OG Tuesday Issue #264

🏢 To shift company culture, focus on systems instead of just communication.

🚀 Stuck at Director or Sr. Manager? Learn the promotion strategy top performers use to finally reach VP—without burning out or waiting years.

❤️ These tools make “I’m quitting” convos a lot less common.

💋 5 credibility tips from the infamous Kiss Cam fallout.

One of our readers, Lauren, recently shared this challenge:

“I work for a small business, who has grown so much in the past two years. My biggest challenge is figuring out how to scale processes without burning out myself and my team.”

Perfect timing for this one because October is Women’s Small Business Month, and this challenge couldn’t be more relatable. Growth is exciting…until it starts to feel like you’re sprinting on a treadmill that keeps speeding up.

That used to be me 🙋🏻‍♀️.

When The Assist started scaling, I hit that exact point. Every new milestone came with another pile of tasks that “only I could do.” Sales calls, client proposals, editing content, analyzing data, managing ops—you name it. I was proud, but exhausted. The turning point came when I realized that frustration itself was a clue. The tasks that annoyed me most were the ones screaming to be systemized or automated. So here’s what I suggest:

Step 1: Follow the Frustration

If something annoys you more than twice, it deserves an SOP.

I started documenting every repeatable task: how I did it, what good looked like, and what mistakes to avoid, so I could eventually hand it off. That small discipline built the foundation for scaling. Delegation only works when your process does.

Even if you don’t have a big team yet, start SOP’ing as if you do. Future you will thank you when hiring or outsourcing becomes necessary.

Step 2: Make AI Your First Hire

If you don’t have the budget to bring on another human, AI can help fill in the gap especially for the repetitive, rule-based, or research-heavy tasks that clog your calendar.

For me, AI became a second brain:

• It preps me for sales calls by helping me spot hidden objections.
• It drafts proposals and sponsorship packages so I’m never starting from scratch.
• It summarizes meetings and creates follow-up to-dos automatically.

And here’s where the money angle comes in: when you can prep better, respond faster, and show up sharper, you close more deals. That’s how AI helped me land bigger sponsorship contracts and justify higher retainers, without hiring a single extra person.

Step 3: Custom GPTs Changed the Game

Even after hiring content writers, I was still acting as Editor-in-Chief, spending hours polishing every draft.

So, I built a Custom GPT trained on our tone, brand voice, and editorial guidelines. It now handles the first round of editing, cutting my review time by about 90%.

What used to take me two hours, now takes 10 minutes. And the output is consistent.

That’s when it hit me: this isn’t about replacing people, but about creating leverage.

Step 4: Teach Your Team to Think the Same Way

Once I figured this out, I started teaching my team to build their own AI workflows.

Cameron (ops lead) uses AI to summarize and analyze reports.

Kristel (marketing) uses it to draft and edit ads.

Our content team uses it to brainstorm, research, and repurpose ideas faster.

When everyone uses AI as an assistant, not a threat, your output multiplies, and so does your earning potential. You don’t need to grind harder; you need to scale smarter.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that promotions don’t go to the busiest person…they go to the most efficient and effective one.

That’s what gets noticed. That’s what gets rewarded.

If you want to see the exact systems I used to scale The Assist and the 3 AI Power Plays that can help you land a $10K+ raise and save 10+ hours a week, join me for our free live masterclass next week:

👉 3 AI Power Plays to Land a $10K+ Raise & Save 10+ Hours/Week

Joanna (TA Co-Founder)

P.S. We’ve got a surprise gift for live attendees, so don’t miss out!

We’ve all been there…late nights that lead to foggy mornings, and “why did I send that email?” moments. Turns out, creatine isn’t just for muscle gains.

Turns out, creatine isn’t just for gym rats. Research shows it can sharpen memory, speed up problem-solving, and cut mental fatigue — even when you’re running on fumes (we’re talking ~8% less tired, up to 24% sharper).

Think of it as fuel for your brain’s backup generator.

✨ Stay sharp with Momentous Creatine.

And when it’s time to actually shut the laptop, wind down with Momentous Nightly Sleep, a science-backed blend that helps your brain truly power off.

