Weekender Issue #111

Brainteaser of the day: What is special about these words: job, polish, herb?

Click here to see the answer.

💅🏾 To A Festive Ombre Mani
Deck your digits out for the season with these trendy manicures. Accessorize with holly jolly hues here >

🍷 To Learning About Vino Before The Holidays
Brush up on your wine smarts with key facts before the festivities. Sip like a sommelier here >

👗 To Gifting Fab Fashion Books
Give the trendsetter in your life coffee table inspo with stylish book picks. Unwrap the perfect present here >

☕️ To A Healthier Holiday Coffee
Enjoy all your fave Starbucks seasonal drinks with fewer calories using secret menu hacks. Get in the spirit without the guilt here >

🛌 To Better Bedding In 2024
Upgrade your bedding ahead of your new year’s resolutions. A mini-guide to help you pick bedding that’s right for you >

With less than a month left until 2024, it’s the perfect time to pause and take a moment to look back on the year and check in with yourself.

It also means something else may be creeping up on you, too — an end of year performance review.

Use FigJam’s free handy Self-Evaluation Template to help you list out all your accomplishments from the year, and identify any areas that can use improvement or goals that need updating.

You’ll be happy you took the time now to get ahead later.

1. Put your butt in the chair: Sometimes the only way to do the Big Scary Thing is to just sit down and do it. To quell the feeling of panic, I set myself a timer. I start small, sometimes as little as five minutes. And when the timer goes off, that’s it. You’ve done it!
2. Give yourself a running start: I’m a task completionist. When I sit down to work on something, I want to sit there until I finish. I will only start it if there’s enough time to also finish it. Most work is done in the moments in between. And, it always help to have a running start. If you’re writing, stop in the middle of the paragraph. You never want to start a project with a blank page, that makes starting so much harder.
3. Take a movement break after 90 minutes: Whether you want to or not, after working for 90 minutes, get up and move around. Go walk around outside, walk up and down the stairs, get water, go to the bathroom. Do anything other than sitting in your chair staring at a screen.
4. Go do something else: If you’re really stuck on a project or big idea, then it’s time to go do something else. Our creative juices are strongest when we’re not thinking about the problem. Our brains work in the background. That’s why you get your best ideas in the shower.
5. Ask AI for help: The topic of AI is full of complicated opinions. I see it a little more simply. AI can act as a second brain, brainstorming partner, and idea generator. My favorite way to use it is to ask for ideas on something and then scoff at how bad they are. It gives me a starting place to create something so much better.

From Audre Lorde,A Burst of Light

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

Joanna’s Recs

Cameron’s Recs

✨ Enter to win a deluxe Chicago getaway from Dollar Fight Club—take flight with travel funds, a 3-night suite stay at The Ivy, plus fine dining and lush perks from bubbly welcomes to romantic rose petal turndowns for two. Umm, sign me up ✋

🏪 The Assist Store: Check out our Etsy Store or get our most popular templates for free here.

🚨 Job Openings

• Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC) is hiring for an Executive Support (Madison, WI).
• Snap is hiring for a Senior Manager, HR Compliance & Employee Relations (London, UK).
• Close is hiring for a Head of Performance Marketing (Remote).
• Kalamazoo Public Schools is hiring for an Administrative Assistant – Superintendent’s Office (Kalamazoo, MI).