#5SmartReads - February 24, 2023

Julie Schechter is the co-founder and CEO of Present, a relationship-building software that helps you strengthen your relationships at work and at home. She's a former ballet dancer turned lawyer turned entrepreneur. She and her co-founder Monika Shah created Present to break the complicated, ongoing task of maintaining a relationship into the bite-size pieces of time that modern people actually have.

Disclosure from Hitha: I am an investor in Present, and a devout user. If you want to be more proactive about maintaining your relationships, I highly recommend downloading the app (use code TEST to create your account after downloading) and sending a “thinking of you!” card to someone.

Hold On (Present)

It drives me crazy that our society doesn't have the necessary infrastructure to make strong friendships easy to maintain. It's honestly the opposite, especially for women: the more responsibilities we add to our plates, the harder it gets to hold on to the people we cared about first.

The Lifelong Power Of Close Relationships (The Wall Street Journal)

When we first started researching the science behind relationships, I was honestly shocked by the statistics. I knew strong relationships were important, but I didn't know they were *the most* important indicator of a happy, healthy life.

How Do You Serve A Friend In Despair (The New York Times Opinion)

Something we hear from customers all the time: "I have a friend going through hell, and I'd do *anything* for them...I just don't know what to do." This article is a great starting place.

What Companies Still Get Wrong About Layoffs (Harvard Business Review)

The wave of tech layoffs has been disorienting, and this article points out that they may not actually accomplish what the companies are going for. In fact, they may do long-term harm rather than good.

How To Say Goodbye At A Party (Cup Of Jo)

Okay, ending on a fun one that is guaranteed to be divisive: is it rude or actually MORE polite to "ghost" or slip out when you leave a party? I'm on team #slipout, since I hate to disrupt the flow of a party with a goodbye, but I'm always curious to hear other people's opinions.