issue #110 - the falling-for-fall one

September 11, 2021

This is my favorite time of the year.

It’s biker shorts-oversized sweatshirt weather (my favorite outfit). The kids are back in school. I’ve started my annual rewatch of favorite Gilmore Girls episodes (keep scrolling for my list to date).

AND MY BOOK COMES OUT NEXT MONTH! Have you preordered your copy - or copies - yet?

I go hard for fall, more so than any other season. Soon the Deepavali decorations will go up. We’re narrowing down our Halloween costumes, and before I know it I’ll be purchasing Christmas gifts (and finding a better hiding place for them, since Rho found and unwrapped them last year before the big day).

I’m so excited. But I’m also savoring the last hot days (and the last Aperol spritzes of the season), living in my my favorite kaftans, and ice cream store visits.

Fall, I really love you. I’m so glad you’re unofficially here.

What would you do with a few more hours in your day?

Would you binge watch a season of a show? Finish a needlepoint project that you started when there was a different president? I did both of these things this week, and it was glorious.

Would you sleep more? Get in that workout? I have yet to do these things, but I have every intention to.

The possibilities are endless. But how do you actually get that time back?

Email used to occupy hours of my day - every single day. Responses would flood in faster than I could reply, important emails slipped further from my attention and went unanswered, and the sale and shopping alerts are a whole other mess I can’t even tackle right now.

That all changed three years ago, when I switched to Superhuman.

Emails flow into their correct "split" (custom categories sorted with AI triage) - important, news, group notifications, and sale alerts. Between the keyboard shortcuts and their powerful search function, you will be able to find any e-mail in seconds. The mobile app allows you to customize your swipes (for me, left is delete and right is star). Read receipts notify you if your recipient has opened your email, and undo send is the feature I’ve probably used the most. The sidebar will tell you everything you need to know (recent emails, social media links) about the person you’re emailing.

And snippets. I love snippets so much.

These saved responses help me schedule meetings quickly (and they even automatically add my assistant to the email to coordinate), help me make introductions with a single keystroke, and save me hours when I’m launching or planning something and reaching out to hundreds of folks. I set reminders for the important ones, so I don’t drop the ball on following up.

You can never buy back the time that’s passed. BUT you can invest in Superhuman to spend less time on email, and more time on the things you actually want to do. When you sign up with my link, you’ll be able to skip the wait and get started right away.

And start doing the things you want to do.

Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Superhuman, a company that has transformed the way I work. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who improve my life. I hope they do the same for you.

What we read this week

Hitha

  • The Cult of We by Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell - My space and romance obsession has taken a back seat to companies behaving badly nonfiction, and The Cult of We is right up there with Bad Blood as one of the best written and meticulously reported. It reads like a novel, but every word has been fact checked and every mind-boggling claim by numerous sources. It’s a fascinating read and a cautionary tale for all entrepreneurs - I highly recommend you read it.

I also re-read Jemima J by Jane Green, and while it requires some compartmentalization, it’s still an excellent read. Full review here.

  • What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey & Bruce Perry - This book was heavy, but I loved every page of it. It's written in alternating chapters by Winfrey and Perry (a psychiatrist who is one of the foremost experts on child trauma). Winfrey divulges details of her own difficult childhood, while Perry offers anecdotes from his decades-long practice and tools to cope.

The Top 4

The Catch Up

Tuesday (Julia)

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Things we love this week

Hitha

  • I don’t know what I did to myself, but I have never been more sore. Which means I’ve been using my infrared sauna blanket every other day or so. Along with epsom salt baths and my favorite CBD cream, it’s keeping my body feeling okay (which is all I can ask for right now).I previously shared another link that was a scam, alerting to a 50% discount on the blanket. I fell for it, and that link has been deleted. I am so so sorry if anyone purchased from the .shop URL and please alert your credit card processors to put a stop payment on that purchase.

  • It is biker shorts and sweatshirt weather, and I have been wearing these shorts and this sweatshirt (with this bra underneath) on repeat. It is the perfect outfit for this perfect weather, and launched my Aerie obsession (highly recommend their bras as well!)

  • For those engaging in their own Gilmore Girls marathons, here are the episodes I’ve watched and loved so far. Enjoy, my friend.Season 1Season 2Season 3

    • Pilot

    • Rory’s First Day at Chilton

    • Rory’s Birthday Parties

    • Rory’s Dance

    • Forgiveness and Stuff

    • Double Date

    • The Third Lorelei

    • Emily in Wonderland

    • PS I Love You

    • Red Light on the Wedding Night

    • Presenting Lorelei Gilmore

    • Like Mother, Like Daughter

    • The Bracebridge Dinner

    • A-Tisket, A-Tasket

    • It Should’ve Been Lorelei

    • I Can’t Get Started

    • They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They

    • A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving

    • Dear Emily and Richard

    • Happy Birthday, Baby

    • There are Strings, Pinocchio

Julia

  • I f***ing love sweetgreen. Sure, I can easily assemble a salad myself. But the dressings are the true game-changer. That's why I'm addicted to sweetgreen's TikTok—because they share their dressing recipes in some of their videos! Spicy cashew is my favorite, and I just replicated it at home. Money saved, and I'm one step closer to becoming Ina Garten.

Take care of yourself, and please share #5SmartReads if you’re enjoying them!

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