💤 Because even high-performers need an off switch.

We all procrastinate, but not all procrastination is created equal. Figuring out your flavor of delay can help you stop spiraling and start solving the real issue behind it.

Research shows that 15–20% of adults procrastinate in ways that hurt their daily life (and that number jumps for students). The good news is, once you know your type, you can work with your brain instead of against it.

1. Passive Procrastination: The Classic Delay

The OG version. Passive procrastinators delay tasks because they can’t decide, can’t start, or get paralyzed by perfectionism. You want to begin, but your brain’s like, “nah, let’s panic later.”

Try this: Shrink the task until it feels doable. Don’t “write the report.” Just “outline the first section for 10 minutes.” Starting small kickstarts momentum (and quiets that overwhelm loop).

2. Active Procrastination: The Deadline Thriver

Some people need the countdown clock. Active procrastinators intentionally wait because pressure helps them focus. If you pull it off and the quality holds up, you might be fine.

Try this: Don’t change what works. Just fake the stakes. Set earlier deadlines or schedule “crunch time” blocks before the real due date so surprises don’t wreck your flow.

3. Avoidant Procrastination: The Fear-Based Delay

This one’s emotional, not lazy. Avoidant procrastinators stall out from fear of failing, of judgment, or of not being good enough. Avoiding the task means avoiding those feelings…temporarily.

Try this: Ditch perfection. Give yourself permission for a messy first draft or “good enough” version. You can’t edit what doesn’t exist, so progress > perfection every time.

4. Arousal Procrastination: The Thrill Seeker

Think of this as procrastination with a side of adrenaline. You delay for the rush of last-minute chaos. The panic is the point.

Try this: Find stimulation that doesn’t rely on stress. Add mini rewards, change your environment, or gamify progress. You crave excitement — just get it from something better than cortisol.

5. Decisional Procrastination: The Analysis Paralysis

Can’t pick a lane? That’s decisional procrastination. You’re overthinking every option, waiting for certainty that never comes.

Try this: Give yourself five minutes to decide, then lock it in. Use a simple system (“urgent and important first”) or literally flip a coin if both tasks matter. Any decision beats no decision.

Psychology research links procrastination to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, so the goal isn’t to shame yourself into action.

The fix starts with awareness.

Once you know why you’re stalling, you can pick tools that fit:

• Avoidant? Work on self-compassion and anxiety management.
• Decisional? Use faster frameworks.
• Active? Plan your crunch time intentionally.

Stop blaming yourself for procrastinating. Start getting curious about why, then work with the way your brain’s wired.

You’re working hard. But getting nowhere. Why?

Because your “productivity stack” looks like this:

• ✅ Asana for tasks
• 📝 Google Docs for notes
• 💬 Slack for team chat
• 📌 Trello for brainstorming

…and somehow, 12 open tabs just to manage one project.

The problem? Your tools aren’t working together.

Check Out ClickUp:

• One Tool, One Workspace: Tasks, docs, chat, and project plans all in one spot. No more app-jumping.
• Smart Automations: No more busywork. Assign tasks, set reminders, and track progress automatically.
• Dashboards with Answers: See progress, deadlines, and blockers without digging through tabs.

ClickUp didn’t add another tool. It replaced the others.

The result? Less chaos. More clarity. Real productivity.

Start for free with ClickUp and make your tools actually work for you.

“No one is you, and that is your power.”

— Cyrah C. (Executive Assistant)

💬 AI hacks that make you sound like the smartest person in the Zoom.

🍋 Turn plain water into a zero-cal, zero-sugar treat.

💄 Because your glam deserves better than a tangled makeup bag.

😴 Slip on this silk mask and drift into your best sleep yet.

• BeaconFire Inc. is hiring for a Technical Recruiter (East Windsor, NJ).
• IDR, Inc. is hiring for a Technical Writer (Jackson, MS).
• Fiore & Sons, Inc. is hiring for a Human Resources Administrator (Denver, CO).
• Ecolab is hiring for a Payroll Specialist (Hybrid).
• CMK Resources, Inc. is hiring for a People Operations Specialist (Hybrid).

⭐️ Answer to the riddle.

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