✅ Today’s Checklist:
🤔 Riddle me this: I honor a voice that changed a nation through courage, unity, and a dream spoken out loud. Who am I? (Find the answer on the bottom).
🗓️ Thurs (1/15 @ 9am PT): A free live training on setting and actually achieving quarterly goals — based on the system we use ourselves at TA. Save your seat here.
📉 Are women really becoming less ambitious? The data says not quite.
🧬 Biohacking isn’t just for tech bros, here’s how women are using it to improve their quality of life.
🌀 The rise of self-help burnout and what it reveals about modern wellness culture.
🔕 Can’t focus? Try these distraction-minimizing tips that actually work.
1. General productivity is your true top priority.
We obviously love getting sh*t done. It’s empowering. However, the simple act of checking things off a to-do list can be practically addicting. Desperate to maintain that exhilarating feeling of getting things done, we may lose track of whether or not we’re getting truly important things done.
Snap out of a mindset that tricks you into thinking things are important just because they happen to be on your to-do list. Ask yourself this instead:
Which to-dos actually move my long-term goals forward and which just keep me busy?
And if you’re realizing you haven’t clearly defined those long-term goals lately, it happens more than we’d like to admit. That’s exactly why we’re hosting a free live training on setting and actually achieving quarterly goals, using the system we’ve refined at The Assist over the last 5 years. Save your spot here and join us on Thurs 1/15 @ 9AMPT.
2. You’re not doing your “task math.”
What benefits does this task come along with? What problems or challenges does it cause? To figure out what actions truly produce a net gain, imagine weighing your answers on a scale to determine which is heaviest.
Doing one thing might produce all kinds of benefits, but if it comes along with even more problems, well…you get the picture. Priorities should be the actions that truly move you forward.
3. Things you’re working on somehow seem less important than new things that come up.
Some people call this “shiny object syndrome,” but that’s not necessarily fair. People who succumb to this productivity pitfall aren’t necessarily easily distracted. They might just be easily bored or crave constantly escalating challenges.
People tend to task switch because novelty is exciting. We crave it. It’s good for our minds. However, it can block us from making significant progress toward our true priorities.
If you find yourself yearning to switch tasks, really think about whether or not the new thing is truly more important than the thing in progress. If your honest answer is “yes,” then switch. But! Be mindful of your overall patterns. If you’re thinking of reasons to task switch again in about a month or so, then it might be a sign to buckle down.
4. You evaluate tasks individually instead of ranking them against each other.
Evaluating tasks individually goes against all the principles that makes ranking an effective way to get things done. Considering the relative value of all your tasks is what prioritization is all about.
You will always have more than one thing to do. They can’t all be priorities, even if you feel like you love them all equally. Lining them up and giving them a good hard look may allow your favorites to emerge.
Payroll has a sneaky way of eating up your time without you even realizing it.
Between calculating pay, updating records, juggling W-2s and 1099s, and filing taxes (hello, deadlines), it becomes a hidden time sink. One small slip can turn into a stressful, expensive problem before you know it.
That’s why savvy teams are switching to tools like OnPay and Patriot Software—not just to save time, but to stop letting payroll live rent-free in their heads.
So what’s the difference?
OnPay is built for growing teams that want more than just payroll. It includes built-in HR tools, benefits management, and automated onboarding, which makes it ideal if you’re scaling fast or managing a mix of employees and contractors.
With OnPay, you can:
Patriot is all about keeping it simple. It’s a budget-friendly favorite for small businesses and startups that want a clean, no-fuss system. You can start with basic payroll and layer on features as you grow.
With Patriot, you can:
Both tools are cloud-based, mobile-friendly, and designed to cut the busywork. The biggest win? You get your time and your peace of mind back.
“I recently got promoted to director. The problem is that my old colleagues are now my direct reports. How do I manage the friendships while still being professional and a good boss?” — Jane
Congratulations on the promotion! And also, welcome to one of the most awkward workplace dynamics you’ll ever navigate.
Managing people who were your peers yesterday is hard. Managing people who are your friends? Even harder. But you can do it without ruining the friendships or being a terrible boss.
Here’s how.
Accept that things are different now
The relationship has changed. You’re not “one of the team” anymore in the same way. You have different responsibilities, different information, and different pressures.
That doesn’t mean you can’t still be friends. It just means the dynamic has shifted, and everyone needs to acknowledge that.
