Morning Brew - 🍺 Box method

If the pandemic were a marathon, we would be on mile 25. The finish line is in sight, but we’re tired, we’re hurting, and we’re in desperate need of a new playlist. Although it’s a little taboo to say, it’s completely normal to feel unmotivated at work. It’s impossible to give 110% to your job every day, but there are a few things you can do to help keep you and your teammates motivated at work (beyond free food and cold brew).  

David Burkus, organizational psychologist and author of Leading from Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams, says motivation has three main drivers: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In a recent TED article, he encourages managers to embody the “you do you” mentality and stop micromanaging. Burkus says, “Pay attention to how many times you’re giving them advice vs. asking them questions.” 

Constructive feedback is useful, but can easily drain motivation, so Burkus suggests celebrating wins of all sizes. Create a whole Slack channel for ’em if you want. Most importantly, make it clear who is benefiting from the work. He says, “If you can ensure the members of your team know who exactly is being helped by their efforts, you can almost guarantee they’ll be willing to work hard to help those people.” 

Ashna (product manager at Morning Brew) recently shared a Twitter thread about the three things she does when she’s feeling meh at work. For me, it’s a mini dance party and a long afternoon walk (and sometimes an iced coffee on the way). And you? Let us know what you do to stay motivated. 

• Cruise into summer with these five regional road trip routes. You’ll find me chomping on a lobster roll at the Bite into Maine food truck at some point this summer. 
• Before you spend hours scouring LinkedIn, Ellevest executive career coach Gala Jackson has six pieces of advice on how to navigate your next career transition. 
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Check out this roundup of free and low-cost resources that make seeking help a little easier. 
• If the term “networking” makes you want to curl up in a ball and hide, listen to this Founder’s Journal episode, where Alex Lieberman, cofounder of the Brew, breaks down his seven rules of connection. 
• Impress your friends at the Memorial Day picnic with some homemade pita. The store-bought version has nothing on this recipe. 
• A list that’ll get you cheesin’: 48 reasons to be optimistic right now. 

Glennon Doyle sure has a way with words. The author of the bestselling book Untamed launched her first podcast this week, called We Can Do Hard Things, and it’s a must-listen. (Warning: You might tear up. Pro tip: Listen all the way through for her daughter Tish’s song.) The first episode covers a timely topic for Mental Health Awareness month: anxiety.

In the pod, G discusses what an anxiety attack really looks and feels like, and she offers a few strategies for how to make your nervous system a little less nervous. Her definition of anxiety goes beyond the one in the DSM. She says it’s “just paying attention” and “sometimes just an acknowledgement of what love and life and risk are.” 

She relies on breathwork, in particular the box method (I’m a big fan). If you’re unfamiliar with it, you breathe in while counting to four slowly, hold for four, exhale while counting to four slowly, and hold for four again. It’s also helpful to visualize a box while you’re doing it. This type of exercise gets you out of the “what if” and into the “right now.” 

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They could be off to Silicon Valley or ATX. These are the gifts they need to thrive in the competitive, fast-paced world of tech. Bonus points if they add #bitcoin to their Twitter bio. Check ’em out here. 

• I never thought I would say this, but where has tinned fish been my whole life? Fishwife’s smoked rainbow trout is incredible and might become my go-to summer indulgence. It’s raised in Idaho, free of antibiotics, and finny fresh (without being too fishy). If you’re not sure how to eat it, just add a little fresh squeezed lemon juice on top, and voilà. 
• Apple cider vinegar shots may have A+ gut-immune benefits, but they taste disgusting. You can get the same perks with Poppi, a healthy prebiotic soda (and my new 10:30am bev of choice). Each can has one tablespoon of ACV and less than 5g of sugar. My top two flavors: ginger lime and raspberry rose.
• If you’ve been burning through your candles left and right and have an extra jar sitting around, check out Siblings candle kits. They’re the least labor intensive DIY project (just the way I like ’em), and they have a wide variety of scents to fit your olfactory style—from grapefruit, orange, and lemon to clove, lavender, and cedarwood.