YOU DO YOU
Done with creative doldrums
We’ve all been there: we sit down at our desks with the best intentions but the ideas won’t come. It feels bleak and dull, like our creative reservoir has run dry.
Christine vs. Work and her guests have some simple tips for digging yourself out of a creative hole.
Our favorite takeaways:
Make some lists!
- List 1: Why do you love your job (or whatever you’re trying to do)?
- List 2: Why are you good at your job (or whatever you’re trying to do)?
Do something creative that has nothing to do with the thing that has you blocked. (Trying to create a business plan? Make a cake!)
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GET MORE SH*T DONE
Make your workflow…flow
Uneven workloads can make your day feel chaotic. Your slow and steady morning pace turns into a sprint by day’s end. You have no idea why you’re struggling so hard at the end of the day to get your sh*t done and split.
Here are some easy strategies for spreading out your work:
- Swipe the idea behind those water bottles printed with time-based hydration goals. Split up your to-do lists into chunks by what time you’d like to get each done. (You can even set alarms as well for double the enforcement.)
- Check in and redistribute frequently. At the top of each hour, pause and check in on your progress and redistribute tasks. These real-time check-ins will help you grow more accurate at time estimates.
- Plan an activity or treat for the end of the day to get motivated to finish those last looming tasks.
- Twitter’s @time_mgmt_tips posted this fun, fast-paced tip: Do you have an overflowing to do list? Try timeboxing + alternating.
- Every 8 minutes work on as much as you can of a task, then push the remaining work to the next day.
- For each task, alternate between a random fast+easy task and the first one on the list.
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LEVEL UP
Field Guide: Working with Perfectionists
Warning: Cringe-worthy joke ahead!
A perfectionist walks into a bar. He says to the bartender: “Leave. I’ll make the drink myself.”
All jokes aside, working with perfectionists can be a strain on the old patience. Here’s your short and sweet field guide to people with perfectionist personalities.
How to recognize a perfectionist:
- They might have difficulty finishing projects, or if they manage you, calling your projects finished.
- They might fixate on everything that could possibly go wrong.
- They might procrastinate and make excuses for putting important things off.
- They might have a hard time articulating improvements they want to make. (They just know they want things to be “perfect.”)
- They might be critical of themselves and others.
Things to love about perfectionists:
- Their tendencies, when managed in healthy ways, can lead to excellence.
- They’re passionate about almost everything they do.
- Their tendencies, again when managed in healthy ways, can help motivate others.
Tips for working with perfectionists:
- Agree (and write down) project standards and expectations so you have a definition of “done” that’s not “when I think it’s perfect.”
- Keep the big picture in sight, and try helping them to do the same.
- Remember that the perfectionist behaviors, even when directed at you, are 100% about the perfectionist and not the quality of your work.
- Set transparent deadlines with each other.
- Make “why?” your new favorite question. Sometimes, getting a perfectionist personality to stop and think about what they’re asking for helps them see their unrealistic goals or expectations with new eyes.
Check out our sources for further reading on perfectionists:
IYDKNYK
What the tech?!
About all this tech highlighted at the most recent CES Tech, a massive consumer technology focused showcase run by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).®
There’s a beauty-centric AI from Lululab that analyzes your skin and makes care recommendations.
There’s now a convenient, wearable light therapy device from CareWear that treats pain, injuries, and even wrinkles.
There’s a pair of augmented reality glasses from Lumus that literally change your view of the world.
There’s a health-monitoring device you can stick in your toilet (from Withings) to monitor biomarkers present in your urine.
There’s a platform that provides continuous health monitoring (Essence SmartCare VitalOn) for a variety of conditions.
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NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Latest Listings
🤔 Check out this guide on how to record top-notch meeting minutes.
😄 Make work more fun — find some office game inspo here.
🔖 Catch up on all OG Tuesday newsletters here.
🏪 The Assist Store: Check out our Daily To Do List and browse our Etsy Store.
SPILL THE TEA
Hooray, You Made It to the End of Our Newsletter!
Riddle me this: If an electric train is traveling south, then which way is the smoke going?
⭐ Answer here.