Jessica's Friday Five: tips for sick days, email, and laundry

Hi Reader,

Nine years ago, I almost skipped a support group for second-time moms because I was newly out of the ICU after a dangerous birth experience and not feeling up to meeting new people. I nearly backed out of a community painting class I'd signed up for this week because I felt too busy to fit it in. Both times, I forced myself out of my comfort zone – and both decisions proved invaluable. That moms' group provides daily support and laughs for me to this day, and the painting class this week left me eager to return and having made a new friend. Sometimes the most rewarding experiences lie just beyond our fears.

Let's get to your Friday Five, ok?

1. Cold and Flu Basket: A few years ago I started keeping all of our cold and flu supplies in a basket all together, near our other medicines but in their own basket. This has proven so helpful - whenever someone gets cold symptoms, we can easily grab that basket from the cabinet and keep it easily accessible on the kitchen counter for the duration of the cold. Here's a list of what we keep in this basket - it's been so helpful. What would you suggest I add to our basket?
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2. Unsubscribe Tip: Last night at a community meeting (hi to the Black History Oratorical Planning Committee in my town!), managing email came up as we were chatting before the meeting started. I shared that Outlook has a nice feature for quickly unsubscribing from lists (here's a 24-second video I made a few months ago on that feature), and that for Gmail, one strategy to unsubscribe from emails very quickly is to search for the word "unsubscribe", which will then help you quickly find the emails that are coming from lists so you can choose which ones to keep and which to unsubscribe from for email peace.
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3. Laundry Tips Roundup: The most common topic for questions about home systems is how to manage laundry. I recently gathered up all of the advice I've given to folks on this topic over the years into one place. Some of the ideas there will probably surprise you, but I encourage you to check them out if laundry is a pain point in your life.
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4. Show Recommendations: I asked y'all for suggestions for what TV shows to watch next and I got so many suggestions back! Thank you so much. I wanted to pay it forward by collecting all of the show recommendations in one place to share back with all of you. Here they are - as you'll see, there were a few standout shows that were mentioned by many of you!
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5. Joyfully Managed Worklife: As you probably saw, the newest cohort is open for joining! We've got a week and a few days until the doors close so that I can focus on giving all of my attention to the new cohort. If you want your work and home life to be easier this year, I hope you'll consider it. I might do another cohort later this year, but it will depend on some travel decisions, so if you've been wanting to join, now's the time! All the details are here, and you can even chat with me by clicking on the button at the bottom right of the page.

P.S. If you're a parent of kids still living at home, I made something for you.

There may be affiliate links in this email which means I may receive a commission if you purchase something through a link. However, please be assured that I only recommend products I have personally used and love!