Morning Brew - ✍️ A hundred other girls

Time-saving tools and products we’re really into rn.

Stop squinting in the dark! The next time you’re feeling restless at night and decide to catch up on that novel, light up the page and not the room with this full-page book light.

  Make space for Apple’s new iPhone by selling your rapidly aging one. List it on Decluttr, a site that helps you sell or trade old tech, movies, and books so you can be out with the old and in with the new.

Freezing office temps don’t mean you can’t have drip. Survive your workplace tundra in style with a variety of fashionable layers, and while you’re at it, tell management to turn up the thermostat to 68 degrees!

“I guess I’m just an ‘outliner.’ I’m an outliner of life.”

Iman Hariri-Kia is a writer and editor who was born in—and is currently based in—New York City. These days, critics and readers are going wild about her debut novel, A Hundred Other Girls, which was released in July. Aside from her celebrated book, she also writes candidly about her personal life on the internet (much to her parents’ dismay!).

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Channel the night owl: “I wrote the entirety of my book at night. I was working a full-time job as an editor and a part-time job as a freelance writer when I wrote [it], which meant that I worked full days, and then would come home at night and write in a silo for months. And that’s how I got my draft done. It was sort of my secret project that [only I knew about]. I owned the project, I had creative control over [it], and it was so freeing to have something that was all mine—I knew I didn’t have to answer to any company, boss, manager, [or] brand…It was really amazing and cathartic to have that to look forward to every night when I got back from work.”

Tips for aspiring authors: “My piece of advice is the simplest, and it’s always the same. The hardest part of writing a book is getting yourself to actually finish the first draft, especially if you’ve written a book before. Because what ends up happening is you get daunted by the word count…But the truth is, that happens. It happens to everyone [and] it happens to every author. I think the real craft comes in making a schedule, sticking to it, and forcing yourself to write through those moments of panic, writer’s block, and self-doubt. Because it’s so much better to have a messy manuscript than a perfect single paragraph or chapter."

Telling her story: “I’ve worked in media for many years. And in order to write this book, I pulled inspiration from every job I’ve ever worked, from entry-level assistant [and] intern to top-level editor…Every company is sort of navigating what to do about the new generation’s attitude toward the workplace, work-life balance, and burnout. And you’ve got this really interesting divide between people who feel like they’ve had to fight their way to the top of the ladder, and younger people who are like, ‘Why don’t we throw out the ladder and just create equity?’”

The “dream job”: “I don’t think that the dream job exists. And I wholeheartedly think that who you are is not what you do, [and] the product of your creativity is not the same as the product of your productivity…So often companies will hire people who think they’re stepping into their dream jobs and then take advantage of the fact that they’re starry-eyed or that they’re wearing rose-colored glasses. And [then they] manipulate them into working in conditions that they don’t necessarily feel comfortable with and use the rhetoric: ‘You’re just lucky to be here.’ The message at the heart of A Hundred Other Girls is that there aren’t one hundred other girls ready to take your job. Because there isn’t another you.”

Plan for success: “Before I actually quit my full-time job, I took [my mom] to dinner and asked her for advice. And she said to me: ‘Make a plan and figure out if it will work before you leave your job. Put together an Excel spreadsheet, figure out your finances, [and] crunch the numbers. Reach out to people in your network. See if the opportunities are there. Find out if you can arrange to have one steady paycheck each month…And when you’re ready to leave, leave your job with a clean conscience because you’ll feel better knowing that you’ve done your homework.’”—MW

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Read: Don’t let your job sideline your career. Tap into this HBR article for tips on prioritizing your career and personal brand over your current position.

Watch: There’s nothing quite like family drama, especially in the Targaryen dynasty. This explainer video clears up all the questions you probably have about the complicated House of the Dragon marriages and backstories.

Drink: We’re not ready to let summer go just yet, so we’re whipping up a glass of refreshing Froséade to start our long Labor Day weekend. To enjoy, freeze a mix of rosé and lemonade (or use a canned alternative), then blend with honey, vodka, and raspberries.

Burning questions of our time.

A perfect union:

In the last several years, labor unions have sprouted up more quickly than celebrity skin care lines. Starbucks and Amazon employees, for example, recently made headlines for successfully unionizing in branches all around the country. And nationwide, the trend is gaining traction as union support has reached its highest point since 1965. But not everyone is thrilled about the shift in power. The anti-union side—usually *ahem* management—argues that unions can damage employer-employee relations and weaken individual negotiating power. So, how do you feel about unions? Under what conditions would you support unionization in your industry? Hit Reply and let us know in the Inbox!—SS

And now, your thoughts on “quiet quitting”:

“‘Quiet quitting’ sounds like abiding by the employment contract you make when you’re hired. It’s a term made up by exploiters to make those who will not be exploited feel like they owe the employer more than [what’s in the contract]. If you’re doing more work than you signed up for and you aren’t receiving fair compensation, you’re being exploited. Ya dig?”—Christopher

“I don’t think it’s fair for the default expectation of an employee to be [that they go] above and beyond their job description. What’s fair for companies to do is expect people to go above and beyond in order to advance in the organization, and I think this is a commonly held expectation. I don’t think you earn the right to complain about lack of advancement opportunities if you’re not putting in at least a bit more than what is expected of you. But on the flip side, I do think the grinders trying to get ahead ruin the curve for those out there who are happy to put in their 40 hours and call it good.”—Hunter