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Business travel is often seen as glamorouswhether thats new destinations, exciting opportunities, or packed itineraries of fun and adventure. I was certainly looking forward to all of these things when I began working with national and international companies. Unfortunately, once we actually start to go on these trips, the reality looks different. Its long flights, disrupted sleep, constant stimulation, and very little space to recharge. Over time, this can leave us running on empty. As a result, decision-making, creativity, and well-being all suffer. Rest and recovery on work trips arent luxuries. Theyre necessities if you want to stay at the top of your game. When we travel without recharging, our energy debt compounds. We need to treat recovery as part of the trip so we can win the business and avoid burnout. Heres how you can build real rest and recovery into your next business trip from someone whos currently writing this in a hotel room in Melbourne, Australia, at 5:45 a.m. Reconnect to recharge This week, I flew to Sydney for a meeting with LinkedIn. It would have been easy to put my head down, follow the arrows through the airport, and dive straight into emails before the meeting. But Ive had a hectic month. I launched my book and rolled out our Employee Empowerment Program. I realized I needed to recharge my batteries before I walked into the LinkedIn headquarters if I wanted to be on my game. So, I made a deliberate choice. I went for a walk, swapped the hamburger for salmon and salad, and sat barefoot on the grass in the sunshine, overlooking the Opera House. Now, this wasnt about time off work. It was about energy management. I knew that I had a big week ahead, so I created the space to reconnect and recharge. Thats the shift we need to make. We need to treat recovery as an essential part of the trip rather than something we squeeze in between meetings. Here are some tips and tricks from a fellow traveller: 1. Redefine downtime as a leadership strategy We often believe recovery is passive, but real recovery is strategic. Leaders who prioritize well-being know that rest fuels focus, emotional intelligence, and decision-making. Before your next trip, plan your recovery moments like you plan your meetings and add them to your calendar. This reframes recovery from bonus time into an essential leadership practice. 2. Protect your sleep like its a meeting Sleep is one of the most underrated productivity tools that we have. Jet lag, late dinners, and device use often strip quality rest from work trips. To reset your body, choose light exposure wisely. Morning sunlight helps your circadian rhythm adjust faster. Do your best to create a hotel sleep ritual whether that be a sleep mask, stretching, or avoiding screens an hour before bed. Say no when you need to. Skipping one late-night drink can mean sharper thinking in tomorrows negotiations. Sleep doesnt waste time. Its a performance tool. 3. Move, but dont overtrain Many leaders hit the hotel gym hard to compensate for travel fatigue, but intense training while jet lagged can backfire. Instead, think movement, not punishment. That might mean walking between meetings, if possible, or doing a short mobility routine in your hotel room. If you have access to green spaces, consider doing your exercises outside. 4. Fuel for energy, not just convenience Airport snacks and hotel buffets rarely support recovery. Nutrition on the road often means quick fixes, but thoughtful choices pay dividends. Start by paying attention to your hydration. Dehydration can mimic fatigue. Try to stick to light dinners, as heavy meals late at night can disrupt your sleep. And as much as you can, try to opt for whole foods. Food can be your fuel for clarity. 5. Build in micro-recovery Recovery doesnt happen overnight. Small pauses throughout your day can reset your energy. Before key meetings, try 60-second breathing resets. Take short tech-free breaks. When youre in taxis and waiting lounges try reflection instead of email. These micro-recoveries keep your battery charged. 6. Connect to people and places Recovery isnt just physical. Connection to people and the environment is deeply restorative. Be sure to schedule at least one social catchup a week. Or if youre feeling a little drained by social interaction, explore your surroundings. Take a walk through your nearest park, a waterfront, or a new part of town. Connection grounds you, combats loneliness, and creates moments of joy that buffer against stress. 7. Debrief and recover on return Too many managers land home and rush into the next workday. Block half a day post-trip for recovery and reflection. Journal insights, reconnect with family, and allow your body to reset. Business travel will always have its challenges, but weaving in intentional recovery transforms it from an energy drain into an opportunity for resilience. Leaders who travel well dont just survive their schedules; they thrive because of them. The question is not How much can I push through on this trip? but How can I return with more clarity, connection, and energy than when I left? Real rest and recovery arent indulgences, theyre your competitive advantage.
