Ah, the joy of someone else pushing plans you secretly wanted to skip out on. And it’s not just for drinks with that weird acquaintance from college—sometimes we all need extra time to finish a project at work.

But pushing back on a deadline can be more intimidating than walking past a pack of teenagers. We gotchu. Here are five ways to say you need more time (without using the word bandwidth).

To your boss: “I would love to revisit the road map for [X] project and accompanying deadlines with you, as the project has evolved beyond our initial scope [or other reason]. Here’s what’s going on [add details here], and here’s why pushing the deadline will ensure a better-quality product [add reasoning here].”

To a teammate: “Hey, wanted to touch base about [X] project, because I’m going to need [specific timing] to wrap [X detail]. I know this affects your workflow, so I’m sharing what the draft looks like right now. Will also loop in [other people on the project] for awareness and so related timelines can be adjusted.”

On behalf of your team: “I’ve been talking with the team, and what we would like to do is spend an extra [period of time] to focus our efforts on [add specific element]. While this pushes our final deadline back by [X days], I’m confident that the time we gain to create the best work product possible outweighs the delayed schedule.”

For personal reasons: “I wanted to keep you posted that, due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I will need to extend the deadline for [X project] until [specific date]. I can provide more details if that’s helpful, but I would prefer to keep this a private matter. I appreciate your understanding and will keep you posted as I work through this deliverable.”

To a client: “Due to [X] circumstances, our timeline on this project is shifting. We’ve created an updated road map so you can see milestones over the next [period of time]. Thank you for understanding—this adjustment ensures we deliver continued quality work.”

Copy and paste the example language into your own talking points, adjust as needed, and make sure you state this plan well before the OG deadline.—CS

Last week, the company behind Instant Pot and Pyrex filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, leaving us all no choice but to eat takeout every night.

• Instant Pot—the zippier version of the Crockpot that almost set your childhood home ablaze—started losing steam once it was purchased by a private equity firm in 2019.
• Management pushed new product lines like an air fryer and air purifier in an attempt to increase growth. But demand still slowed for the once-hot commodity (and it didn’t help that your Instant Pot from college is still kicking).

Turns out, being consistently innovative is easier said than done.

Enter: “the innovator’s dilemma.” Basically, as a company gets bigger, true innovation becomes harder.

• Even if a company was born out of disruptive innovation—like creating extremely durable glass containers or a really fast way to make a pot roast—it tends to focus on making its current products better, or “sustainably innovating,” rather than re-creating the industry entirely.
• In a tale as old as time, Instant Pot’s parent co pushed out different cookware products like air fryers rather than rethinking cooking as a whole.

This isn’t to say that all companies need to throw out their business models every few years and revolutionize the industry—but knowing that new companies are cutting their teeth on ideas your co is too big to experiment with is helpful when you’re building out strategy.

Sustainable innovation only gets you so far, and in the fast-moving world of cookware gadgets, the next new thing is just a TikTok trend away.

Late June means the vibes are as high as the temps, nobody is really working on Fridays, everyone’s friend of a friend is in Europe, and most importantly: summer deals.

Morning Brew isn’t holding back this year. Dozens of products are 90% off.

One catch: Once these items run out, they’re gone for good.

Shop the sale today.

Happiness is an organized tote bag full of smaller organized bags. Turns out, the same goes for tasks at work.

• We all love fantasizing about Inbox Zero—with themed, color-coded folders to boot—even as our Gmail notifications silently tick into triple digits.

So here are a few office-focused tools to help you turn into the organizational fiend you’re destined to be:

Todoist: Upgrade from your iPhone’s Notes app. Think of this platform like a really smart to-do list, where you can separate personal and work stuff, set reminders, and even delegate things to your unsuspecting coworkers (or spouse?).

Notion: Write it all down in one place. Notion is part journal, part legal pad, part web page, with a little resume-building and scrapbooking thrown in. Share it with everyone or no one, as you wish.

Loom: What’s better than teaching someone a new skill? Recording a step-by-step guide so they never have to bother you for repeated instructions again.

• We highly recommend adding Loom videos to out-of-office guides and intern handbooks.

Calendly: Finally stop pulling out your hair trying to “find a time that works for all of us.” Set your availability, send out a link, and let others schedule the best time for everyone to meet. Calendly is great for larger teams with external clients, but it’s just as good for your own sanity maintenance too.

🦦 Otter.ai: If you tend to zone out in meetings, here’s how to never miss key info again. This personal meeting assistant logs on to Zooms with you, takes notes, and then sends them your way after.

• And if you’re feeling generous, you can also email key takeaways to that coworker who you know was napping during the last revenue sync.

Want to keep things as simple as possible, but no simpler? There’s no shame in going steady with Google Workspace and calling it a day.

Read: Which is worse, dying or public speaking? Learn how to solve one of these problems here.

Pop quiz: We all want to improve, but there are lots of different growth paths out there. Find yours with a (non-BuzzFeed) quiz.

Listen: Get the inside scoop on how two college friends took on Gillette as they built out the iconic DTC shaving brand Harry’s.

Travel: Thought you could leave all the AI hoopla at home? Not so fast. Here’s how an AI assistant can enhance (or ruin) your next European vacation.

Get: Are your direct reports talking sh*t behind your back? Or is that noise just them singing your praises? Learn how to become the world’s best boss in the Brew’s New Manager Bootcamp, now available on demand.