Destination 2: Pride and Productivity
Free Job Listings, tools, resources, and workshops. Rethinking productivity. Welcoming Pride Month 2021.
Hello,
Welcome to the second destination of Culture Capital. If you haven’t received the first newsletter in your inbox, head to this link to read it.
I am hoping you find this edition producti-witty! (I’m sorry I really, really had to.)
Two weeks ago, I did a Q&A on my Instagram where I answered questions about creating a portfolio, internships, and freelancing. For a whole week after that, many reached out for Resume and Portfolio reviews and also asked me if I could share relevant job/internship opportunities with them. So, I have created a Telegram Group - Paid Gigs - where I share paid internship opportunities as well as jobs that float around in my network or are publicly listed. Looking for opportunities?
I know how exhausting looking for opportunities is but I believe if we can make it even a tad bit easier for each other, we should do it! Abundance mindset goes a long, long way in such difficult and exhausting times. These days I feel like I’m tired of everything so quickly. A lot of my energy goes towards being worried about the safety of my loved ones, the fear of the virus, and playing fastest finger first for the vaccine every day. In such uncertainties, scheduling tasks has been a helpful practice. I only schedule 3 major tasks per day – be it client deliverables, taking up an online course, or writing this newsletter. I feel fairly in control of my time by keeping the overwhelming doom of unfinished tasks written and scheduled for later!
I am a productivity nerd. I fought the urge to say I used to be one but honestly, I still get excited by the prospect of “being productive”. I go all out. One planner, two notebooks, spare paper for to-do lists, post-it notes, three pens - one for headlines, one for body text, one to underline/highlight. How analog, right? Well, I also sync that with the native calendar on my laptop and Todoist (my favorite to-do list + task management app) where I schedule and arrange tasks according to projects to get timely reminders. However, it took me a while to understand the difference between being excited for being productive and actually being productive :)))))
All that I just described above are also tasks. Would you call that productive? How does one then define work and let that definition lend itself to productivity? We spoke about the POMODORO method of time and task management in the previous newsletter where I shared my two cents on how we can customize task management methods in a way that suits our needs. What if we do the same with productivity?
We are bombarded with productivity methods and techniques all the time. Wake up at 5 AM to work when it is quiet outside, do the most important task in the day as the first thing, do the most difficult one first, schedule simpler tasks or clear inboxes when you take a break, if a task will take 15 minutes to complete then don’t procrastinate, etc. As much as everyone saying this in every Instagram reel looks happy, I would rather be task-less than wake up to work at 5 AM. But what if you really are a fan of the 5 AM quiet? Then simply do it!!! I repeat myself when I say this that try and test methods before you completely adopt them or reject them. Modify them! Here are my two cents:
Two Cents
Automate: Use technology in a way that makes work easier for you. If you spend a lot of time sending emails during work hours – start scheduling emails. Gmail allows you to do so (drop-down next to the send button that reads schedule send). Write them whenever you want, schedule them during work hours. If you are spending a lot of time creating Social Media posts on a daily and are spot jogging for content – Create content in batches and Use Facebook Creator Studio to schedule said content on Instagram and Facebook, use Later for LinkedIn. There are so many free tools you can use to save time (will keep sharing them for sure!). Use that time for yourself. Unwind and breathe while “productivity” takes its course!
Reimagine metrics: Redefine productivity in a way that makes you comfortable. If you get overwhelmed easily by multitasking, make ‘to-do list writing’ itself a task that you tick off every day. Write everything down. I even write down things I need to tell my friends, calls I need to make, posts I need to respond to. This has helped me be more present and make more space for myself. My to-do list also includes checkboxes for water intake and breaks. Do away with standardized lists, customize one for yourself! Do not feel any shame in rescheduling activities and events. Rescheduling is one hundred times better than half-assing something or not showing up at all. Remember: Canceled meetings make everyone happy!!!
I read a piece on BrainPickings where Maria Popova, in a conversation with Alexandra Horowitz, advocates presence over productivity. It made me rethink quite a few things. Popova says:
I think productivity, as we define it, is flawed, to begin with, because it equates a process with a product. So, our purpose is to produce — as opposed to, our purpose is to understand and have the byproduct of that understanding be the “product.” For me, I read, and I hunger to know… I record, around that, my experience of understanding the world and understanding what it means to live a good life, to live a full life. Anything that I write is a byproduct of that — but that’s not the objective. So, even if it may have the appearance of “producing” something on a regular basis, it’s really about taking in, and what I put out is just … the byproduct.
Read/hear the piece here.
Here are some more recommendations:
Tools and Services
From assignments to blog ideas, this search listening tool is an absolute gamechanger when it comes to understanding what an audience really is looking for. When you type in the keywords, it builds a beautiful mind map linking what an audience is actually typing into search engines while looking for something in the domain of said keyword. The output is super rich! Have a look at what comes through when I look for newsletters:
Answer The Public output for the keyword ‘Newsletter’ Try it yourself and play with a healthy combination of keywords for better output.
