Working Girl's Guide #15: Olympics, Nvidia, better task lists

Olympic product placement, intentional to-do lists, and my favorite book this summer. Happy August, team.

Let’s get into it.

Ads at the Olympics

Does it seem like there are more product placements in this year’s Olympics compared to past years? The opening ceremony was kind of a giant ad for Louis Vuitton, and Samsung finagled their way onto the podium: no phones allowed, unless it’s the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition smartphone, which is the official selfie phone of the Olympic Games. Of note: North and South Korean table tennis teams took a selfie together with the sanctioned flip phone, which is a big deal given that the two countries are technically still at war with one another.

Speaking of the Olympics and Brands…

…most Olympians aren’t making a cent from brand deals, and 58% of elite athletes surveyed in 2020 said they wouldn’t consider themselves financially stable. From working full-time corporate jobs, to taking part-time hourly work as daycare supervisors and mailroom workers, to posting content on OnlyFans, the majority of Olympians are financing their dreams by whatever means necessary.

Tough Day for Nvidia

Put a finger down if you’ve been subjected to multiple ice breakers about Nvidia and haven’t really known what it is but kind of nodded along and murmured something about AI. Just me??? Well we can all be the first to bring their newest news to the Zoom room: Nvidia’s upcoming Blackwell chip had some defects, which caused a delay, which led to a 6.5% dive in their stock on Monday. Nvidia has a 90% share of the AI chip market, though, so tbh I think they’ll be ok!

This weekend, I went to a wedding in 88 degree Cape Cod and matched my dress to my frose, and I am tbh still unsure if this frose actually had alcohol in it or not. Is my makeup running down my face in this picture? Yup! Do I love the thrill of drinking from a straw when I’m not in California? Also yup!

Before I sweat through this entire dress (no fault of the dress I swear), here’s what it looked like. This color? Are you FR?? It’s called “Hot Cheeky Red” (although it’s more of an orange in person) and I certainly felt like all three of those things when I wore it this past weekend! It also comes in white (hi brides) and black (hi New Yorkers).

Here’s a super simple one that I’m only just starting to get good at. I’m a big believer in daily task lists, but I used to jot down tasks basically in whatever words came to me first. BUT, that meant I was sometimes prioritizing the wrong part of the task, either by being too vague or too specific. For example, I would write “run 3 miles” on my list, then I would really not feel like running that day, and I’d spend the whole day in my running clothes avoiding going out for a run, because I was really feeling a walk or a weights sesh instead. Blah. So I started being more intentional: instead of “run 3 miles,” I’ll write down the outcome I want: “ get in 30 minutes of movement.” Instead of “write my newsletter,” which can feel daunting, I’ll break it down: on Monday evening, I’ll just have “read news articles for newsletter inspo” on my task list. Basically, when you’re planning everything you need to do, imagine you’re writing a list for your new intern. You want to give that fresh, youthful soul plenty of clear directives, but you also don’t want to be overly prescriptive. Help future you stay motivated and avoid decision fatigue with more intentional task lists.

Today we’re talking sales: in work, in life, and in my head (yeah I don’t think I fully know what a career in sales entails, but I definitely have learned a lot about selling during my own startup journey!). We’re sharing an unhinged recording of a cold call (seriously it’s so bad) and an exclusive sample of my shower singing (it’s worse!). Listen here.

Thanks for reading!