Weekender #196

🚫 Avoid this common hiring misstep that can bring toxic energy into your team.

🌿 The gut support secret that’s helping women feel lighter, less bloated, and more in sync.

💡 Feeling overlooked at work? What leaders need to know about the “mattering deficit”.

👩‍💻 Your sanity-saving survival guide when WFH with kids this summer.

I used to think I was “doing sleep right.”

Early riser? ✅

Healthy-ish diet? ✅

Workouts? ✅ (Okay, sometimes it’s 20 minutes, but still.)

No caffeine after 2pm, no phone in bed, no midnight nachos.

And yet…there I was, wide-eyed at 1:34am, calculating how much sleep I’d get if  I fell asleep right that second. (Spoiler: it was never enough.)

I’m in my 30s, married, raising two school-aged kids while working from home. My days are full of laundry, Slack messages, snack negotiations, and the occasional “wait, did I feed the dog?” moment. By 8pm, I’m done. But my brain? She’s just getting started.

So I started playing around with microhabits: the tiny tweaks that don’t require a lifestyle overhaul or a $300 weighted blanket. Just simple, sustainable stuff. And the shift was subtle…then undeniable. I stopped chasing sleep and started setting the stage for it.

Here’s what helped me actually get good sleep:

☀️ 1. Get outside early (even if it’s just the driveway)

Morning light helps regulate your circadian rhythm. It’s science, but it also just feels really good. I started doing a 10-minute walk before emails, before coffee, before chaos. Now I crave it. It signals: we’re starting the day on purpose.

📱 2. Put your phone to bed before you

Mine goes into “sleep mode” an hour before I do. No doomscrolling. No texts from that group chat with 27 unread messages. I swap screen time for a book, a stretch, or a warm shower. It makes a difference, even when I’m tired and tempted.

🕯️ 3. Create a wind-down vibe

Soft lighting. Lavender mist. A glass of water by the bed. I don’t go full Pinterest, but I do treat bedtime like a wind-down, not a crash landing. This ritual tells my body: you’re safe, you’re done, now rest.

📝 4. One brain dump, coming right up

Before bed, I write down everything that’s pinging around my brain: the form I need to fill out, the birthday party I still haven’t RSVP’d to, the snack I forgot to pack. It’s not fancy. Sometimes it’s a sticky note. But it gets the thoughts out so they don’t boomerang back at 3am.

🚫 5. Protect your “do nothing” zone

I used to try to squeeze in “just one more thing” before bed—fold a load of laundry, text back a friend. Now? I protect the hour before sleep like it’s a standing appointment. No productivity. Just stillness, softness, and sometimes, brushing my teeth to a lo-fi playlist.

😌 6. Track patterns, not calories

This is where Noom comes in. I’ve been using it for a while; not to micromanage my meals, but to get curious. Noom helps me notice: I sleep better on days I drink more water. Or when I eat enough protein. Or when I stop snacking at night. Or when I don’t have any alcohol in my system. It’s like having a tiny data analyst in my pocket who gently points out, hey, this seems to help you feel better. Love that for me.

🌡️ 7. Chill your bedroom. Literally.

Cooler temps = deeper sleep. I used to think I liked cozy, warm rooms. Turns out I sleep like a rock in a chilly cave. We bumped down our thermostat by a couple degrees and boom; less tossing, more snoozing.

💤 8. Be boring (on purpose)

I go to bed around the same time every night; even on weekends. It’s not glamorous, but my body loves the rhythm. I’m not trying to shock it into sleep with wild bedtime swings. We’re on a team now.

I’m not perfect. There are still late-night kid wake-ups, stress dreams, and the occasional “why did I drink tea at 9pm?” slip. But overall? I sleep better now. Not because I’m doing more, but because I’m doing a few small things on purpose.

You don’t need a total reset.

You need a few tiny tweaks.

Start with one. Stack another. Build a sleep life that supports your real life.

Sweet dreams (for real this time).

