OG Tuesday Issue #228

The Assist Newsletter
February 3, 2025
A cheerful illustrated woman in an orange outfit flexes her arm confidently, next to the text: "My voice matters, and I will use it to speak my truth with courage and kindness.”

Today’s Checklist: 

  • Managing the seemingly unmanageable inbox
  • The psychology behind procrastination
  • TA Reader Erin’s simple advice for elevating your environment

🤔 Riddle me this: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s is long, Donald Trump’s is short, and Madonna doesn’t have one. What is it? (Find the answer at the bottom).

QUICK LINKS

😤 How to handle an impossible coworker without losing your cool.

✅ Find the best task management method for your productivity style.

🎯 Prioritizing your finances when juggling multiple goals and needs.

✨ A guide to optimizing productivity with wellness in mind.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

One woman sits at a table reading while another stands next to an oversized clock, adjusting the time—visualizing time management or work-life balance.

Break the Procrastination Cycle With Psychology

 

Lack of motivation is a common challenge that many of our TA readers share. One recently wrote in, saying, “My biggest issue right now is feeling motivated to get stuff done and stop putting things off.”

The idea of reviewing the quarterly marketing budget after dinner is often far less appealing than binging a few episodes of a new series under a cozy blanket.

But understanding the psychology behind finding motivation can help you break the cycle and actually get stuff done.

At its core, procrastination isn’t necessarily about being lazy. In fact, research shows it’s often used as a tool to regulate our emotions. Dr. Timothy Pychyl, a leading procrastination researcher, explains that putting things off is a way of avoiding negative feelings like anxiety about a task or frustration over not knowing where to start.

So, when we procrastinate, we’re not being lazy and unproductive—we’re actually self-soothing.

Why Motivation Fails

Relying on motivation to magically strike is where most people go wrong. Behavioral psychologist BJ Fogg suggests that “motivation is fickle and hard to sustain” and believes it’s easily influenced by our mood, energy level, and environment.

Instead of allowing these external factors to influence productivity, successful people focus on building systems and habits that reduce the need for constant willpower.

Rewiring Your Brain for Action

One effective strategy for changing thought patterns comes from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. Clear emphasizes the power of the “two-minute rule.” By breaking a task down into small pieces that take two minutes or less to complete, you can clear small tasks from your list while inadvertently building momentum.

And momentum is a psychological goldmine for productivity.

Another evidence-backed technique is “temptation bundling”—a concept developed by behavioral economist Dr. Katherine Milkman.

The idea is to pair a task that needs to be completed with something you enjoy, making the less desirable task inherently more appealing. For example, only listening to your favorite podcasts while you’re at the gym is a great way to encourage yourself to make time for the gym.

The Power of Self-Compassion

Interestingly, research from Dr. Kristin Neff shows that people who practice self-compassion are innately more productive in the long term.

Her 3-step ideology requires:

  • noticing your own suffering
  • responding with kindness and care
  • remembering that imperfection is a part of being human

Instead of continuing the cycle of beating yourself up for procrastinating and then procrastinating longer out of guilt, acknowledge the slip, reset, and focus on the next step.

The key to pushing through procrastination isn’t waiting for your motivation to simply kick in. Start small, build momentum, and trust that progress—even messy progress—is still progress.

TASK MANAGEMENT

Illustration of a smiling woman holding a pen and checking off tasks on a large clipboard with multiple checkboxes, symbolizing productivity and organization.

Buried in Tasks? Let’s Fix That.

 

Ambitious? Check. Balancing a million things? Double check. Drowning in tasks? Yep, been there.

Good news: Your task list doesn’t have to feel like an endless boss fight.

These 5 task management tools are here to help you get organized, get ahead, and (finally) breathe.

5 Tools That Take the Work Out of Work

1. 👩🏻‍💻 monday.com – The ultimate visual task board. Manage projects, automate workflows, and get real-time updates.

  • Smart Move: Set up custom automations to handle repetitive tasks, so you can focus on work that actually moves the needle.

2. ⚡ Resource Guru – The scheduling lifesaver for teams. Prevent burnout, eliminate overbooking, and keep projects on track.

  • Smart Move: Get a crystal-clear view of your team’s workload and availability—no more calendar chaos.

3. 💡 Quickbase – Custom workflows without the coding headache. Build the exact system you need to keep your team running efficiently.

  • Smart Move: Drag-and-drop automation lets you create workflows that make even the messiest projects feel effortless.

4. 🔗 Visor – Sync across platforms in real-time. Perfect for teams juggling multiple tools like Jira, Salesforce, and spreadsheets.

  • Smart Move: Live two-way syncing ensures updates happen everywhere at once—so no one’s working off outdated info.

5. 📊 Smartsheet – The spreadsheet reinvented for project pros. Gantt charts, automation, and real-time collaboration make it a powerhouse for complex workflows.

  • Smart Move: Easily track timelines, dependencies, and deliverables—all in one place.

