Jessica's Friday Five: Job search resources, LEGO mag, and steaks for Father's Day


Hi Reader,

It's been an odd week here - both of my kids are at sleepaway camp this week, and the rhythms of life are quite different from our normal. I don't have an 8-year-old climbing into bed with me for cuddles and Wordle every morning. There's no one to remind to put shoes on in the morning. We eagerly check the camp app for their photos and the mailbox for letters. Today we got one that reports that the food is "absolutly amasing" (I love childrens' spelling so much), especially the "tater tots with ketchup". They get home tomorrow and I'm eager to hug them until they ask me to stop. Let's get to your Friday Five!

  1. Delete Work Email from Your Phone on Vacation: If you're like me, having email easily accessible is nearly impossible to resist checking. But the difference between checking email 0 minutes a day and 5 minutes a day? It's a radical shift in ability to recharge. Researchers at Finland’s Tampere University released a study that suggests regular and sustained vacation time is key to basic mental health, and that time off must meet certain criteria, including truly unplugging from work communications. Those who successfully detached from work emails for about one week at a time experienced the highest levels of mental well-being. Put up that out of office, delete the account for now, and know that folks will find you if something truly urgent pops up. Your health and your work will both benefit.
  2. Aimply Briefs: I've been getting these email briefs and enjoying them! They've built the first truly personalized news experience so you can save time and stay informed. They scour thousands of articles daily to bring you the 7-10 most relevant stories in a quick five-minute read. Each brief is uniquely tailored just for you and what you say your interests are. Sign up free.
  3. Job Searching or Know Someone Who Is? I like Sunsama (it's software to manage your daily tasks), and while I'm not job searching myself, I've heard it's rough out there in these job hunting streets. So here's some advice I saw their team write to a discouraged jobseeker: "Your ideal endgame isn’t tied as directly to the market-as-a-whole as you might think. You don't need “the market” to give you a job, you just need one employer/hiring manager to give you a job. Remember you succeed with one singular offer, not if you get x% of all companies to give you an offer where x is higher in a good market and lower in a bad market." Good luck out there! Here's a list I made and occasionally update on where to look for and post jobs if helpful.
  4. Find Great Podcasts: I recently connected with Sebastian at Find That Pod and loved what that team is doing to help folks find the best podcasts (of the 4 million out there - I didn't realize there were so many!). I signed up for their free weekly newsletter and am appreciating it along with their other 11,000+ subscribers.
  5. Free LEGO Magazine: I've mentioned this before but there are thousands of new folks here, so wanted to share it again because I know it was so helpful last time: LEGO has a free magazine for kids. My kids (ages 6 and 8) love it. It's got fun stuff like word searches and ideas for building with LEGO. If you have more than one kid, sign up for more than one magazine (trust me on that...).

P.S. Happy Father's Day to all the dads here in the Friday Five community! If you're someone who needs to get a gift for a dad, Omaha Steaks is one of my go-tos even at the last minute (you can print out a thing to gift this weekend or have them send an email saying that food is coming soon to their door).

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!