OG Tuesday Issue #112

The Assist Newsletter
November 15, 2022
Start your morning with this affirmation:
OG Tuesday 112 11/15 affirmation
Today’s checklist: Stop trying to do it all, feel good about taking time off work, and manage up using the “rule of seven dippings.”

GET MORE SH*T DONE

(Don’t) do it “all”

 

Marie Forleo, entrepreneur, writer, and philanthropist, has some surprising advice for anyone (bosses, new moms, veteran moms, achievers, and do-ers everywhere) wondering how they can “do it all.”

“So here’s the deal: my dark little secret to fitting it all in is actually that I don’t fit it all in. I am the queen of “no” and a professional disappointer.”

Marie doesn’t even try to do it all. She simply focuses on the critical few things that make the biggest impact.

Read her full post on (not worrying about) doing it all

TOGETHER WITH SORA

It’s 2022. New hire onboarding shouldn’t be manual anymore.

 

Sora banner

Do you wake up in a cold sweat worried something just slipped through the cracks of your new hire onboarding? Are you tired of managing everything in ugly, out-of-date spreadsheets? The constant pings? Endless emails? 😩

Escape the burn-out and start delivering better onboarding experiences in less time with Sora 🎉

Automate all those repetitive tasks in Sora, so you’re spending less time on tedious stuff and more time delivering a great, human onboarding experience.

Yes, I want to create a better onboarding experience

WATERCOOLER TALK

Take your time off (and enjoy it, too)

 

It’s that time of year. Time to celebrate the holidays and (drum roll please)…

…take some well-deserved time OFF WORK!

You know almost everyone else is taking time off. You know you deserve to take time off and enjoy your friends and family over the holidays. Your boss and your coworkers support your plans to take time off.

Despite all this, a giant guilt cloud comes along to put a damper on your fun before it even starts. Blow it away by countering the common beliefs that lead to time-off guilt.

If you believe foregoing vacations demonstrates your dedication and increases your chance of earning a promotion

  • Counter with this wisdom: Statistics actually show that people who take 11+ vacation days earned more raises than people who take 10 or fewer days.

If you believe you’ll never be able to catch up on the work you’ll miss

  • Counter with this wisdom: If you haven’t taken a vacation for a while, your productivity might be slowed by burn-out. Taking a vacation could give your productivity and creativity a boost, actually making it easier to catch up when you return.

If you’re just worried in general about everything that could go wrong while you’re out, then prepare for all the angles with this time-off checkout checklist. 

1 month before you’re out: 

  • Review planned projects and adjust deadlines to accommodate your vacation.
  • Display, via sticky note, vacation dates right on your computer so they’re top of mind when you discuss future deadlines, projects, and commitments.
  • Block off your calendar.
  • Choose a teammate to be your vacation backup contact.

1 week before you’re out:

  • Wrap up all the projects and tasks you can.
  • Recalibrate your remaining workload and make your return-to-work to-do list while work is still fresh on your mind.
  • Tell key contacts you’ll be out of pocket and provide them with your backup’s contact information.
  • Sit down with your backup to 1) express your undying gratitude 2) give them a heads-up about anything that might come up while you’re away.
  • Write up a friendly and honest automatic reply email message.
    • Note that you will not be checking or responding to emails until your return date.
    • Provide your backup’s contact information.

1 day before you’re out: 

  • Turn on that out of office message. (The last thing you want to do is respond to emails flooding in before your flight.)

Set up Boomerang to redirect your emails to arrive the day after you return from your break.

TOGETHER WITH WHITE ELEPHANT ONLINE

Check “Holiday Party Planning” off your list ✅

 

White Elephant Online banner

The holidays are fast approaching, and more teams than ever are struggling with how to celebrate in this new remote and hybrid world.

Fortunately, White Elephant Online has found the answer, offering the ability to play White Elephant – the fun and memorable gift swap game – virtually.

