Last week, in an article for Fast Company, author and tech executive Rebekah Bastian wrote about why she doesnt read productivity books. The vast majority of these books are written by men who dont shoulder the majority of parenting duties, she says.Like so many working women, I carry a substantial portion of the second shift at home: cooking, homework help, bedtime routines, and general emotional support, she writes. The big chunk of uninterrupted time that these authors count onwhether its a 5 a.m. stretch of sacred hours or a mini-sabbatical to reboot creativityjust doesnt exist in my life. If I tried to follow their advice, Id be setting myself up for failure or burnout.Bastian discusses some of the more sustainable habits that she incorporates into her life, including multitasking when appropriate. While fixating on maximizing productivity can lead to burnout, there are reasonable ways, such as this, to try to get more done in less time:Embrace NoSometimes the best way to make space for what you want or need to do is to decline opportunities that dont advance your goals. Of course this doesnt work for every situationsometimes we all have to take on projects that we dont want to do.But its still worth practicing pausing before agreeing to new assignments, writes Mikaela Kiner, founder and CEO of uniquelyHR. Its sometimes helpful to ask, If I dont do this, will it matter in three weeks, three months, three years from now? says Kiner. This way, youll get a more accurate picture of whether your lack of participation is genuinely critical.Prioritize creativity and restAs we race to our jobs, churn through never-ending to-do lists, and run from meeting to meeting, eyes glazed over from the frenzied nature of our daily lives, many of us believe that we need to work this way in order to deserve rest, writes Katina Bajaj, cofounder and chief well-being officer of Daydreamers.But downtime is critical to happiness and well-being, she says. The antidote to our productive nature is simple, but often overlooked. The key is to wake up a part of ourselves that weve numbed in order to exist on the hamster wheel: our naturally creative minds.Pursuing creative projects and prioritizing rest help make the time you spend working more productive, says Bastian. Creative hobbieslike aerial arts or art projectsare also productive, because they nourish my mental health. And rest is productive, because it replenishes the energy I need to show up fully in work and life.