You can be two things at once
+ the rise of the influencer-worker + the language of toxic productivity
Hi friend,
Has the new year already gone sideways for you? Or are you continuing to crush it?
Or maybe you’ve realized that those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
I’ve had some moments where I feel on top of the world. Like everything has finally fallen into place.
Then the next moment, I’m mindlessly scrolling TikTok for hours watching people show off their favorite Taco Bell orders (an actual thing I did on Monday evening).
Things are going to topple over. We’re going to lose control. It’s going to be really hard. No year or season of growth will ever exist without some chaos.
But look at how you’re surviving in spite of it all.
So, I invite you to ask yourself: What hasn’t gone my way the past 12 days of 2023? And what has?
Remember that you can decide to reset whenever you want. Not just if it’s the start of a new year or a new month. And sometimes, those in-between moments are when we need to reset our minds the most.
I’ll be pressing reset next week when I’m traveling. I’ll be back in your inbox on Jan 26th. Be kind to yourself, friend, and join me in the reset if you need 🤍
with warmth + love,
N
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📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the marketing geek + content creator
Vox: The irresistible voyeurism of “day in my life” videos
Whenever I fall down my mental spirals of mindlessly scrolling, you can bet I’m scrolling through mundane “day in the life” videos. This article breaks down the different versions from the thorough to the satirical, and what our consumption of them says of us as a society.
Passionfruit: ‘There is a shift taking place’: The rise of the influencer-worker
The growth in creators who keep their full-time jobs is astounding. We’ve all seen them – the corporate millennial, the WFH comedian, etc. This piece covers creators like elementary school teacher Leigh McClendon and others as they retain their full-time jobs and create regularly.
Vice: People Are Shitposting on LinkedIn Now
LinkedIn is both one of the best ways to network with industry colleagues and, in recent months, a ticking time bomb for whenever you’ll go viral for the wrong reasons. Many meme makers have leaned into this and opted to create wild content mimicking the posts of CEOs and thought leaders.
Insider: A new wave of parent influencers and mom TikTokers are choosing not to spotlight their children on the internet anymore
When TikTok started gaining momentum in the early pandemic times, users may remember seeing the faces of Maia Knight and her twin daughters making it through their days. Now, Maia and many other parents are pulling back their content with their kids, opting to not showcase them in new videos.
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🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
Looking to get some mindful movement in this year? One of my favorites is always the new year programs Yoga with Adriene creates.
They’re all relatively short, free, and available on YouTube, so you can watch them whenever and wherever you are.
Here’s day zero, the start, of her current program Center – a 30 day yoga journey (but you don’t have to do all 30 days!):
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🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business
Los Angeles Times: Changing how we talk can go a long way in banning toxic productivity from 2023 – An insightful breakdown of how our language can inherently produce hustle culture. Cue me trying to remove “jumping in the shower real quick” from my dialogue.
Fast Company: Self-care may be increasing your stress—here are 5 things to consider – Self-care often gets a bad rap for being toxically positive, encouraging consumerism, and unrealistic. I love how this article gets to the root of what this term truly means: caring for yourself.
Wondermind: 13 People Get Real About Quitting Their Jobs For Their Mental Health – Your mental health should take priority, always. But sometimes that can come in conflict with your current job. It’s not always realistic to just quit, but if you’re considering it, this piece has advice on what to keep in mind.
From Day One: How to Get Your Ambitious Project off the Ground: ‘Do It Today’ – This interview is with one of my favorite people and fellow newsletter writer Kara Cutruzzula. She’s published two motivational journals and this piece shares her thoughts on getting things done.
Time: She’s a Happiness Professor. Her Lessons Are Helping Her Beat Burnout – This piece was a necessary reminder for me that even experts can experience tough moments.
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💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
As I’ve been planning out 2023 content, I’ve found two helpful resources that I wanted to share with you:
Later’s tips on how to set social media goals in 2023 and achieve them, which helped me get a clear mind on what I’m aiming to do with my content.
And Rachel Karten’s Link in Bio issue of 20 social media resources that got her through 2022, to help me strengthen my content tool stack.
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👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel
What a beautiful read