Jessica's Friday Five: Crock pot tacos, scheduling text messages, and a $2 way to brighten a day
Published about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader,
I've had a chance to connect with so many of you this week - the Joyfully Managed Worklife cohort continues to rock along and we got to see some alumni of the program in a bonus session this week, the best practices of excellent managers session was a joy despite tech challenges that tried to derail us (we persevered!), and all of that reminded me how critical connection is. As an introvert, I can sometimes forget how important it is to be in a community with others. But rarely do I leave an interaction with other great humans feeling anything other than energized by it. Thank you for being in this community! Let's get to your Friday Five.
Birria tacos: This crock pot recipe popped up on social media a few weeks ago and we've made it twice since then in our home. Delicious.
Good to Vote: My friend Atnre sent me this fun concept - If you use this site to check your voter registration or get registered, you can win prizes like a trip to see Jimmy Kimmel, the Wicked Premiere, leggings for life from Aerie, or a trip to the MLB All-Star Weekend (plus a lot more, including many chances to meet presumably famous people that my 40-something self doesn't recognize...) If you enter and send your link to others who enter, it also increases your chance of winning. All while increasing voter turnout. Amazing.
iOS 18: If you're an iPhone user, be sure you've updated to the new software. We can finally schedule text messages to send at a later time/day! There are also a bunch of other new features, summarized here by Wirecutter.
LEGO Advent Calendars: If you celebrate Christmas or know a kiddo (or LEGO-loving adult) who does, these advent calendars are fun and sell out every year much earlier than seems reasonable. There are 6 to choose from this year (from Marvel to Star Wars and Disney). They're available at Amazon and Target.
Make someone's day for $2: I've used this app for years and should have shared it sooner! Open this link from your smartphone and download the free Postagram app. Then, you can send anyone postcards for $2 each (or less) to brighten their day. You can add your photos, pick from various designs, etc. I use this to send birthday notes, encouragement notes, pics of my kids to our extended family, and even a group picture of my work team to everyone's homes during the pandemic when we were missing being in-person together. You can even schedule the day you want it to arrive.
Bonus Democracy Deeds(If you’re wondering what these “democracy deeds” are all about, they’re around for the next 6 issues of Friday Five and here’s why I am including them.)
Buy the Excellent Manager Practices workshop replay: We raised nearly $1,500 from those of you who donated to attend the workshop on The Best Practices of Excellent Managers. Want the replay? Donate any amount here and I'll send you the replay and all the follow-up resources.
Write postcards with friends or while you wait: As a mom to an 8- and 10-year-old, I can say with no shame that children's sports practices are not that interesting to watch most of the time. So I'm writing postcards while kids run drills with their team. I'm also inviting friends to my house to hang out while we write postcards together and eat snacks. Sign up for postcards here and feel free to use the rest of the document to host your own party if that sounds fun.
Share Friday Five and get rewarded.
Share your link (below!) with your people and once they sign up, you will get rewarded as my thanks to you. Get your first reward after 2 signups, then another after 7, and a big reward after 25 referrals!
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