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HR is lonely. But it doesn’t have to be.
The best HR advice comes from those in the trenches. That’s what this is: real-world HR insights delivered in a newsletter from Hebba Youssef, a Chief People Officer who’s been there. Practical, real strategies with a dash of humor. Because HR shouldn’t be thankless—and you shouldn’t be alone in it.
Now, let’s jump into today’s newsletter!
Welcome to your daily advice of workplace wisdom that's easier to digest than your morning coffee and twice as effective at preventing Monday morning meltdowns. We're serving up three bite-sized productivity boosters that'll have you crushing it before your first Zoom call goes sideways.
Time-Saver of the Week: The "Batch & Dash" Email Method
Stop treating your inbox like a slot machine that you check every 47 seconds. Here's your new email strategy that'll save you approximately 1.2 hours per day (yes, we did the math, and yes, you can use that time for an extra coffee break):
• Set three specific email times: 9 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM - that's it, no exceptions, not even for that "urgent" message about the office microwave policy
• Use the 2-minute rule: If it takes less than 2 minutes to respond, do it immediately; if it takes longer, schedule it for later (or delegate it to someone who enjoys writing novels in email form)
• Template your common responses: Create shortcuts for "Thanks for following up," "Let me circle back on this," and "Per my last email" (because apparently people need things repeated in bold)
• Turn off notifications: Your phone doesn't need to buzz every time Karen from accounting sends another cat meme to the all-company list
Work Habit Tweak: The "Meeting Prep Minute"
Transform from that person who shows up to meetings asking "Wait, what are we talking about?" to someone who actually contributes meaningful insights (revolutionary concept, we know):
• Read the agenda 60 seconds before joining: Just one minute of prep time can prevent 30 minutes of confused nodding
• Write down one question or comment: Even if it's just "How does this impact our Q3 goals?" - boom, you're now a strategic thinker
• Close unnecessary tabs: Your brain can't multitask between budget reviews and online shopping for office plants (trust us, the snake plant can wait)
• Have your mute button ready: Because nobody needs to hear you crunching through that emergency granola bar
Tool Worth Trying: Todoist's Natural Language Processing
Finally, a to-do app that understands human speak instead of requiring you to learn robot language. This isn't your basic task manager - it's like having a personal assistant who actually gets what you mean:
• Type naturally: "Call mom tomorrow at 2 PM" automatically creates a task for Tuesday at 2:00 PM (no coding degree required)
• Smart project organization: It learns your patterns and suggests which project your tasks belong to (mind-reading technology is here, folks)
• Karma system: Gamifies productivity because apparently, we all need points to feel accomplished about doing basic adult tasks
• Cross-platform sync: Access your tasks everywhere, so you can procrastinate consistently across all devices
Ready to hack your Monday? Pick one of these tips and actually implement it today. Your future self will thank you, and your coworkers might even stop avoiding you in the break room. Remember: small changes, big wins, and always keep your coffee cup full.
Now, have a great day and see you all tomorrow!
The Casual Workweek Newsletter