If you have been looking for a powerful solution for all your short-format video creation/editing needs, go for Invideo! Watermark-free videos, 3500+ templates, 60 exports per month, 720p resolution, Automated text-to-speech, Brand presets, Intro and Outros, and 1 GB cloud storage – for FREE! This is an absolute steal.
Looking for free stock photos for your project? Go Pexels! Pexels provides 100% free stock photographs and videos that require no attribution. What I also love about Pexels is that you can also directly access it through Canva! Scroll down to the “More” option on the left in the editor to find multiple apps and integrations. Pexels will allow you to directly incorporate these images in your design!
Read. Watch. Try.
Have heard the terms B2B, D2C, B2C often but wondering where do these fit in in the universe of Business Models? Here’s a list of 50 Business Models to learn more.
Love Spirited Away? Here’s a brilliant video essay by The Take on how Spirited Away pulls the mask off living to work and shows us the need for another dimension to life.
Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli New to Blogging? Read Pepper Content’s blog that consists of 15 tips from experts that could help new bloggers.
Navayana Books has announced the Navayana Dalit History Fellowship 2021. They will be funding a minimum of two authors to help them write manuscripts that deal with dalit history. Read more about the requirements and applications here.
Workshops and Talks
Do you dream of becoming a professional screenwriter? The screenwriting crash course by Satyanshu Singh consists of 5 sessions: 3 writing workshops, one peer-feedback session, and one pitchfest. Best participants will get to pitch their story ideas to a panel that will include Roshan Abbas, Divya Prakash Dubey, and more veterans from the content industry. Three of the participants with the best ideas will get an exclusive mentorship session with Guneet Monga. Sign up here. Price: INR 3499 (inclusive of feedback and pitchfest)
Film Companion is excited to introduce FC Front Row - a collective of film and entertainment enthusiasts. Look forward to online screenings, premieres, masterclasses, meet & greet with critics, discussions with artists, industry experts, and upcoming content creators, The FC Front Row gives you first access to a range of exciting activities and programs. Get yourself a pass here. Price: INR 99 a month, INR 1100 for a yearly subscription.
12 June 2021: UI Design Kickstarter Workshop by Saptarshi Prakash, Sr. Product Designer at Swiggy. Get your tickets here. Price: INR 499
5 June 2021: SEO Simplified by Huzaifa Dhapai. Register here.
12 June 2021: Google Analytics by Aneri Joshi. Register here.
Pride Month is here!
As excited as I am, I have also been working on my eye rolls. With Pride Month comes Rainbow-washing and so many brands that believe they know best about how queer folx should feel about their campaigns. Saviour complex is complicated. If you think that we have progressed by leaps and bounds since Article 377 was striked down and are closer to a semblance of equality then you need to look at this post by Art.Soopified. Saurabh has collated some data to reflect where India stands in terms of LGBT+ rights.
Also, if you manage a brand and are still making plans for Pride Month, then I have one simple request:
When you reach out to queer folx for collaborations/panels/talks, can you please check their social handles for their pronouns and use those and only those pronouns? Also, in case they haven’t mentioned any, then just go ahead with they/them in the initial outreach and ask them their pronouns to use in the follow-ups?
Here’s a guide by Shraddha and Koninika for brands and allies reaching out to queer folks with projects and plans. Also, have a look at the reels Vinayak created in the last week to drive more awareness in such panache. Here they talk about things queer folx can ask in interviews which I believe are very essential.
If you are wondering what your brand can do for Pride Month, consider donating to relief funds? Here’s one of many such fundraisers across the country: Trans Community Kitchen. You can DM them or email them at transcommunitykitchen@gmail.com
If you are building PR packages, looking for gifting alternatives, or considering buying gifts for yourself, look at this elaborate guide by Sailee that lists queer-owned small businesses. Part 1 and Part 2 here.
Instagram Spotlight
Buffalo Intellectual is a voice of reason in a public sphere where internalized casteism is still rampant. They present a Bahujan/Ambedkarite perspective on everyday happenings and bring out a critical reading that is often missing from the popular discourse. I recommend you to follow Buffalo Intellectual for a deep dive into casteism in Academia, Popular Culture, Policy, and Society as well as for the brilliant anti-caste literature they recommend.
Check out this podcast that they did with Anurag Minus Verma where they explain the story behind the term Buffalo Intellectual, and casteism in academia, cinema, and Instagram Reels! They also have a brilliant interview with Dalit Camera where they respond to Dr. Raees Mohammed's argument that “the anti-caste movement in India is a very casteist movement." Watch it here.
So that is pretty much it from my side for this week. I will see you again on the 14th of June, 2021 with more such recommendations.
If you spot any cool opportunities that 150 (!!!) of us can currently benefit from, then send them my way either via Email or LinkedIn! If you are hiring, reach out to me and I’ll list your requirement in the Telegram group.
If you made it till here, thank you for your time and I hope this helps. We’re in this together <3
Hey, Laxmi! Great job on the newsletter. I loved reading both (D1 and D2). Thank you for all the article, videos and tools recommendations. This was surely informative and will be indeed helpful.