Weekender #174

🍕 Stop stress eating in its tracks with these expert tips.

🖤 Discover 25 meaningful activities to celebrate Black History Month.

📋 Learn how to create an ADHD-friendly to-do list that maximizes focus and productivity.

🔥 Dive into why burnout is a cultural issue, not a personal one, in this eye-opening insight article.

Ever since high school, I was the planner in my friend group—the one making the reservations, organizing the birthday dinners, and sending the “So…when are we free?” texts. And, honestly? I still am. With the same group of friends. Two decades later.

I like to think that my efforts are a big reason why we’ve all stayed close. But now that I’m in my late 30s (wait—does 35 going on 36 count as late? Please still be mid 🫠), I’ve definitely noticed the enthusiasm for planning has faded. Life is just…a lot. People have kids, demanding jobs, and a lot less energy than our “9 p.m. is early” days. Our priorities have shifted. We’ve traded long party nights for daytime buzzes at brunch.

I’ve also noticed that my needs in friendships have changed. I’ve swapped FOMO for JOMO and no longer feel the pressure to keep everyone happy. Instead, I focus on friendships that feel mutual—ones that don’t drain me or feel one-sided. (A mindset shift that took way too long to embrace, btw.)

So, how do you actually maintain friendships as an adult—without it feeling like another to-do list item?

1️⃣ Make It Easy to Stay in Touch

Not every friendship requires hours-long catch-ups. A quick meme or even a “thinking of you” text keeps the connection alive. Lately, I’ve been loving voice notes—you get the full context of someone’s mood and can listen on your own time.

2️⃣ Be the Initiator (But Don’t Keep Score)

Some people just aren’t planners, and that’s okay. If you value the friendship, reach out first. But if you’re always the one making the effort with little in return, it might be time to re-evaluate. I’ve run into this a lot—sometimes, a simple convo can help. Your friends should know your needs too, not just your family or significant other.

3️⃣ Schedule “Lazy” Friend Dates

Not every hangout needs to be a big event. Running errands together, FaceTiming a show, or even virtual co-working still counts as quality time. My go-to? Weekly horror movie nights with my two best friends and husband—snacks, terrible horror films, zero pressure.
When I visited a friend in Cleveland who just had a baby, she was exhausted and barely had time to herself. Instead of a sit-down catch-up, I joined her Costco run. We shopped, we chatted, and honestly? We had a great time.

4️⃣ Create Low-Lift Traditions

Standing plans—like a monthly dinner, quarterly trip, or Sunday coffee walks—take the guesswork out of scheduling and keep friendships running on autopilot. Last year, my friends and I made a “group” New Year’s resolution: each month, someone would host dinner or plan an activity. We didn’t hit every month, but we got close. It set the expectation that we wouldn’t go months without seeing each other—and made it a fun challenge to keep up.

Outside of my close friend circle, I also have three monthly virtual catch-ups with people I’ve networked with over the past year. I treat them like any other meeting—adding a recurring slot to my calendar and only canceling if I really have to (not just because I don’t feel like it). You’d be surprised how much this small habit keeps connections alive.

5️⃣ Accept That Some Friendships Will Fade—And That’s Okay

One of my toughest friendship breakups was with my best friend from high school—the one who basically lived at my house, was close with my family, and my go-to for sweatpants-and-reality-TV nights. Then, in 2018, she left the country without warning and cut off all contact. No explanation, no goodbye. I wrestled with it for a long time, even bringing it up to my therapist.

Her advice? You can’t control other people’s choices—only how you respond. The best thing I could do was let go and focus on the friendships that were still showing up. Not all friendships are meant to last forever, and that’s okay. Some will naturally fade, others you may need to actively let go of. The key is knowing when to hold on—and when to move on.

At the end of the day, maintaining friendships isn’t about effort, it’s about alignment. Prioritize the people who make your life better—not busier.

Joanna (TA Co-Founder)

Your to-do list is a black hole. Your inbox is a battlefield. And somehow, even after a full day of work, you still feel like you got nothing done.

The problem? Disorganization is silently sabotaging your productivity.

How to Get Your Life (and Work) Together

• 🔗 One Hub for Everything – If your tasks live in 10 different places, you need Wrike—a centralized system for projects, progress tracking, and collaboration.
• 📊 Organize Projects Like a Boss – Messy spreadsheets aren’t project management. Smartsheet gives you spreadsheet-style organization with automation and collaboration tools, so your team actually moves forward.
• 📝 Write It Down, or It’s Gone – If you rely on memory, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Use Notion to keep everything—notes, tasks, projects—in one flexible, searchable space.
• 🗓 Overbooked and Overwhelmed? Resource Guru helps you balance workloads and schedule smarter—so no one burns out.
• 💰 Payments Always Delayed? Bill.com automates invoices, approvals, and cash flow—so you never chase payments again.

Disorganization keeps you busy, not productive. These tools make clarity, efficiency, and execution effortless—so you get more done, with less stress.

📚 Read: See Me by Nicholas Sparks

Romance, suspense, and past secrets colliding—See Me is classic Nicholas Sparks with an edge. Two people with complicated histories fall for each other, but their love story takes a dark turn when the past won’t stay buried.

📺 Watch: TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé: Last Resort

Couples from 90 Day Fiancé attempt therapy to salvage their relationships—some succeed, some spiral, all of it is wildly entertaining. Expect a mix of heartfelt breakthroughs, messy drama, and expert-level gaslighting. Equal parts relationship deep-dive and reality TV chaos.

🎧 Listen: Coding Playlist

Recommended by a member of our The A-List Alliance Slack community, this playlist is ideal for deep focus sessions—like for coding, or other heavy brain tasks. With a seamless mix of beats that keep you in the zone, it’s a go-to for productivity without distractions.

Get Paid $100 to Check Out This HR Game-Changer

Bongo is a 2-year-old rescued Shih Tzu mix who loves his food-themed toys (sashimi and pea pod are two faves), guarding his backyard against all squirrel and bird invaders, greeting the mail carrier and making new friends. He’s working on his social skills and supports his human by being a great officemate.

Pssst…Did you know 1 in 3 pets need emergency vet care every year 🐶🐱? Spot Pet Insurance helps pet parents get up to 90% cash back on covered vet bills—so you can focus on cuddles, not costly vet visits.

Plus, unlock up to $1,000 in savings on pet faves like The Farmer’s Dog, Furbo, and BarkBox!

Learn more & snag up to 20% off your Spot policy.

🐾 Got a cute fur baby? Submit them to be our pet of the week in an upcoming issue.

Have more feedback? 💌 Reply to this email and tell us.

🚨 Open Jobs: Visit our job board here.

✨ P.S. Want more inspiration and positivity to kick off your week? Sign up for our Motivational Monday texts (U.S. only).

👀 Want to see if your company is a good fit for our 100k+ ambitious readers? Join our Sponsor Waitlist here.