Category:
E-Commerce
In recent months, major tech companies have lured top talent from rival companies with multimillion-dollar salaries and rumors of unprecedented sign-on bonuses. Big firms are fighting for talent from Apple, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and beyond, reportedly offering pay packages that resemble those of NBA stars. Meta has been aggressively poaching talent from its competitors in the race to dominate AI, luring Apples robotics chief earlier this month in a move that made headlines. Its news like this that makes workers ask themselves: How can I get that to happen to me? (Even if Im not a Silicon Valley CEO?) Luckily, career experts say anyone can make themselves more poachable. Lest anyone grinding out in a 9-to-5 with a slightly smaller salary than these Big Tech chiefs feels jealous, a reminder: Tech is their own world, Mark Anthony Dyson, career coach and founder of The Voice of Job Seekers, told Fast Company. That said, theres no harm in taking some inspiration from these high-profile hires. Here are just a few strategies to roll out if youre hoping to catch the eyes of recruiters who can whisk you away to your dream job: Be a thought leader Visibility is keyfor people to notice you, changing your LinkedIn profile photo to say open to work isnt enough. You have to put yourself out there, experts say. That means actively posting and sharing industry insights on LinkedIn, most importantly, but also speaking at events and media mentions, if applicable. Kait LeDonne, a personal branding expert, pointed to a survey that showed 64% of recruiters said that a candidate whos a recognized thought leader in their industry is more likely to get a role than a candidate with the same exact credentials but a quieter presence. Create enough of a presence that youre seen as an active industry thought leader, LeDonne said. You dont need to be top of the industry, but you need to publish content [on LinkedIn] that shares more about your industry or influences your industry. For most people, two to three times a week is going to be just fine. Expand your skill set The hard truth: Today, it isnt enough to just do your job, said Kathy Caprino, a career leadership coach and author. She and other experts encourage professionals to actively seek out opportunities to learn new skills, both inside and outside their fields. And dont be shy about sharing that education, whether its a yoga teacher training or an AI course. Caprino recommended people list their new skills on their résumés and across their LinkedIn profiles: in their headline, about section, and under certifications. She also suggested people write a short post about how theyre using those skills, for extra visibility. If I see someone taking courses on Coursera or getting certified in something, that goes a long way, added Bridget ONeill, a career consultant and owner of the RE Consultancy. It shows theyre continually active. That is a very poachable trait. Continued growth and education shows employers and recruiters that candidates are future-oriented. It also helps combat what ONeill said is a red flag to her when looking at someones résumé or LinkedIn profile: stagnancy. You can see it immediately, she said. Some common mistakes? A résumé thats not up-to-date or doesnt list any skills or courses; a LinkedIn page with an old headshot, no background photo, or no engagement in the form of posting or sharing posts. She says missed opportunities like those show no passion, interest, curiosity. Seek out your career idols Find the people at the top of your fieldthe people whose jobs you want, or people at companies you want to work forand connect with them in any way possible. Go to events theyre attending or hosting; join groups theyre involved in; send them an email to introduce yourself. Get to know those professionals whose career paths you want to emulate and get to know their work deeply, Dyson said. The goal is to get on their radar. Caprino encourages people to engage with career idols on LinkedIn, even if its as simple as resharing one of their posts. It helps you get noticed, she said. Now this manager or director or CEO has a bit of a connection with you. Reach out to recruiters yourself You cant always wait for recruiters to slide into your DMssometimes you have to make the first move. Caprino suggests people contact recruiters on their own to introduce themselves, and explain what theyre looking for in their next role. She encourages clients to write their dream job description and share it with recruiters as well as trusted colleagues and connections. Get involved with industry groups The American Institute of Graphic Arts. The Society for Human Resource Management. The National Association of Black Journalists. Women in Machine Learning. Whatever your field is, it likely has associated industry groups. Seek them out, both online and in person, if you want to advance your career, experts say. Its a way to create more visibility for yourself and also get an early scoop on job opportunities. When people are leaving (their current jobs), one of the first places they go is to their industry organizations to say, Im moving from here to here, youre the first to hear. Thats a smarter way of networking, Dyson said. That way, when the opportunity does come up, youll be top of mindand one step closer to being poached.
