life, emphasising long-term fulfilment over short-term gains achieved at the expense of personal well-being.

Emily’s final word? “This is not for the bare minimum Mondays or the take it easy Tuesdays. It's for those who strive for success; for ambitious women wanting to do it all, those who understand that you have to make a deposit to be able to make a withdrawal. For those who have skin in the game. For the overlooked, the under appreciated. The full timers and the 'not quite made it yetters'. Those looking for a smarter way to do it.”

@emilymausten

@getbusi

SMARTER, 10 Lessons for a More Productive and Less Stressed Life is out now (November 2024), published by Hachette; and stocked in Waterstones, WHSmith, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Daunt, Blackwells, Anthropologie, Oliver Bonas and more.