Here’s why thousands of teams at some of the biggest (and smallest!) companies across the globe have used their platform:

  • It’s inexpensive. With games starting at just $49 there’s no cheaper way, remote or otherwise, to celebrate with your team.
  • It’s easy to plan. Their self-service platform is easy and intuitive, both for the planners of the event and participants.
  • It’s a tried & true holiday tradition that’s a blast. White Elephant, also called Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa, is played by millions each year.

Whether for your main event, or a fun add-on for those who can’t make it in-person, check out White Elephant Online for what may be the easiest decision you have to make all week.

Plan Your Holiday Party Today 🎁

LEVEL UP

Manage up using the “rule of seven dippings”

 

In First Round Review’s Tactical Guide to Managing Up, Ralph Loura, SVP CIO of Lumentum and former CTO of Rodan + Fields reveals one key managing up strategy: Present your ideas and suggestions gradually and strategically.

Loura refers to this concept as the “rule of seven dippings.”

“Don’t save up a big topic until you feel you have all the answers — anything worthwhile takes time to build,” he says. “An old manager of mine had a ‘rule of seven dippings,’ which essentially means that anything sufficiently complex or abstract takes multiple exposures (in his case, seven) in order for someone to internalize the concept.”

Here’s a hypothetical breakdown of the “rule of seven dippings.”

Imagine…

You’re one of many on a team of fashion designers, all working to execute the vision of your lead designer. You read tons of fashion blogs and have a hunch that paisley-print pants could be huge next spring. You also know your lead designer tends to resist ideas that don’t originate in her own fabulous brain.

Here’s how you “pitch without pitching” your paisley-pants idea. 

Dip 1

This could happen, for example, during a presentation you’re giving about a broader topic. 

During your presentation on overarching industry trends, you cite (using a beautiful graphic, of course) an uptick of sales in novelty pants, breaking down the category into florals, bold colors, and animal prints.

Dip 2

This could happen, for example, during a blue-sky brainstorming session for next season. 

You bring a variety of visuals capturing trends in the novelty pants category. You include lots of prints, one of which happens to be paisley.  

Dip 3

This could happen, for example, on Boss’s Day or your lead designer’s birthday. 

You give your lead designer a card printed on beautiful paisley stationery.

Dip 4

This could happen at any time. 

You give your lead designer one of the trade publications or magazines your team usually mines for ideas. You don’t say anything, but you’ve earmarked a segment about paisley prints.

Dip 5

This could happen, for example, during a formal planning meeting. 

You present a social media lookbook featuring, among many other people, a selection of fashion influencers captured wearing paisley.

Dip 6

This could happen at any time you’ll be seeing your lead designer. 

You come to work wearing the perfect prototype paisley pants you’ve been slaving over for months. You encourage (and make a big fuss over) all the compliments you receive from other members of the team.

Dip 7

This could happen, for example, during a formal planning meeting. 

You directly pitch the idea, citing, if necessary, all the other reference materials, sales and trend statistics you’ve been collecting.

PARTNER PICKS

Our awesome partners help keep our content free 🥰

 

Sunsama is our top choice when it comes to digital planners. Try it free today.

monday.com is the secret to effortless collaboration with your team. Try it free today.

TeamOut is an online platform where you can easily book a team retreat so you can build stronger relationships with your work fam.

Bonusly put out a free one-on-one meeting agenda template for Managers & Employees. Swipe it here.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Latest Listings

 

🔖 Catch up on all our previous Tuesday newsletters here.

💸 Considering implementing a bonus plan at work?  Find tips here.

🙌 Need some quick team building activities? Get inspo here.

🏪 The Assist Store: Check out our Thanksgiving Bingo Game and browse our Etsy Store.

🚨 Job Openings

👉 We’ve launched our Private Facebook Group! Join today.
P.S. Follow us on Instagram & TikTok for additional tips.

SPILL THE TEA

Hooray, You Made It to the End of Our Newsletter!

 

Riddle me this: You bought me for dinner but never eat me. What am I?

⭐ Answer here.

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