Category:
E-Commerce
Hiring an executive assistant (EA) to delegate work tasks and life admin to has long been something reserved for celebrities and Fortune 500 executives. But that belief might now be changing, as rank-and-file workers decide they, too, want a taste of the EA experience. As Callum Borchers wrote earlier this month in The Wall Street Journal, more workers outside the C-suite are finding assistantsvirtual, in person, or AI, and sometimes just for a couple of hours a monthto help with everything from booking bouncy castles to managing work calendars. Nowadays, everyones schedules are packed right down to the last minute. Plus, labor has never been easier to offload thanks to artificial intelligence and a globalized network. So it could be argued that what was once considered a luxury is now more accessible. For repetitive tasks or errands, it makes sense for some people to hire a helping hand for the price of $50 or $60 an houror even cheaper if you enlist the services of AI. And while theres only so much someone who isnt employed by your company can do for you when it comes to work matters, theres still plenty they can do otherwise that could help your work-life balance. Make no mistake: Hiring someone to do work for you is a luxury. But depending on your circumstances and situation, and if you can swing the financials, it may make sense to at least explore options. Here are some signs you might need the extra help: You are drowning in repetitive tasks If you don’t have a virtual or executive assistant, then the assistant is you. Repetitive tasksscreening emails, scheduling meetings, and planning travel logisticscan quickly eat up your time. When it gets to the point that they consume a full workday or more each week, its time to offload. Log your activities for a week and, after getting a detailed picture of where your hours are actually going, outsource and delegate the tasks that are slowing you down work-wise. For example, Fyxer AI can help tackle your inbox and keep on top of email follow-ups. And as the WSJ story points out, an AI assistant like Ohai can take on some of the mental load at home. You are dropping the ball If you find yourself double-booking meetings, never reaching the bottom of your inbox, or working late just to keep up, it often means youre trying to do too much alone. Outsourcing even 5 to 10 hours a week of admin can make a world of difference to both your professional capabilities and personal stress levels. Getting your own assistant helps keep you organized and accountable. Even one-off services like Taskrabbit, Angi, or Thumbtack could ease the burden when you feel yourself losing focus. You can make the investment Hiring your own EA, even part-time, is a financial investment. But it could also be an investment in your future. If youre so bogged down by daily tasks that you cant think bigger picture, pursue new clients, or focus on creative workit might be time to hire help. If the return on that investment is there, it could be worth it. A good assistant, brought on board at the right time, could more than pay for themselves by giving you back hours in the day you can redirect towards growing personally or professionally. Research has shown effective delegation allows business leaders to earn up to 20% more, while companies led by CEOs who were good delegators achieved better business growth compared to companies whose CEOs delegated less. Besides, if your workload means you are letting things sliplosing a client or project could cost more than hiring the assistant in the first place.
Category:
E-Commerce
As tech companies race to build more AI data centers, your electric bill is probably going up. And while some companies are prioritizing adding clean energy to accommodate their intensive demands, climate pollution is also climbing as utilities turn to gas or even coal to support our chatbot habits. But there might be another way for new data centers to get the enormous amount of energy they plan to use. A recent report from the nonprofit Rewiring America suggests that instead of building new power plants, hyperscalersthe Big Tech companies whose data centers provide the backbone to cloud computingcould help homeowners install new solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps. We saw this trend happening with data centers needing capacity on the grid and thought by upgrading households, we can actually create a significant amount of capacity, says Cora Wyent, head of research and data science at Rewiring America, which is focused on electrifying homes and communities. [Interactive Map: Rewiring America] Data centers that are planned or already under construction are projected to add a staggering 93 gigawatts of new power demand to the grid by 2029, or roughly as much electricity as 77 million homes use. But the nonprofit calculated that its possible to cover that growth by adding solar panels and battery storage at peoples homes. Heat pumps can also help. In Georgia, for example, which expects to need an extra 6.7 gigawatts of electric capacity over the next five years, rooftop solar and storage on homes in the state could provide 5.4 gigawatts. The rest could be covered by upgrading houses with inefficient old-school electric heating to heat pumps. (This combination would actually create more room on the grid than data centers need, helping support growing electricity demand from EVs and other sources.) If solar and batteries were deployed at a very large scale, Rewiring America says the cost could drop by 40%. That would make it possible for tech companies to invest in the equipment at roughly the same cost as building a new gas power plant. In the nonprofits model, tech companies would pay for 30% of the cost of the new technology. Homeowners would pay the rest, and then get the benefit of cheap electricity and access to power if the grid goes out in a disaster. In hot climates, heat pumps can unlock significant grid capacity by replacing less-efficient air conditioners. Rewiring Americas calculations show that in Texas, upgrading air conditioners to heat pumps would create 3.9 gigawatts of capacity on the grid. Solar and batteries would add another 10 gigawatts, helping nearly reach the state’s planned needs for another 17 gigawatts by 2029. Of course, rolling out clean tech at homes at the scale envisioned here would be a major challenge. But the report argues that it could happen faster than alternatives; building a new gas plant, for example, can take several years because of supply chain shortages. Tech companies are also investing in unproven new nuclear tech that isn’t yet commercialized. In theory, a network of new heat pumps, solar panels, and batteries could be rolled out in months. It also could help data centers win more support in communities. “There’s been some recent polling showing that data centers are not very popular,” Wyent says. “Our perspective is that data centers are going to be built. So why don’t we try to make that as beneficial as possible to the communities where they will be built?”
