Monday: Aly's top productivity tips for starting the new year off on the right foot.

Also: Want to see your questions answered in a future email? Please send them now!

Good morning!

We did it, friends! We made it to the first weekend of the new year…one week down…only 51 to go.

I know I sent out an email earlier with all the deets on the big upcoming webinar, but this is your traditional Monday email, so sit back, pour some coffee, and enjoy…

I have some new assignments I’m working on for a handful of outlets — and you can find them by scrolling ahead if you don’t have time (or inclination!) to read all this now.

But as we’re still in new year mode, I wanted to take some time to share some tips for making the most of our productivity time in the new year.

How do you start the new year off on the right foot?

Well, lift your left leg shortly before midnight...

(I can't take credit for that one, it's from a meme I saw on Instagram recently…)

I want to be honest with all of you. One of my goals here in this Substack is to create a sense of community and good will, and be as helpful as I can at all times.

I’m not just here for me, but for all of you — so if there’s ever anything you need from this space, please don’t be shy about sharing.

There’s WAY too much negative energy out there, people who prop themselves up by putting others down. Lets be a vehicle for the positivity - and our own success in the new year.

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

1. Re-evaluate your projects and commitments

I think new years is the time we 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 as we start a new year.  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 in the coming year, 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

I dealt with this a lot over the holiday break, but it's something that is still top of mind going into a fresh year.

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.

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 in the chat!

Some news!

Every year, Muck Rack releases an annual list of the 10 most-viewed journalists of the year.

I’m so excited to share for the fourth year in a row, I made the list!

(Last year, I actually also topped their list of most popular food writers online, so I hope that happens again this year as well…crossing fingers!).

Thanks so, so much. In a world where being a freelancer can often be isolating and demoralizing, being recognized means all the world to me.

Send me your questions!

I want to take some time in the coming weeks to answer some of your questions right in my daily newsletter — this can be anything related to pitching, followups, events, mailers, trips….you name it. I’ll share the answers to your questions in a future Industry Insights edition (so while ANYONE can send a question…you’ll need to upgrade your subscription to read the answers…)

Looking to up your affiliate marketing game?

Affiliate marketing is complicated, and it seems that the landscape keeps changing. If you are looking to be prepared for gift guide season and all other shopping-related content, you may want to try the Ultimate Masterclass and Introduction to Affiliate Marketing for Publicists. It's a brilliant course and it'll answer all your questions (including some you didn't know you had!)

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!

• Newsweek Readers Choice: Best Apres Ski Spots, Best Casinos with Live Music (outside Vegas), Best U.S. Wellness Resort, Best Packing Cube, Best Vodka, Best Gourmet Subscription Box, Best Mattress, and Best Outdoor Grill - more categories coming very soon!

• Travel & Leisure: A Travel Writer's $10 Amazon Packing Hack for Shoes

• Forbes.com: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa Brings Gold Standard Sushi To This Year’s Golden Globe Awards

• Forbes.com: 8 Hot Toddy Variations To Try Just In Time For The Winter Chill

• Food Network: Starbucks Finally Adds Cortados to Its Menu

• Southern Living: Can You Eat Wilted Cilantro?

• Today.com: Do drugstore wrinkle creams really work? Experts weigh in

• Martha Stewart: 18 Coffee Table Décor Ideas That Blend Form and Function.

• Travel & Leisure: I Travel Solo Often, and I Won’t Stay in Another Airbnb Without Packing This 1 Safety Device

• Saatva: 5 Ways to Deal With Sleep Deprivation

• The Spruce: How to Add Storage to Your Kitchen Walls and Make the Most of the Vertical Space

• Southern Living: The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders

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.

Southern Living

Working on a story on How Playing "Check-in Chicken" Is A Hack To Get The Best Seats On Flights - would love travel experts and pro travelers to answer a few questions over email!

Forbes

Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it, and I’m looking for romantic cocktails available at bars and restaurants.

Also, I’ve done a lot of caviar dish roundups before, but now I’m working on one that is specifically caviar-centric cocktails…have any, email me!

For either of these, I want to see the following in pitches: The name of the cocktail, where it’s available, description (not a recipe), a quote about the cocktail and an image (linked via dropbox, not attached please) with appropriate photo credit. Please don’t pitch until or unless you have all that available. thanks!

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!

I’m also taking style-related pitches, obviously with the audience in mind: such as the the stories behind chefs who take their style seriously, but also various cooking styles, and how does style play a role, how does plating style affect how a dish tastes and sells? What does it mean to go from one cooking style to another in the course of a career, or operate restaurants that showcase various cooking styles?

Also taking After Dark-related pitches, as in everything that happens after dark—from late-night industry happy hours to night markets, such as the labor and techniques that take place in the kitchen (or parking lot) overnight—from BBQ to sous vide cooking and baking. I’m also looking for noteworthy bartenders to profile.

<3

aly