Task Management Tips That Work in Any Tool

  • Plan Tomorrow, Today – Before logging off, jot down your top three priorities for the next day to eliminate decision fatigue and start strong.
  • Break Big Tasks into Bite-Sized Wins – Instead of vague goals like “finish project,” break tasks into clear, manageable steps to maintain momentum.
  • Time-Block Like a Boss – Set dedicated time for deep work, admin tasks, and breaks to stay focused and prevent burnout.
  • Use the 80/20 Rule – Focus on the 20% of tasks that drive 80% of results instead of getting lost in low-impact busywork.
  • Limit Distractions – Turn off non-essential notifications and create a distraction-free work zone to improve focus and efficiency.

EMAIL MANAGEMENT

An illustrated woman in a blue polka-dot sweater reaches out of a laptop screen holding a giant envelope with a red notification badge, signaling zero unread messages.

Inbox Zero: Myth, Legend, or Attainable Goal?

 

Does your inbox look like a digital dumping ground some days? Newsletters you don’t remember subscribing to, work emails with way too many replies to all, and those digital store coupons you’re surely still going to use.

You see them.

You scroll past.

Tomorrow’s another day, right?

Unfortunately, ignoring the deluge of constant communication won’t make them go away (trust me… we’ve tried).

It’s time to stand tall and tame the beast – no whips or weapons necessary. Here are some simple steps you can take to operate a much less-stressed inbox:

🚫 Unsubscribe Without Conviction

As you scroll, hit “unsubscribe” on every email that doesn’t bring you joy (thanks, Marie Kondo). If you’re facing serious newsletter overload, tools like Unroll.me or Leave Me Alone can help you batch-unsubscribe in a single click.

📨 Adopt the “Touch It Once” Rule

When you open an email, decide on it immediately. Reply now, file it, or delete it. No more marking them as unread and pretending they don’t exist. We promise you’ll thank yourself later.

📂 Create Folders Like It’s 1999

Folders and filters are your new BFFs. Make categories for personal emails, projects, clients, Q125 – whatever main topics help to streamline your digital traffic. “Touch It Once” and file it away or set up rules to auto-sort incoming messages so they never actually land (and live) in your inbox.

⏰ Schedule Inbox Time

Think of your inbox as a needy plant. Check it at set times during the day – morning, midday, and before signing off for the day. Review the “Touch It Once” Rule and use the above-mentioned files with fury. Otherwise, it’s easy to lose hours spiraling down the email rabbit hole.

💣 Consider Going Nuclear

🚨Drastic option alert: embrace the mass delete. Scroll all the way to the bottom of your inbox, check everything older than a year (or six months if you’re feeling brave), and press delete. If you haven’t needed it by now, chances are you probably won’t. And yes, it’s scary. But, so is staring at 12,000 (and growing) unread messages each day.

☮️ Accept That ‘Inbox Zero’ Is a Myth

Finally, give yourself grace. The goal isn’t a perfect inbox – it’s a manageable one. Just take it one email (and one unsubscribe button) at a time.

Simply put… if you’re not constantly drowning in unread messages, you’re winning.

HELP DESK SOLUTION

A frustrated woman wearing headphones sits at a desk with a laptop, holding her head in distress symbolizing workplace stress or challenges in communication.

The Hidden Cost of a Slow Help Desk

 

A clunky support system isn’t just annoying—it’s expensive. Every minute your team spends tracking down tickets, copy-pasting responses, or juggling platforms is time (and money) wasted.

Zendesk is built to change that. It’s not just about handling tickets—it’s about helping teams move faster, reduce bottlenecks, and improve customer experience without burning out.

How to Upgrade Your Help Desk Strategy:

  • Consolidate Conversations – Managing customer support across email, chat, and social? A shared inbox ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
  • Automate Repetitive Tasks – If your team answers the same questions daily, it’s time for macros, AI-powered replies, and self-service options.
  • Use Smart Routing – Assign tickets based on skills, priority, or workload to prevent bottlenecks and keep resolution times low.
  • Get Proactive with Insights – Zendesk’s real-time analytics help you spot patterns and fix recurring issues before they become major problems.
  • Empower Customers to Help Themselves – A well-built knowledge base can cut down ticket volume by giving customers quick answers without the wait.

A better help desk means happier customers and a less stressed-out support team.

See how Zendesk makes it happen.

SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT

Don’t Hesitate to ‘Exit Stage Left’

 

“If you’re the smartest person in the room—find a different room.”

circle image of Erin Sumner (Global HR Director)

— Erin Sumner (Global HR Director)

⭐️ Share your best career advice here so we can share it in a future newsletter.

STAFF PICKS

Stuff We’re Loving This Week

 

♀️ For women, by women—Hers has your mental, physical, and sexual wellness covered.

💘 40 scratch-off date ideas just in time for Valentine’s Day.

🙆 This satin-lined beanie actually loves your hair back.

➿ For springy curls and volume for days, the Bounce Curl Define Brush is a must-have.

JUST FOR FUN

A meme featuring a fake tweet from "memes.xlsx" about saving a file on OneDrive, only for it to seemingly disappear, capturing the relatable frustration of lost files.

SPILL THE TEA

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TA Poll OG Tues 228

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⭐️ Answer to the riddle.

👉 See all of January’s OG Tuesday Riddles.

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