The Edition: No. 199
Nov 24, 2020
Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. // Maya Angelou
+ Want to be a good mentor? Start here.
+ Abercrombie restocked their must-have sherpa vest (and it’s on sale).
+ Mental survival tools for a winter in isolation.
+ J.Crew has a big sale going (50-60% off). I grabbed this necklace.
+ This podcast explains why group meetings need an agenda.
+ A neck smoothing mask from Wrinkles Schminkles gives your skin a lift.
+ When ordinary people go viral, where’s the line between comedy and cruelty?
+ This Ann Taylor work dress is a steal. Grab your new suits at 50%-off.
+ When to take a pay cut in order to move forward in your career.
+ Stocking up on my favorite tights for winter. Brrr.
+ Four small things that say a lot about who you are.
Just wanted to give an update on Gift Guides.
The truth is, I’m not really feeling the same enthusiasm for gifts this year as I have in the past. A lot of bloggers are posting daily gift guides for everyone imaginable, and it’s just leaving a bad taste in my mouth. So I’ve decided to drastically pare back this year’s guides.
Tomorrow, I will post Kyle’s yearly gift guide for men. On Monday, I will post the gifts that caught my eye for women. And then next Wednesday, I’ll post some inexpensive stocking stuffers.
Beyond that, I’m going to sprinkle a few short gift guides in the #BreakThings newsletter. Co-worker Secret Santa gifts, consumable gifts, etc. to respond to specific requests that I’ve received. So if you want to subscribe to the newsletter of follow #BreakThings on Instagram, you can find the shorter guides there.
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I think fewer, better gift guides are great. It’s more and more obvious when bloggers are throwing any gift spaghetti at the wall in hopes of a click that will stick – and it’s especially gross when theyre really full of Mark&Graham and J Crew, as we know those have the highest commission value- it makes me feel like I can’t trust the source.
I love your gift guides every year, and I like the Cup of Jo ones- both seem much more thoughtful than your average collage of swipe ups.
On a related note to KK’s comment… Has anyone ever had a Mark&Graham order arrive on time? Last time I ordered from them, the item arrived 3 months later than they initially said it would.
I have to say – as a person who is constantly late and HATES it – the solution suggested in “four small things” of just planning to be 15 minutes early is not one that has ever helped the chronically late. I’m not denying that being late is rude (although punctual people treat it as an act of aggression in a way that I just don’t agree with), I’m just saying that it’s not easy like that.
A motivational article though!
There’s probably a really good psychological reason why this works for me, but I’m not about to go rummaging around in my subconscious this year:
I set my watch and ALL clocks I can see five minutes early — we’re talking car, oven, microwave, thermostat, grandfather clock. If it keeps time, it operates on *my* schedule. I haven’t been late once since I started doing this. I share your complicated feelings about punctuality, but I think this works for me because it allows my mental need to be “late” to be satisfied, without the drawback of actually keeping others waiting.
Needless to say, this quirk drives my husband nuts!
Abra, I have been wanting to tell you for several weeks how much I am looking forward to Kyle’s gift guide. It was helpful last year for my husband and super picky step-son who loves to golf.
Also, I appreciate that you aren’t posting gift guides every day with the same overshared blogger favorites, such as certain pastel colored cookware that goes without naming.
My biggest frustration with blogger gift guides is that they are usually a list of things the blogger recently purchased, wore, have in their home, etc. I am not looking to buy for thirty something women with similar taste as my own. I already know what I like, I need help with the other people in my life who aren’t in the same demographic as me. My Christmas shopping list includes my above mentioned picky step-son, my toddler, my eighty year old grandparents, my mother who is recovering from major surgery, my brother who is going to start building a house soon, etc. Most of the items bloggers post don’t help me buy for the people on my list, and I suspect the people most of your readers are buying for. Kyle’s gift guide was a refreshing change because it was from his perspective, not yours (no offense). Thank you for being sensitive to this crazy time and not fishing for more swipe ups than necessary. Your blog is a breath of fresh air. Thank you. I hope you and your family have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Belle, have you tried the neck smoothing mask?