free NYTimes with your library card

Hi Reader,

I'm writing from under a cozy blanket with one of my besties while we're away for a few days celebrating a milestone birthday for her. I hope your Friday has gotten off to a good start, and if you're here in the US, that your long weekend is whatever you need it to be. I am delighted that I am already getting to know the amazing new cohort of Joyfully Managed Worklife - we start on Tuesday, and the last day to register is Monday if you've been thinking about joining us for an amazing fall.

Let's get to your Friday Five!

1. Free NYTimes access via your library: Thanks to Mary Beth for writing in with this tip! "Many public library systems have partnerships/group subscriptions with the New York Times, and you can get a free subscription with your library card (need to create an NYT account, and you have to renew/refresh often, but it's better than paying)!"
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2. It's soup season! I love soups so very much as the weather transitions to fall. We ordered a box of Beehive Meals this week, and I picked the soup menu. I'm particularly looking forward to the Taco Soup, the Summer Corn Chowder, and the Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup. They also have slow cooker and flat top meals for your freezer in addition to the soups, so you've always got a simple but good meal on busy nights. My code is still working - JESSICA - for $10 off.
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3. Family dinner is easier when you fix the setup, not the menu: My friend Deena Barselah just opened the Back-to-School Edition of her Joyful Family Meal Program, and it's such a great program if you feel like family meals aren't as great as they might be in your home. She splits it into three pieces — the space, the prep, and the meal — so you're changing the setup instead of hunting for one more dinner idea. You get a one-hour recorded workshop, a companion guide (kitchen assessment, an inventory of everything mealtime actually takes, and a weekly rhythm you build for your own house - this guide is really practical and so helpful), her Ready, Set, Lunch! guide, and a live Q&A call with Deena that's recorded if you can't be there. Deena and I talked a few weeks ago, and she shared that it's $75 through September 19, then it goes to $150, so I wanted to share in time for you to get it.
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4. 7 simple systems that make household management easier: I published this blog post this week with tips like a low-cost seasonal decor strategy that we use all year long, an air-conditioning tip that might surprise you, and several ways to decide once about things around the house (instead of over and over again).
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5. Struggle to give feedback? A client of mine is in a situation where he needs to give feedback to a colleague, but he's not yet as comfortable giving honest bits of advice as he wants to be. This week, I shared these "sentence starters" with him to help him, and I thought these ideas might be helpful to some of you as well (and if this tip is useful, you might want to sign up for this monthly email newsletter because it's all leadership-related tips like this):
   • This is awkward to say, but I also know you've told me you want me to give it to you straight, so I wanted to share that...
   • Given how much experience you've got, I know you can handle straight-up feedback! So can I share something?
   • I'm not great at giving feedback, but I'm working on it! So here's something on my mind I wanted to share...
   • I know you'd want to have this context, so I'm sharing that when you did X… it was difficult because of Y history.

Bonus Sponsor Resource: I brought this mask with me for the holiday weekend trip with friends I mentioned above. Wirecutter recommends it for men and women (ignore how the listing says it's for men), and their consumer research hasn't ever let me down. Red light has good research behind it for skincare and healing (and it's FSA-eligible). This Omnilux mask is a really relaxing 10 minutes, and it makes a meaningful difference for me when it comes to my skin's health. This resource is from one of our Friday Five sponsors - thank you to them for keeping this newsletter free for readers!

Last Friday's Most-Clicked Link: The babysitter idea!