Morning Brew - 🧰 Building your career corner

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

At Sidekick, we love beautifully designed journals and planners, but these tear-off planner sheets simplify the process. With hourly time blocks, task checklists, and even reminders to hydrate, you can really maximize your productivity. The best part: When the day is over, you get the cathartic pleasure of tearing off the page and looking to a brand new start.

Productivity, but make it a game. Habitica is a task management tool that uses “retro” RPG elements to gamify your to-do items and goals. Give yourself a cool little avatar and track fitness goals, household chores, and professional obligations. You’re winning!

Are you being lied to? One body language expert shared her “triangle method” for identifying signs that a person is being less than honest. Giveaways include signs of indecision, self-soothing behaviors like face and nose scratching, and long pauses while speaking.

A head start on your hustle.

We all need someone in our career corner sometimes, right? Finding a career coach, mentor, or sponsor can be extremely beneficial when navigating your professional trajectory. Each role provides a valuable function, and while the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are important differences.

So, how do you know if you need a coach, or if it’s time to find a mentor or sponsor? Let’s break it down:

• Coaches help you think through situations. By posing thoughtful and sometimes difficult questions, coaches give you new ways to work through a current problem or opportunity. In other words, they teach you to be more self aware and forge new paths to get to your near-term goals.
• Mentors focus on the future. Mentors serve as educators and models and help you explore career-pathing more generally. They help you anticipate challenges and opportunities while honing important developmental skills that will benefit you throughout your career.
• But wait! Let’s talk about sponsors. Sponsors take proactive actions to help advance your career. They may make calls to their network on your behalf, advocate for you in a promotion discussion, serve as a reference, or even hire you.

Can a mentor be a sponsor? Yes! Can a sponsor be a coach? Yes! Are there often overlaps? Yes! But knowing the difference between the three roles can be critical when you’re trying to decide what type of support you need.

Coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring are all wonderful ways to grow, learn, and develop. If you’re trying to build your career, think about which role you need most now, and go get ’em!—Karen Hebert-Maccaro, Morning Brew’s Queen of the Eduverse

Tech tips and tricks.

Three days into vacation and just realized you forgot to set your OOO autoreply? Don’t ruin your trip searching for a public computer—you can set it up from your phone. (It’s easier now with the new Gmail update!)

In Gmail, click the three-lines symbol for Menu > Settings > Vacation Responder. (You may have to select a specific email account first if you have more than one linked to your Gmail app.) Toggle it on and set the dates you’ll be out. Then, compose a message and select whether you want to send it only to contacts or people within your organization. Don’t click anything here though if you want it to go to all incoming messages. Click Save.

PS: You can do the same on Outlook. On your mobile account, click your profile icon, then Settings. Select the mail account you want to use, then click Automated Replies. Toggle it on, select who you want to reply to, and compose a message. Click the check mark to save. Now, back to the beach!—SS

In the Solo List, we’ve shown you how several founders have ideated, started, and scaled their businesses. And while many of their companies have reached maturity, these founders have greater ambitions for the future. While they’ve had success carrying out their visions thus far, the work begins to bring their businesses to uncharted heights. These goals are bold and ambitious, from taking on big competitors to becoming a staple in every home.

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Read: If you’re looking for a book that will make you cry while you laugh, you must read Stay True by Hua Hsu. The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Hsu came of age in the mid-’90s and defined himself by the culture and music of the era. Now he’s a writer and critic for the New Yorker, and his memoir tells a poignant story of grief, identity, and unmatched intellectual curiosity.

Watch: For something a little different this spooky szn, check out this list of underrated cult classic horror films including the teen witch classic The Craft, Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill, and Dario Argento’s Deep Red (a film Quentin Tarantino said “rattled” him).

Follow: Looking for a quick fix for your Francophilia and vintage fashion inspo? Follow Souvenir Vintage for effortlessly chic looks you can buy from the shop’s online outlets.

Fresh morning apples:* Apples are best right off the tree, so bite into Apple Card’s exclusive offer ~just~ for Brew readers while the time lasts. Use this link to learn more and apply now. Hurry—the promo’s still fresh. Terms apply.

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}