Wednesday: Learning to work smarter, not harder. Also: Sourcing RDs, tea experts, chefs re: commentary for current pending assignments

Also: Lots of newly published content. Scroll down to see if your client was included in any of my recent stories.

Good morning!

Thanks so much to everyone who has reached out the last few days. It’s been a rough stretch but the outreach (and knowing that people do care) has been so appreciated and made me feel so loved.

I’m very grateful for each and every one of you, and am setting the intention to make today a good day.

But aside from making today a great day: Lets try to channel all the good energy out there and ourselves be a vehicle for positivity - and our own success…whenever we can be.

Lets start that by making the most of our time and working smarter, not harder.

1. Re-evaluate your projects and commitments

I think when we have those pivotal life moments, it’s a great time to reassess a lot about our lives, from relationships to various commitments.

This could be time commitments, what we are spending our energy and time on, who we are spending our energy and time on. But it's also a great time to reassess our projects and the tasks they involve.

My friends and I have discussed this often, taking stock of what is and what isn't working, and it's something I think all of us should try to do. 

Whether you are reading this newsletter right now as a member of the media, a publicist, or the owner of a small business (or a little from column a, b, and c!), you'll discover that if you take the time to take inventory of your tasks, responsibilities, and obligations some will be helping you move TOWARD your goals, and some will be holding you BACK from your goals. This will help you decide which tasks to concentrate your energies on, and which to scale back on.

2. About boundaries...

It's OK to acknowledge your own limits and be clear about them.

For every person what that entails may appear a little different, but by being open and honest about them, it helps to manage expectations and keep everyone on the same page.

For example: I'm always very clear that I seldom am able to do daytime events because of all the same-day stories I do. But this also works as far as clients and projects. Don't even try to be everything to everyone all the time (this is something I’ve struggled with A LOT over the years, personally.)

More isn't always better. That’s even true with cheese. It's much more beneficial to everyone if you focus on your strengths and goals and priorities and that way you'll be making progress moving toward where you want to be.

3. Don't leave loose ends

Sometimes the best way to conquer new projects is to finish off all those final tasks related to the ones we were already working on. 

Our energy just gets depleted if we're trying to keep our hands in too many places at once. But if we close those loops, and tie up those loose ends, then all our energy can be focused on moving forward.

4. Disable your smartphone notifications.

I'm not saying to delete your social media accounts (but I do think you should try to avoid them during the workday).

But delete those nonstop popup notifications. All the buzzing and beeping and ringing and dinging is endlessly distracting and you'll get a lot more work done and have a lot more focus if you aren't dealing with hearing and seeing those alerts all day when you have things you need to be doing. It's about avoiding distractions but also staying in that groove. Trust me, try it. You'll thank me.

5. Wake up a half hour earlier

Whatever time you wake up normally -- be it 8 am, 7 am, 6 am, try to wake up a half hour earlier. Make that half hour a gift of quiet time to yourself to enjoy your morning coffee, read the morning's headlines, go for a walk, or go over your calendar or day's agenda and get yourself centered. That half hour will help you start the day from a place of a lot more focus.

6. Track your accomplishments

I'l let you in on a little secret: I have struggled with self esteem issues my entire life and I suffer from major imposter syndrome.

No one could ever make me feel bad about myself as well as I make myself feel bad about myself. Every single day.

BUT: I finally discovered taking the time to recognize and take stock in my accomplishments has made me feel confident enough to reach for bigger goals. Whether this is journaling or vision boarding or just making a list in your notes app, taking note of your accomplishments -- literally writing them out and acknowledging them -- is the best way to move toward your next goal.

 7. Do one thing at a time

Yes, even if you have 6 things due that day. You will get a lot more done and make a lot more progress toward your goals if you start something, give it all your focus, and then move onto the next thing.

Even if it feels to you like having three things you are working on at the same time makes you more efficient, it actually makes all the things take longer and makes you have less focus on each one. And, splitting our brains between various tasks at the same time is a great way to miss things, make mistakes, and have things fall through the cracks.

Do you have any productivity tips that work for you? I’d love if you could share them with our community!

Newly published or freshly updated

Since people are often asking about the status of stories from a while ago, and I only share stories in this newsletter that were published or updated in the current week, I have created a list of my author pages at various publications to which I contribute. Bookmark it and make your life a bit easier.

This list will live on my Substack URL and be updated as necessary. That way, you can see what I’m doing at any publication, at any time, from types of stories to general structure of stories to even volume and frequency of my content at that outlet.

This can also help you to target pitching a bit better. That makes your job easier, and mine too!