Keep friend stuff outside of work
When you’re at work, you’re their manager first. When you’re outside of work, you can be their friend.
That means:
Work happens at work. Friendship happens outside of it.
Use your relationships to your advantage
You’re a people person first. The best bosses build on relationships, and you already have those. You know your team’s strengths, communication styles, and what motivates them. That’s a massive advantage.
Don’t throw that away by trying to become robotic and distant. Lean into it. Just be clear about when you’re wearing your “manager” hat versus your “friend” hat.
Have the conversation early
Address it directly with your team.
Say something like: “I know this is a weird transition. I’m still the same person, but I have different responsibilities now. I’m going to do my best to be a great manager and keep our friendships intact. That means I might have to make decisions you don’t love, and I need to be fair to everyone. If this ever feels uncomfortable, let’s talk about it.”
Let them know what’s changing and what’s staying the same.
Understand that respect will take time
There might be jealousy from your old coworkers. Someone else might have wanted the promotion. Someone might just be adjusting to the new dynamic.
Be patient. Don’t demand respect. Earn it by being a great manager. You got this promotion for a reason.
Real friendships will survive this
Real friends will be happy for you and respect you in your new role. They might need time to adjust, but they’ll get there.
If someone can’t handle the shift, that tells you something about the friendship. But the ones that are solid? They’ll adapt.
The balance you’re looking for
You can be warm, approachable, and relationship-driven as a manager. You can still grab lunch with your team and care about their lives.
You just can’t let those relationships compromise your ability to manage fairly, make tough decisions, or hold people accountable.
Be clear about when you’re making a decision as their manager versus when you’re just hanging out as their friend. Keep work at work and friendship outside of it.
You’ve got this! Your team is lucky to have someone who actually cares about them as people, not just employees.
New year. Same question: Why do some leaders move into Director or VP roles and others stay stuck?
It’s not about working harder.
It’s about whether you look VP-ready to the people who decide promotions.
In this free, on-demand masterclass, executive coach and former VP Maya Grossman breaks down the 3 hidden mistakes that quietly stall high performers and the exact shifts that put you on the executive radar early in the year.
You’ll learn how to:
The strongest leaders don’t wait until mid-year to get intentional.
They start January with a clear VP strategy.
🌿 Science-backed support for your mood, skin, and energy.
📆 Free virtual event: Building AI Champions in 2026. RSVP for this virtual event on January 15.
🗞️ The Hustle breaks down the weird, surprising side of business and why it works. Spot trends early, before everyone else catches on.
🌈 Create a whole vibey mood with these color-changing dimmable light bulbs.
🗓️ Upcoming Events
Thurs 1/15 @ 9AM PT: How to Set (and Achieve) Quarterly Goals with Clarity and Confidence
Thurs 1/22 @ 10AM PT: Invisible to Irreplaceable: Personal Branding for Women Leaders (SGS Only* | Join the waitlist)
Fri 1/23 @ 10 AM PT: Idea to Automation—Turning Concepts into Workflows (SGS Only* | Join the waitlist)
📋 Template Drop
1 on 1 Meeting Agenda (Google Doc)
Quick Guide to Effective Prompt Engineering (SGS Only* | Join the waitlist)
* Smart Girl Society is our private community for women who want deeper conversations, accountability, and tools that actually make life easier. Join the waitlist to get in the next round.
👑 Work Wisdom of the Week:
Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, said, “… Nobody owes you a career. Your career is literally your business. You own it as a sole proprietor. You have one employee: yourself. You need to accept ownership of your career, your skills and the timing of your moves.”
Early in my career, I realized that if I wanted to grow, be challenged, and feel fulfilled, I couldn’t wait for someone else to hand me opportunities. I had to create them. So I started thinking of myself as the CEO of my own career.
That meant taking ownership: knowing my goals, understanding my value, and making decisions like I was running my own business. Because I was. And you are too!
Suzanne Bayne Senior Strategist
Have more feedback? 💌 Reply to this email and tell us.
✨ P.S. Want more inspiration and positivity to kick off your week? Sign up for our Motivational Monday texts (U.S. only).
👀 Want to see if your company is a good fit for our 250k+ ambitious readers? Join our Sponsor Waitlist here.
Join 301k+ smart women reading The Assist every Tuesday.
