Be in The Know
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Twitter now requires an account to view tweets
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The FTC wants to put a ban on fake reviews
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YouTube stops playing videos for people with ad blockers in new trial
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Biden announces $42 billion high-speed internet initiative
How to take Better Breaks (and actually take them)
How many breaks do you take throughout your workday? We’re not talking about those 5-minute bathroom breaks where you catch up on a few Instagram stories or open up your email to read yours truly (we appreciate you, but please wash your hands on the way out 😉)
No, we’re talking about a little Y-O-U time – free from any screens and without any interaction with whatever work you’re momentarily stepping away from. That’s the sweet stuff, and This Too Shall Grow makes a compelling case as to why you need real breaks and how to properly take them.
Back-to-Back & Back Again
We understand that sometimes Zoom marathons wiggle their way onto your calendar leaving you no time in between meetings. According to research from the Microsoft Human Factors Lab, these breakless meeting sessions create a perfect snowball effect of stress. However, when test subjects took 10-minute meditation breaks between Zoom meetings, their brains had a chance to reset and there was no compounding stress.
So how do we ensure we take proper breaks?
This depends on you, but the better you know your own habits, the better you can devise a plan that works for you. Here are just a few ideas:
- The Pomodoro technique: Determine a length of time after which you will take a short break. For example, you can do 50 minutes of work and take a 10-minute break to get some fresh air and stretch your legs.
- Practice meta-awareness: Mindfulness does wonders. Digging into your current mental state to determine what your mind needs may be your key to knowing when to give yourself a break – no clocks needed.
- Commit and block time: Respect your calendar. Just as you would commit to a team meeting you were added to, commit to a 5-minute recharge you allocate for yourself.
The important thing is to take the time to break away from the task at hand and really leave it all behind you – even just for a few minutes. There’s plenty more to uncover from This Too Shall Grow, so be sure to check it out. (And if you’re still in the bathroom on your break, again, please wash your hands. Thx.)
Q for You
ClipBase
You know those cut-and-pasted ransom notes you see in the movies? Well, along with whatever message they literally convey, they always seem to spell, “I have way too much time on my hands.” When it comes to creating video content, it can be a real effort to hunt down, then cut-and-paste all the right clips you need to spread your message.
ClipBase is the solution for you when it comes to finding short video clips relevant to your message. Of course, “relevant” isn’t always an easy target, but this tool is hyper-relevant to whatever word or phrase you type in. See what sorts of clips you can find with whatever word or phrase is on your mind right now.
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Virgin Voyages: Jen AI
Jennifer Lopez has held the public’s attention for the entirety of this millennium to date. She’s a masterclass in personal branding, and she’s not slowing down. Now she’s partnered with Virgin Voyages and is hopping on the latest trends involving AI deepfakes in this latest spot. If you’ve ever wanted to be Jennifer Lopez, then you’re in luck.
