Jessica's Friday Five: Send this text, get a little treat, & sip some chai
Published about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader,
So many of us are having deeply stressful times right now. I hope this weekly set of tips from me provides a bit of help in the midst of some really hard times. Hang in there. If you could use a smile to get you through the day today, hit reply with song or meme and I'll send one back to you that might brighten your day a bit. No automation, just me sending you something to provide a little light.
Let's get to the Friday Five, ok?
Connection + Accountability: Sunny (a nonprofit focused on human connection) has these great ideas for texts to send to someone to help strengthen your connection and get some shared accountability. If there's something you want some friendly support to get done, why not ask a friend to provide it? Maybe you're trying to get more sleep, or spend less time on social media, or just get that expense report done that you've been putting off. Try these scripts to reach out to a friend or colleague.
My Procrastination-Busting Strategy: I got to Zoom-chat with 2 of you (hi Kim and Juana!) in Flown co-working sessions this week. I don't know if virtual co-working (body doubling) works for everyone to get things done, but oh man, does it work for me. If you want to try it, use my link to get 30 days free to see if it helps you get more deep work done, and then it'll be 20% off if you want to continue beyond that. I'll be in the 9am PT/12pm ET power hour session with Carrie - if you attend say hi to me in the chat!
Don't Feel Guilty for Your Little Treats: I recently finished Laura Vanderkam's book "All the Money in the World", and I marked this quote to share with all of you: "As long as money is limited by its failure to grow on trees, we may be better off devoting our finite financial resources to purchasing frequent doses of lovely things rather than infrequent doses of lovelier things. Across many different domains, happiness is more strongly associated with the frequency than the intensity of people's positive affective experiences. Good sex three times a week is better than mind-blowing sex three times a year. Variability also forestalls adaptation, and small, repeated pleasurable experiences are more likely to be variable than big, infrequently purchased objects. Having a beer after work with friends, for example, is never exactly the same as it was before; this week the bar had a new India Pale Ale from Oregon on tap, and Sam brought along his new friend Kate who told a funny story about dachshunds. If we buy an expensive dining room table, on the other hand, it's pretty much the same table today as it was last week." In other words, get that avocado toast or caramel macchiato, and don't feel bad about it!
Diverse Kids' Books about Love for Valentine's Day: There are many ways to love and be loved. Sometimes, our society doesn't do a great job of showcasing and including all the different beautiful types of love that exist in our world, so here's a list of books we have enjoyed in our family that can help broaden their understanding and help us in our efforts to raise kind and loving children.
The Best Chai: I am all in on this delicious chai, my friends. I went away on a moms' group weekend earlier this month, and we thought it'd be fun to each bring gifts to give each other (kinda like a "favorite things" gift exchange). I gave everyone one of these, and my friend Leah gifted us each a box of this tea. I have been a near-daily Starbucks person for about a decade, and I think this might change my habits, y'all. I'm not kidding. Cardamom flavor, so sweet and good. I am tempted to try the other flavors, but the cardamom is so good that I can't imagine anything else could be better. If you like tea or want to like tea, try this and please tell me if you enjoy it.
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