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✨ A note to our community ✨
This week, we reached out to a member of our community, Emma Gannon, to guest edit the newsletter. Emma has two (!!) books coming out this year, The Multi-Hyphen Life in the US and her debut novel OLIVE in the UK — plus a newsletter, a podcast, and now a book club — and we think you should get to know her if you haven't already. She shares her recs for staying home and a note below.
If you want to join us in some community activities this week, here are some tiny ways you can partake:
1. Share GNI with a friend or co-worker this week. Set a date or time to discuss over virtual coffee.
2. Visit our Stay Home,Take Care site for staying-in tips.
3. Follow GNI on Instagram at @girlsnightinclub and join our #stayhometakecare challenge this weekend. (Post a picture of what you're doing inside this weekend and tag us with #stayhometakecare so we can build a hub of ideas on the hashtag.)
4. Read our April book pick, Wow, No Thank You with us this month. We'll be building out some opportunities to discuss it in the coming weeks.
Now onto Emma's note and night-in picks!
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Note from our Guest Editor
Morning
,
It’s a strange time to be alive and an even stranger time to be thinking about work. It feels like the whole world is currently being tasked with looking at work in a very different way, and that can feel scary for most of us. As we've collectively been asked to pause, stay home and adapt if possible, my book, The Multi-Hyphen Life, is on the precipice of release. This is not quite how I envisioned it, but I'd still love to tell you about it. Maybe you'll be tempted to spend some of your time indoors thumbing through it?
From an early age, I’ve felt a lack of trust in authority figures, and I set out to write a book about investing in yourself and being your own back up plan. I'm hoping after all of this, the way we talk about remote and flexible working might begin to see a shift. I'm also hoping it'll help us start important conversations about developing passive income strategies, the ways we can protect ourselves with multiple income streams, and how we can try to build our own schedules. In many ways, that's what the book is about.
Truthfully, it's been a weird time to release a book. In this brave new world, authors have to get creative about cancelled events and book launches and find new ways to talk about their work. (We're allowed to wallow a bit when that feels right too!) Over the last few weeks, though, I've seen the power of community support shine both personally and professionally. Authors are having virtual book launches, hosting joint Instagram Lives, and supporting each other like never before. I get to talk to you all in this new and exciting format, and we're all actively seeking out our communities. We're finding ways to be resilient where we can.
When not preparing for the book release, I've been reading for pleasure — it relaxes my whole body. I even launched a book club called The Hyphen Book Club so that I could read one book a month with a community through all this and beyond. The first pick is a book called On Being 40ish and features 15 women writers on life in their forties. I hope you'll join us in reading it.
I’ve also needed to be intentional about prioritizing some mind-detox, and decluttering my brain in order to stay feeling my best. Below are some ways I’ve been remaining calm and slowing down during this strange time.
Stay cozy,
Emma Gannon
IG • Twitter • Website
P.S. Are you new here? Check out some past issues: Last week's newsletter was about why it's okay if you're not doing a lot right now, and two weeks ago was about how Stay Home, Take Care can provide resources to help you help others as you stay home.
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this week's picks
recommendations from this week's guest editor
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Creating a home coffee shop setup. ☕️ I’ve been really missing working from my local café, but I recently discovered a way to create the ambience of a coffee shop or café in your study or living room. This tearoom ASMR background noise is extremely relaxing.
- Embracing a slower lifestyle. 🧘♀️ I’ve been turning to Hurry Slowly by Jocelyn K. Glei, a podcast all about pacing yourself and slowing down. I love her episodes on why productivity doesn’t have to mean constantly creating, and how to set good boundaries between work and not-work.
- Getting what we need with Rae Wellness. ✨ "Top three taking care items on our list this weekend: get restful sleep, recharge, and find moments of calm. Our friends at Rae are helping us reach our wellness goals with nutrient-packed capsules and drops for Sleep, Energy, and DeStress — they're all vegan and non-GMO too! GNI readers get 20% off all Rae products with code GIRLSNIGHTIN20." - The GNI Team #SPONSORSTHING
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Organizing my digital footprint. 📱 I’m obsessed with this amazing app, Tokimeki Unfollow. In true Marie Kondo style, it takes you through the people you follow and ask if they still bring you joy. If not, then unfollow!
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Changing up my look in quarantine. 👀 I’ve been experimenting with hair dye, and in particular these colors from Bleach London. You have to leave the dye in for 15 minutes, so I’ve been meditating silently (perched on the side of the bath) for that time instead of scrolling on my phone.
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Attending Yale (online). 🤓 For anyone who wants to use some at-home down-time to throw it back to school, you can enroll for free in a Yale University course online, which I think is pretty neat.
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Prioritizing my mental health. 🧠 "For anyone struggling with their mental health and the idea of productivity right now, I feel you. I've been soothing my mind a bit with these Magic Painting books where all you need is a paint brush and water to watch the colors come alive while you paint.
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sponsor spotlight: Billie
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Being a little kinder to our skin right now... 🧖♀️
"I just tried out a bunch of Billie's new products and was pumped to try their Wonder Wipes. I've been looking for facial wipes that'll let me have a lazier pre-bedtime routine (honestly? I dislike washing my face before bed — don't @ me) now that we're living in this... brave new world where I'm moving a little slower and have less willpower on some days. The Wonder Wipes are packed with hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C for a brightening effect. They're also 100% biodegradable — a win-win-win." - Alisha Ramos, GNI Founder
GNI readers can now try Billie's (you probably know them from their razors) *new* clean beauty line with Floof dry shampoo, Super Salve lip balms, and our current go-to — Wonder Wipes. Best part? It's super affordable with the collection starting at just $8.
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smart reads of the week
send these to the group chat ✨
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Do you know what's complicated as hell right now? Being happy. 💫 But you're allowed to feel joy. If you've found yourself pleasantly surprised by the occasional positive feeling (perhaps you're pleased with your most recent bake or extra time with the fam?) throughout all this, it's okay to give yourself permission to celebrate those small moments, even within the context of all that's going on.
Leaning on music more than ever? You're not alone. 🎵 You don't need us to tell you that concerts look a little different these days. If you've been tuning in as your favorite musicians go live — from D-Nice to John Legend, Mandy Moore to T-Pain — you've likely had a front row seat to the way music industry has evolved in these uncertain times. Read this if you're looking for what to tune into next.
The case for breakfast for dinner (now and really always). 🍳 The ritual of throwing together some eggs in the evening or pouring a bowl of cereal under the cloak of darkness has always felt a little against the grain. While it might not be the most edgy thing you can do, switching up your what’s-for-dinner routine might be the coping mechanism you're looking for right now.
How Wuliao can help you right now. ❤️If you're feeling disinterested in being "productive" right now, it could mean you're ripe to lean into Wuliao instead. The Chinese phrase is typically translated to "the absence of conversation" or " too bored" and alludes to the idea of boredom as an art form. In the past, where you might have been warned against this behavior, there's now more meaning to that restlessness — and you can read more about it here.
Meet the meme lords archiving all of this right now. 👩💻 Don't worry — they're working from home, too. If you've considered keeping a journal or time capsule of this moment, it's likely because we often instinctually gravitate toward archiving behaviors. A small team at the Library of Congress is taking it all in (the whole internet, it seems like) and making memes into history for people to study generations into the future.
Bonus read: Here's what your sourdough starter thinks about all this. 🥖
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heading into the weekend like...
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Is this what everybody else's bread looks like too? (source unknown)
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