👩🏻‍💻 20 productivity "hacks" for the overwhelmed career switcher

(or anyone just doing a LOT.) I hate the word "hack" but these things help me!

I hope you’re enjoying the long weekend! By the time you read this newsletter on Sunday, I’ll be on a hike 🏔️

📣 First of all, I’d love to hear from you!

What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now when it comes to your career?

Feel free to reply to this email. I do this periodically to make sure my content *actually* helps you, so I’ll read every reply. Thank you in advance!

The last month has felt like a lot. I’ve been taking on new projects at work, going to conferences and events, and exploring new directions for my side hustle. Some days I feel scattered, unproductive, and unmotivated.

If you’re juggling a lot, especially if you’re in the middle of a career switch, you probably know the feeling. You're holding down a job while trying to figure out what's next. Or aiming for a promotion while running a side hustle, and balancing a social life. It’s not just busy…it’s overwhelming.

I try not to be a productivity junkie, and I’m wary of calling anything a “hack.” None of this is a silver bullet. And frankly, the #1 “productivity hack” you should try before any of these is making sure you’re being productive on the right things.

But once I’ve done that, these are the small habits/tools/rituals I always go back to. They help me focus when life is chaotic, get things done when I have a million balls in the air, and pull myself out when I’m deep in a rut. Some are weirdly specific. Some are unconventional. Hopefully at least one of them helps you too!

1. Sauna then cold plunge (or cold shower) to shock my brain into gear. Savage, but unbeatable for forcing myself to do hard things.

2. Fake deadlines—I’m never more productive than when racing an oven timer or trying to finish something before a workout.

3. EDM (instrumental) as background music keeps me focused

4. Run a neglected errand to create momentum for bigger tasks.

5. Having a partner who helps with life admin

6. Vlogging or time-lapsing my day—keeps me off my phone and makes me feel accountable

7. Outsourcing life admin - testing this VA service right now (not sponsored!)

8. Avoiding task switching - kills momentum

9. I don’t read the news - this might be controversial, but besides tech/work-related news, I don’t spend a lot of time reading the news because it’s a doom loop

10. Actually getting 8 hours of sleep - groundbreaking, I know

11. Put my phone on greyscale - my new experiment to reduce dopamine addiction

12. Ask my network - I lean on friends/acquaintances when I’m stuck or unsure where to start

13. Taking one weekend morning to fully rot

14. Get all my groceries delivered to save time and decision fatigue

15. Try to understand WHY I procrastinate

16. List and prioritize my tasks in Todoist

17. Be around people - going to a coffee shop, coworking space, or an office

18. Pay for accountability - sign up for a class, pay for a program, etc.

19. No long morning routine - just gym first thing so I don’t overthink

20. Literally touch grass - getting outside is the best reset (doing that this weekend!)

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Generalist Jobs I'd Apply to This Week

Curated US roles (mostly) for generalists and career pivoters with ~2+ years of experience.

Typically includes: Strategy & Ops / BizOps / GM, Chief of Staff, GTM, Program/Project Manager, Product & Product Marketing, etc.

• Strategic Development Representative – Posh (Event Tech, Series A, NYC)

• Chief of Staff to CFO – Faire (Marketplace, Series D, SF)

• Notion Consultants Lead – Notion (Productivity Software, Series C, SF/NYC)

• Customer Success Lead – Tapstitch (E-commerce, Series A, NYC)

• Chief of Staff – Bonterra (Nonprofit Tech, Private, Remote)

• AI Engagement Manager - EliseAI (Proptech, Series D, NYC)

• Strategy & Ops Associate - Whatnot (E-Commerce, Series E, NYC/SF/LA)

• GTM Lead - Operator (AI, Early Stage, SF)

• Manager, Strategic Partner Initiatives – Meta (Social Media, Public, NYC)

• Integrated Marketing Manager – TikTok (Social Media, NYC)

• Strategic Partner Development Manager – Google (NYC)

• Marketing Analytics Manager – Dataminr (AI, Series D+, NYC)

• Competitive Intelligence & Strategy – Plaid (Fintech, Series D+, SF)

• Strategy Associate – StubHub (Marketplace, Private, NYC)

• Strategy & Operations – Arketa (Wellness Tech, Seed, NYC)

• Business Operations & Strategy Associate / Senior Associate – Coinbase (Crypto, Public, Remote)

• Senior Manager, Marketplace Business Operations & Analytics – Peerspace (Marketplace, Series C, Remote)

• GTM Strategy & Operations – ElevenLabs (AI, Series C, NYC)

This is NOT meant to be "every tech generalist job under the sun", just roles on my radar that I want to share with you!

In case you missed it…

• How to pay less taxes (slides from the webinar I co-hosted with Carry)

• Why I don’t regret working in investment banking

• How to break into program management (with Jean Kang)

• Networking opportunity in tech/startups in June in NYC

If you find this newsletter helpful, share it with a fellow nonlinear techie!