Hey there,
How are you? Late last night I hit the beautiful, mythical, only-heard-about-from-some-faraway-land-but-it-turns-out-itās-real SEND BUTTON on an email to my editor, passing along my finished first draft of my next book! This was the tightest turnaround time on a book Iāve ever had, and Iāll admit, Iām officially a shell of a human being today. If youāve pinged me and Iāve been radio silent, thereās a decent chance this is why. š
After I send this to you Iām taking the rest of today off⦠I mean, from work. The house is a disaster, I need to run to the post office, etc. etc. Plus, Iāve notoriously gotten sick or injured after EVERY one of my book manuscript submissions, which is my bodyās way of telling me I have to slow down my work and take it easy for a few weeks. After 10-plus years of book writing, Iāve learned to listen.
But truly, my big work project of 2021 so far is DONE and Iām officially ready to think about other things. Woohoo! š

5 Quick Things āļø
1.Ā Because of my book deadline, Sethās is joined in this weekās episode by none other than his lovely wife Amber! She shares her morning routine when the dayās going well: daily examen, prayer, poetry, and the things she does to get her creative juices flowing. Truly, the two of them are a delight.
Note: Even though I usually prioritize reading or listening, the past week Iāve ālistenedā to a few YouTube channels as I got up every hour from writing to get in a few steps (my FitBit has been the boss of me). For a slight 5QT temporary detour, the rest of these are videos⦠Weāll be back to our usual programming of mixed media next week.
2. I love this guy and his 30-day challenge videos. Since Iām in the walking-is-the-best camp, too, I especially loved this video.
3.Ā Iām a fangirl of Atomic Habits, and this woman did a great job applying these principles to life as a wife and mom.
4.Ā I miss travel. You too? Rick Steves has been uploading a ton of his shows onto YouTube these days āĀ Iāve bookmarked yesterdayās in the Austrian and Italian Alps to watch this afternoon.
5.Ā And finally,Ā this is an oldie but a goodie. (Our whole family has called him Keith Ragu for years⦠š)
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening š
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (so good)
Quotable š¬
āTo be mature you have to realize what you value most. It is extraordinary to discover that comparatively few people reach this level of maturity. ...Not to arrive at a clear understanding of oneās own values is a tragic waste. You have missed the whole point of what life is for.ā
ā Eleanor RooseveltĀ #
From the Community š
This week I asked you about your current reading stack, and as always, you didnāt disappoint! Head there for tons of great book ideas, plus my assistant Caroline created a spreadsheet with links to EVERY book weāve ever mentioned in these chats. 𤯠Super handy!
Heads up! š
Iām a fan of Megan Hyatt-Miller and her dad, Michael, and have listened to their podcast for years āĀ which is why I pre-ordered their first co-authored book the minute I heard about it. Itās called Win at Work & Succeed at Life and theyāre just about the best people to talk about this super-needed topic.
If you feel like youāre sacrificing your career for your personal life OR your personal life for your career, theyāre talking to you. After many years of experience, they share their wisdom about how career success doesnāt have to mean personal disaster, nor does a rich personal life inevitably mean a tepid career. Their goal is to bust the myths believed by and taught the modern Cult of Overwork. Amen, I say.
If you join me in pre-ordering Win at Work & Succeed at Life by April 20 (thatās next Tuesday!), youāll get:
A free copy of the audiobook version
A free e-book of Michael's Your Best Year Ever
Megan's session called How to Conquer a Chaotic Calendar
A free ticket to Win at Work and Succeed at Life LIVE event on April 20th
A $10 gift card to the Full Focus Store (I use these planners!)
(Megan & Michaelās team are sponsoring this weekās 5 Quick Things, but I legit pre-ordered this book with my own hard-earned cash money.)
Question For You to Ponder⦠š¤
What tiny shift can you make in your environment to help you feel more like yourself?
Have a good weekend!
xo, Tsh
p.s.Ā If youāre interested in sponsoring a future issue of 5QT, please contact Caroline at caroline@tshoxenreider.com. Iām open to your idea!