The Brightside Vol 15

The Brightside Vol 15

April 24, 2020

April 24th, 2020

ON REPEAT:

I loveeee this song, and what an incredible cover. Anyone else remember listening to this and the rest of the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack on repeat?!

WELCOME TO THE BRIGHTSIDE

Happy Friday, my friends. Tuesday marked week 5 of working remotely from Florida, which is nuts. But you know what - I'm really enjoying the slower pace, the very rare time with Zach and his family, soaking up the Florida sun. I just feel really freakin thankful to be here. To anyone that's new to The Brightside today - welcome! I'm so glad to have you. I hope you enjoy.

Today we've got a long one - we're talking recycling (happy Earth Week)! Finance! Managing working remotely! And more... So let's dive right in.

PS: Heyday, aka heaven on earth is offering free virtual skincare check-ins for Essential Workers right now.

Highs:

I started Insecure on HBO - and it's been the *perfect* quarantine watch. The soundtrack is amazing, too, which is a fun bonus. Have you seen it?! Another high was getting a care package from my mom including her famous cookies. She's the ultimate baking goddess and it was such a sweet surprise this week.

Lows:

I went on a run this week, and got kinda lost. In doing so, my upper body got pretty sunburned. Not the end of the world, but I've been pretty proud of my sun protection routine down here and I'm feeling a bit crispy today.

Happy Earth Week!

I stumbled upon this article on Apartment Therapy that was so eye opening! It was a really helpful explanation of how recycling actually works once it goes to the sorting station, and calls out items that are commonly included in recycling bins that can actually stop your entire bin from being recycled (and when that happens - the whole lot gets sent to a landfill!)

Some helpful snippets from the article:

  • Bottle Caps, Contact Cases, Wire Hangers - etc- are called "clog causers" because these are difficult for recycling machines to process and often cause clogs or breakdowns in machinery. These items should be recycled or disposed of separately from your larger items like bottles!

  • “Rigid” plastic items like containers and bottles, are curbside recyclable, while “flexible” items—like candy wrappers, bubble wrap, sandwich bags, or grocery bags—are not.

  • Even if your container is recyclable, make sure to rinse food containers first, and fully empty drink containers.

Finance

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to get smarter about money. In December I did a big overhaul of where my money was going by allocating my direct deposit to three different accounts - one for expenses (rent, etc.), one for flexible spending (fun money) and one for savings. I was motivated to check on my resolution progress after listening to this interview with Sallie Krawcheck, former Wall Street Queen and founder/CEO of Ellevest, the first investment platform made by women for women. You might recognize her from an article that went viral a few years ago: "Buy the Fucking Latte". (The interview on the Bad On Paper Podcast - my all time fave.)

I highly recommend listening to this episode, it's basically investing 101 and demystifies a lot of misconceptions about investing and barriers to entry (spoiler alert, it's not as complicated as we think!).

One of the most helpful things I took from the interview was Sallie's POV on "where to start". She recommended these steps as a good checklist to identify if you're in a good position to start investing. I'm still working my way down the list - especially trying to build that emergency fund, but thought it was such an approachable structure.

  • Before doing anything, your income should be distributed as follows:

    • 50% Expenses (Rent, Student Loans, Utilities, Phone, and other fixed costs)

    • 20% Savings

    • 30% Fun

    • (I did this in December and it was the best thing I've ever done! It's been so helpful to have my fun money set aside - and when it's gone, it's gone).

  • Prioritize paying off off high-interest credit card debt, or get into a routine where you're making regular payments. Get your credit card debt under control.

  • Start saving. Work your way to an emergency cushion that could support you for 3-6 months in case of an emergency.

  • If you work at a company with an 401K match - max that out. Don't leave free money on the table!

  • Finally: start investing! Explore which platform makes the most sense for you and identify your goals, and commit to a base investment and monthly contribution thereafter.

Ellevest has a $0 minimum to begin investing, and their platform is REALLY informative and easy to use. It's also structured by goal, so you're able to select which investment type makes the most sense for you (saving for a house, retirement, a big lift event, like getting married or having kids).

Some other great investing platforms include Robinhood, Twine (geared towards saving with a partner), and M1 Finance.

Do you have a platform that you love, or tips that really helped you get your head on straight with finances?

Guest Post: Mel Laffin on Working Remotely

You guys. I am so FRICKEN excited to have my dear friend Mel chiming in about navigating work, managing a team, and staying visible right now. It's something I'm struggling a lot with myself (although I don't manage anyone) and her advice really hit home. Thank you SO much for guesting Mel!

OPEN UP MY EAGLE EYES, HEY PEOPLE FROM BRIGHTSIDE! - The name is Mel! Currently in Tech Sales & managing a team of 6.

If I’m honest, I was initially not thriving with this WFH adjustment. We’ve had so many layoffs, budget cuts, plummeting revenue - all issues needing to be addressed continuously and empathetically. Given that my love language is face to face communication & strong eye contact, Zoom/Slack have become my HELL.

However, these days it’s either fighting to find a job, or fighting to keep one. Showing that you’re a valuable asset to others is crucial. Although we’re in a climate that can make us feel powerless, HERE ARE WAYS IM GETTING MY POWER BACK:

  • Be Direct - The hardest thing to do is confronting a situation that ultimately sucks. I’ve found ripping off the bandaid really is the most effective way. People don’t want to be tip-toed around. Even if it’s bad news, they will appreciate the transparency.

  • Little Things - Whether it’s sending a $5 venmo to your coworker for a coffee run, or playing a game of Jeopardy over Zoom with your team where you draw on a mustache and pretend to be Alex. People appreciate the effort, especially when it’s out of nowhere.

  • Paper Trails - THE WAY to prove value. The biggest indicator any management team looks at is your participation. Share resources you’re proud of widely, support colleagues in chat channels, and ensure that your tasks are written down and visible to others that you’re doing them and completing them. This is the best way to achieve both visibility and demonstrating you can be held accountable. It’s in writing bitch!

  • 1 Hour Rule - My mom created the “1 day rule”. Whenever I got dumped she’d say “cry today, move on tomorrow." These days I’ve taken the same concept but made it 1 hour, and instead of boys, it’s my life. For time management purposes I try to block off 1 hour at a time to get a job done (if feasible). This helps me manage time and also see my weaknesses.

HOPE THIS HELPS! FOLLOW MY IG: @mel_chapo OR E-MEL ME: [email protected] 

Thanks so much, Mel!

I didn't have much will power this week... I splurged on this nice yoga mat and a few other Lululemon goodies that I'm so excited to start using!

To get in touch, contribute, or just chat, reach out at [email protected] 

To share the sunshine, feel free to pass on this link: https://mailchi.mp/04ccf65ea193/thebrightside 

happy brightsiding,

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