• Apartment Therapy: We Asked 5 Pro Travelers How They Keep Their Luggage Clean, and Here’s What They Said

• RetailMeNot: 50+ Government Employee Discounts Worth Knowing in 2024

• Clean Plates: 20 Quick and Healthy Air Fryer Snacks You Can Make in a Snap

• Southern Living: Can You Eat Sprouted Potatoes? An Expert Explains

• YourTango: 10 Most Unique Wedding Locations Around The World

• Food Network: The Rumors Are True: Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s Are (Sort Of) Making a Comeback

• Yahoo: Get a handle on your sleep health with the best sleep trackers for 2024, tested and reviewed

• Forbes: 30 Dishes And Cocktails To Enjoy On National Lobster Day

• Forbes: TikTok Sensation Cucumber Bowls Are Now Available In Real Life

• Saatva: How to Improve Sleep Hygiene: 12 Best Sleep Hygiene Tips.

• Apartment Therapy: I Sent a Pro Organizer Photos of My Tangled Mess of Cord Clutter — Here’s How She Fixed It

• Travel & Leisure: This Flight Attendant-approved Jumpsuit Is My Go-to Comfy Airplane Outfit — and It’s Only $27 Right Now

• Today.com: 11 healthiest fast food breakfasts, according to dietitians

• Apartment Therapy: The One Thing You Always Travel with That’s Actually Disgusting (And How to Keep It Clean)

• Travel & Leisure: I Tried Amazon’s ‘Magical’ Sleep Mask on a Long-haul Flight — and Now It’s the Most Important Item in My Bag.

• Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Frequently, and This $18 Gadget Makes Me Feel Safer in Hotel Rooms

• Today.com: The best drugstore eye creams to tackle wrinkles, dark circles and dryness, according to experts

• Apartment Therapy: I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Messy Kitchen Junk Drawer — Here’s How She Fixed It

• Yahoo Life: The best cooling fans of 2024, tested and reviewed

• Travel & Leisure: These Arch Support Sandals Are the Only Shoes I Wear in the Summer — and They’re Only $47

• Apartment Therapy: I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Cluttered Medicine Cabinet, and Here’s How She Fixed It

• Travel & Leisure: You Don't Want to Step Foot in a Waterpark Without These 18 Essentials From Just $9

If you or your client are featured in any of these stories, I super appreciate any social media shares! Please remember to tag @alywalansky and the outlet.

Here’s what I’m working on:

Be sure to read the below list carefully. Many are stories I posted about yesterday, but some of yesterday's stories are no longer listed and a few new ones have been added since yesterday. This (below) is everything that is still a currently open opportunity as of today.

Please remember when pitching me: Email me at alywalansky@gmail.com - do NOT just hit reply on this newsletter, or there’s a good shot your email will be lost in the heap. Give your email a subject line that makes it clear which story you are pitching me for — it’ll help you in the long run.

Please consult my industry insights guides on submitting expert commentary, sending emails that will catch a journalist’s attention, how to craft pitches journalists will say ‘yes’ to, and the right and wrong way to submit photos, if you need any extra guidance before sending your pitches.

Yahoo

I’m working on a roundup of the best black teas of 2024 - for this story, I’m going to test a variety of black teas to find the best in different categories. I’m looking to interview 2-3 RDs to discuss the health benefits of black tea and the reasons someone might want to incorporate it into their daily lifestyle; I also also want to interview a tea expert to discuss the best ways to make black tea, the advantages/disadvantages of bags vs. loose leaf, why prices vary so widely, how to identify a good brand, etc. Note: I cannot include expert quotes from individuals working for the companies of the products/services I’m considering including in this list — the experts I include will be unbiased/not affiliated with a particular product or brand. (Which, btw, is always the case, and yet seems to surprise people!)

Apartment Therapy

I Asked a Chef How to Best Organize My Fridge, and Here's What They Recommended - I would love to email with a chef and ask how to best organize my fridge (like a chef does and store food better/smarter to last). I’ll send a before photo/video so you have an idea of what I’m working with!

Forbes

National Vodka Day is coming up! As a vodka martini girl…ya know I’m celebrating. I did a roundup of great vodka cocktails last year for Forbes and now I’m doing another one — when pitching, please avoid sending me a cocktail that appeared in last year’s roundup - I want to keep this one fresh and new. Please send me the name of the cocktail, where it’s on the menu, a description, bartender’s quote about it and an image with photo credits — would love to receive by early next week!

You may have recently seen my pieces about celebrity chef airline menu partnerships and everything from high tea to caviar service inflight. To that end, I’m also researching for a Fine Dining At 30,000 Feet roundup with the most luxurious dining options on different airlines. Please email me if you represent an airline and have something that may be a fit!

Plate Magazine

I’m putting out bites/drinks of the week feelers, which is sort of a drink/dish spotlight piece. (Some examples are this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato in Savannah and a molecular banana daiquiri in Chicago.) Basically if you are pitching me something for this, think along the lines of: Is this dish/bite something new? What interesting techniques are used to make it come together? If the technique is simple, what’s the hook? An interesting ingredient? Something being made in house or in an interesting way? What’s the story behind the dish? What inspired it? Is there a cultural/family story behind the dish? An ingredient the chef got their hands on? Love to hear what you might have for me!

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<3

aly