Published inForge·Oct 7, 2020Member-onlyHow Ranking Your Friendships Can Make You a Better FriendMake new friends, but sort the old ones into a 15-tier spreadsheet — This piece is part of How Google Drive Can Make Every Corner of Your Life Easier First I organized my spices. Then I organized my friends. In the early days of the pandemic, facing a glut of alone time and not yet numbed to the chaos, I resolved to get…Relationships5 min readRelationships5 min read
Published inForge·Jan 9, 2020Member-onlySlack Laughter Is Becoming a ProblemWhat to do when your co-workers aren’t laughing with you or at you but around you — Is there any sound more anxiety-inducing than the ding of the seatbelt sign on a plane? The brief click that happens before your alarm clock’s soothing piano starts to play? The sound of the person behind you in a movie theater wetly chewing a banana? None of those sounds compare…Workplace4 min readWorkplace4 min read
Published inForge·Nov 19, 2019Member-onlyMindful Snacking Saved Me From My StressThe Swedish tradition of fika is about more than just eating — In most of the published literature about snacking — from Seventeen to consumer studies — we don’t just “eat” snacks, we “reach for” snacks. “To fight effects of sleep deprivation, reach for healthy snacks.” “Before you reach for an evening snack, consider whether or not you’re really hungry.” “Hardly ever…Food5 min readFood5 min read
Published inForge·Oct 29, 2019Member-onlyHow to Turn Your Work Enemy Into Your Work FriendBehavioral psychologists have known about “the Ben Franklin effect” for decades, but here’s how to use favors to make people like you; and to make yourself like them — If there’s one thing we can learn from HBO’s Succession, it’s that sometimes we must break bread with our enemies. We must sit in meetings with people who have been promoted over us. We must make billion-dollar deals with people who want to destroy us. We must foot the bill…Life Lessons5 min readLife Lessons5 min read
Published inForge·Oct 12, 2019Member-onlyThe Complain Brag Is Even Worse Than the HumblebragIt’s annoying, but women in particular may have a hard time breaking the habit — If you work hard and you’re lucky, there will come a day in your career when blessings are heaped upon you. (If you’re my professional nemesis, that day will be every day — you literally will not go one day without being inexplicably rewarded! Anyway.) On that day, you may…Bragging5 min readBragging5 min read
Published inForge·Oct 2, 2019Member-onlyA Networking Hater’s Guide to NetworkingWhat the Wing taught me about connecting IRL — I have two coffees with strangers on my Google calendar for October. That this is a major professional milestone is a testament to how diligently I have avoided networking. It’s not that I don’t like meeting people; I am an enthusiastic extrovert. …Networking6 min readNetworking6 min read
Published inGEN·Sep 23, 2019Member-onlyWhen Jeffrey Epstein Is Your Name-esisThe Jeffrey Epsteins of the world are done with explaining: I’m not that Jeffrey Epstein — “When you besmirch your own name, you besmirch the names of all who share’t.” — A guy who was also named Judas, circa 33 A.D. If you’ve ever Googled yourself, you probably know some details about your name-esis. I keep pretty close tabs on mine. She’s the frontwoman of a…Social Media6 min readSocial Media6 min read