Kristel (TA Marketing Ops)

You know what hits better than another Zoom kudos? Recognition with a side of sunscreen.

Mid-summer is peak “please don’t forget about us” season for employees. Schedules are scattered, team energy dips, and inboxes get weird. It’s also the perfect time to surprise your people with small, thoughtful gifts that say: I see you. I appreciate you. Please log off early.

Whether it’s your top performer, your always-on-it office manager, or the intern who quietly crushed a chaotic handoff, a little summer swag goes a long way—especially with National Intern Day (July 31st) right around the corner. The right intern appreciation gift can say more than a thousand Slack emojis.

Here’s what we’re loving:

• 🧘‍♀️ An ALO Moves membership for the one who’s genuinely trying to stretch more than their deadlines
• 💧A CamelBak Lifestraw bottle for the lunch-break walkers and outdoor adventurers
• 🔋 A solar power bank for the PTO-er who’s still lowkey checking Slack from a campsite
• 🧊 A waterproof 48-can cooler because someone on your team is the tailgate friend
• 🕶 A retro pair of sunglasses for the “Out of Office, Try Again in September” vibe
• 🛂 A passport wallet made from recycled materials for the globetrotter on your team

Thoughtful. Useful. On brand for summer.

That’s recognition that sticks.

📚 Read: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

In this deeply personal memoir, Britney breaks her silence on fame, family, and freedom. It’s a raw, powerful look at her journey from pop stardom to reclaiming her voice and autonomy.

📺 Watch: The Home Edit

Watch professional organizers transform cluttered spaces into Pinterest-perfect masterpieces while helping clients bring order (and a little sparkle) to their lives. Ideal if you’re craving some visual calm.

🎧 Listen: Maintenance Phase

This wildly informative and funny podcast debunks the worst health and wellness fads, from diet culture to questionable medical myths. Hosted by Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes, it’s like fact-checking your feed with your smartest, sassiest friends.

Most project tools either overpromise, overwhelm, or underdeliver. If you’re managing high-stakes projects across teams, Smartsheet gives you the visibility and control that spreadsheets can’t touch (and that most software fumbles).

Here are a few best practices high-performing teams swear by, and how Smartsheet helps you actually implement them:

1. Skip the silos

Use dynamic dashboards to get real-time updates across departments and see what’s blocked without chasing Slack threads.

2. Automate the repeat stuff

Set up simple, no-code automations to trigger reminders, approvals, and status changes while you focus on the big picture.

3. Build systems you can reuse

From onboarding to campaign launches, templates turn your one-off tasks into repeatable wins.

4. Keep leadership in the loop

Use data-linked reports to roll up progress, KPIs, and team updates (all without opening PowerPoint).

5. Make teamwork actually work

Assign tasks, add comments, upload files, and set deadlines all in one place, so no one’s wondering who’s doing what by when.

Smartsheet helps ops-minded teams stay three steps ahead with systems that flex and scale as fast as you do.

Meet Hugo, the Bengal bundle of energy! With more enthusiasm than a squirrel on espresso, he’s always ready to play, especially his favorite game—fetch! But don’t let his speedy paws fool you; he’s also a talker, always ready to share his thoughts at 5am. Hugo’s got energy but is a thinker, not always quick to welcome strangers.

🐾 Got a cute fur baby? Submit them to be our pet of the week in an upcoming issue.

💡 PS: If your pet’s a little too fearless (zoomies off furniture, mystery snacks from the sidewalk…), it might be time to look into pet insurance options that keep surprises affordable.

• Atyeti Inc is hiring for a Senior Technical Recruiter (Plano, TX).
• LHH is hiring for a Learning And Development Manager (Portland, OR).
• Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom is hiring for a Project Manager (Irvine, CA).
• Redpath Partners is hiring for an Asset Manager (New York, NY).
• NEON is hiring for a Customer Success Manager (Phoenix, AZ).

⭐ View more jobs here >

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