Morning Brew - 🧨 Burned out

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

Spend your next cross-country trip worrying less about breaking your cheap airplane headphones with the help of this device, which easily connects AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones to the in-flight entertainment screen.

Set a timer for your “five-minute” YouTube (or TikTok) break with Take a Five. When your timer is up, the tab self-destructs. Now get back to work!

Get out of your work rut with these five tips from Fast Company.

What’s top of mind at the watercooler.

While working from home has allowed many of us to enjoy unexpected benefits, like wearing sweatpants in meetings, it has also limited many managers’ ability to gauge their teams’ workload and stress levels. As a result, you may find yourself overwhelmed by an ever-increasing pile of responsibilities. But how do you tell your boss when they’re giving you too much work? To help guide you through that conversation, Sidekick spoke with two management professionals—Zaharo Tsekouras, chief of staff at on-demand housekeeping marketplace Spruce, and Sophie Wade, workforce innovator, speaker, and author of Empathy Works—for tips on communicating your priorities.

Before anything, there needs to be a “culture of trust,” Tsekouras told us. She recommends “speaking calmly, diplomatically; going into the conversation with positive intent, like your manager is there to help you.” Let go of any fears you may have and remember that your supervisor is also human, she added.

Then, prepare by writing down the tasks or projects that are overwhelming you, as well as any aspects of work you feel you need support on. When you’re ready to discuss those grievances, Tsekouras and Wade recommend you take the following steps:

• Be transparent. Your employer may also have a lot on their plate, or could be unaware of your feelings. “This is not about appearing like you can’t handle it. It’s about trying to understand what is expected,” Wade said. “[The more you] speak up, the more [you both] can understand how you work and what you need.”
• Discuss solutions and expectations. “The different elements of how [the work will get done] need to be clearly delineated, because otherwise, any work that you have will become overwhelming” if you don’t understand it, Wade explained. For instance, you might suggest delegating certain tasks to prioritize others, or reducing your presence in meetings and suggesting they be recorded instead.
• Keep an open dialogue. “Having one-on-one [meetings scheduled] with managers is key,” Tsekouras said. “The managers can proactively ask their [employees] about the projects they’re working on and any challenges they might be experiencing.”
• Communicate the times you feel balanced. Let your employer know when you feel things are working well as much as when they aren’t. “[Say] things like ‘I really love what I’m working on right now because of [these reasons],’” Tsekouras said. “It can be really beneficial and could even turn into asking for more projects that are similar in nature to the things that energize you.”—SS

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Listen: The King of Reggaeton has announced his retirement and farewell tour, but not without dropping one (last?) album to get us pumped for summer. Daddy Yankee’s Legendaddy is caliente, and I bet you’ll hear a few of these bops at your next beach party. 

Read: Raise your hand if you’ve ever sat on the floor of a Barnes & Noble and read a book from cover to cover . This Bloomberg article details how the pandemic revival of book sales (and bookstores) has us all taking a trip down memory lane.

Eat: If you’re craving a snack that’s both sweet and savory, these chewy date and dark chocolate cookies will have just the bittersweet taste for you. The secret ingredients? Olive oil and tahini.

Enter the express lane: With the ExpressTalks broadcast, you can rev up your motivation to reach your career goals by hearing The Buried Life cast member Ben Nemtin’s story—and have a chance to win a career-coaching session from Bobby Bones. Register here.*

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Pearls of career wisdom.

What career advice would you give your younger self?

“Focus less on what others think, and do what you wanna do. Prestige and money will come and try to sway you away, but that’s when you go with your gut. And when you do find that thing that fulfills and excites you (because you will), go all in on it!—Sho Dewan, career coach and founder of Workhap