Jessica's Friday Five: 2 tips to save lives, weighted blankets, and Google space limits
Published about 19 hours ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader,
If you're in America like me, are you anxious about election results? I certainly am. It feels like the next 10 days are going to be the longest year ever (and there's a good chance we won't know all the outcomes we care about for days or weeks after that). Hang in there! I decided, with dropping temperatures and election anxiety, that it was time to get out my weighted blanket again (I have this one, my kids have this one, and this one was just added to my wishlist after my friend Lisa recommended it for warmer months because mine is terrific on cold nights and not so much on warm ones). Here's to doing what we know helps us get through tricky times, whatever that is for you (and if you want to try a weighted blanket, go for one that is about 10% of your body weight). Let's get to your Friday Five, shall we?
Is Google Account Space an Issue? If your Google account alerts you that you're running out of space, one place to look is in Google Drive. Visit your Google Drive quota page at drive.google.com/drive/quota, which will show you where your storage is being used and list all your files from largest to smallest. Remember that only files you own count toward your storage limit - any files shared with you by others don't use up your account space, even if you have access to them.
Two Tips to Save Lives in an Emergency: There was a wildfire near us last week, involving evacuations and heroic efforts by the local firefighters. My good friend is the person who called in the fire, and as we were discussing it, it made me want to share two tips based on his experience: 1) When in doubt, call in the emergency; don't assume others will. He was sure that this fire, right off the freeway, had been seen by hundreds of folks before him during this busy afternoon. He called anyway and was the first person to do so, and he might have saved lives and structures by taking a moment to do that. 2) He has a number in his phone with the name "Aa Aa Emergency" and it has all the numbers one might need saved within that contact - fire, police, poison, the police non-emergency line, and more. It's at the top of the alphabetical list and he also has this contact saved as a favorite. Take a moment to set this up in your phone, too.
Struggling with Project Management Software Implementation? Project management software like Asana or Monday or Trello can be so helpful for teams to do their work together more effectively. At the same time, I've never seen a team implement software like this without bumps in the road. Many of my clients have been asking for training on Asana these days, so I drafted a blog with some high-level tips for how to implement project management software well. These tips would work for any project management software, not just Asana. I hope it's helpful!
What I Bought This Month on Amazon: Here is a roundup of what we got on Amazon this month in my home - including a food mat I'm excited to use this holiday season, the spray I use on my face every morning, a family advent calendar, and a new water bottle after being influenced by summer camp directors.
Where Should We Donate? As you might know, I donate all of the affiliate fees paid to me from Amazon if you ever buy things through my links. Since we last voted, I've been paid $636 for June and July commissions, and I'll round it up to $650. Could you help me decide where to donate? This time I've chosen three nonprofits focused on the environment that are based in Western North Carolina who need our support after the devastating hurricane. Simply click below to vote!
Where should we donate our Fri Five Amazon affiliate proceeds?
Bonus Democracy Deeds:If you're wondering what these "democracy deeds" are all about, they're around for just 1 more week of Friday Five (!!) and here's why I am including them.
Text Banking: Christina, a fellow Friday Fiver, shared this: "My husband and I have been doing text banking through a group called Field Team 6, which focuses on getting Democrats registered to vote. This is a great fit for introverts (like my husband) and an option for busy people! Unlike other text banking campaigns that invite conversation, this one is primarily informational and does not tend to have a lot of back-and-forth with recipients. You'll text 50-100 people and maybe get two responses. Another cool thing is that once you have your system set up, you can send out texts any time throughout the day as long as it's 9am-9pm in the state you are texting. You can do as much or as little as your schedule allows, although the system usually throttles you around 100 texts/day, which takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. www.fieldteam6.org/free-byop-textbanks
Track Your Ballot: Want to know if your ballot has been mailed to you and when it's been accepted and counted? Most states allow you to confirm your ballot has been received (and even sign up for a text or email confirmation). Find your state here: https://www.vote.org/ballot-tracker-tools/ and then text this link or share it on social media so that your connections can do the same!
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