Category:
E-Commerce
In part two of How YouTube Ate TV, Fast Companys oral history of YouTube, we look at how the companys rapid ascent after its 2005 founding led to multiple challenges, from bandwidth costs to unhappy copyright holders. This prompted the startup to consider selling itself, and on October 9, 2006, Google announced that it would be buying it, for $1.65 billion. That deal came with the promise that the web giant would help YouTube scale up even further without micromanaging it. Eventually, the balance they struck between integration and independence paid off. But when YouTube was still a tiny, plucky startup, nobody was looking that far ahead. Read more How YouTube Ate TV Part one: YouTube failed as a dating site. This one change altered its fortunes forever Steve Chen, cofounderwith Chad Hurley and Jawed Karimof YouTube: I would take care of the product team, the engineering team, the technology side of it, building out this product. And [Hurley] would be managing finance, business development, and content partnerships, the legal side. But we always shared an office, or even shared a desk when we were small. Chris Maxcy, YouTube VP of business development (2005-2013): When I got hired, there were about 11 of us operating out of a back office in Sequoias offices. Then we moved to San Mateo to the infamous spot above the pizza shop. It was truly rat infested.Zahavah Levine, YouTube general counsel, chief counsel (2006-2011): On my first day, Steve handed me a sealed box from Ikea, and invited me to erect my desk. Oh yeah, he added, you might also want to order a computer online. Of the 23 employees, most were under the age of 25. At 37, I often felt like the adult in the room, and at times I felt like the corporate grandmother.Mia Quagliarello, YouTube senior product marketing manager, content and community (2006-2011): On my first day of work, I was seven months pregnant. There was an engineer sleeping on the couch. It really felt like a small family. Levine: I remember taking calls in the janitors closet when I needed privacy. Lyor Cohen, Warner Music Group CEO of recorded music (2004-2012); YouTube and Google global head of music (2016-present): It felt like an independent record company. No formality. Everybody in full motion. Jake McGuire, YouTube software engineer (2006-present): It was like, If something is going to blow up next week, then who cares? Well deal with it next week, because weve got something thats blowing up right now. It was actually kind of fun.Levine: There was a lot of interest in buying us, including from the same L.A. media companies that were threatening us with lawsuits.Maxcy: We had a number of overtures even very early on from large tech companies in the Valley. At the time, Chad and Steve were pretty adamant that they wanted to stay independent. McGuire: Chad and Steve had actually mentionedat an all-hands meeting with, I dont know, 40 people at the timethat they got an offer to sell the company for $500 million. And they turned it down. I just shouted out, You idiots! Why didn’t you take it? Tara Walpert Levy, Google ads director (2011-2021); VP, Americas at YouTube (2021-present): Back in 2005 I was consulting, mostly to large media networks. And I had advised one of them, passionately, to buy YouTube. They chose to go a different direction. How YouTube Shaped CultureHere It Goes Again, July 2006Rock band OK Go was founded in 1998, well before YouTube existed, but its eye-popping, single-shot music videos feel they were born to go viral on the site. Featuring beautifully choreographed treadmill choreography, Here It Goes Again was watched more than 50 million times before being yanked by EMI during a dispute with YouTube; after being restored, it racked up another 60 million-plus views. Multiple factors ultimately led the company to confront the possibility that it would need to be part of a larger organization to prosper. Levine: We couldnt keep up with the inquiries, content deals, takedown requests and legal threats, law enforcement subpoenas, press inquiries, infrastructure growth, hiring. It didnt stop.Dmitry Shapiro, founder and CEO, Veoh: They were blowing through millions of dollars a month in bandwidth costs. Maxcy: Wed wait for a server to get delivered, and then wed see this immediate spike in traffic once we got the new infrastructure installed. We knew there was a lot of demand, but we also knew we just couldn’t afford it. Chen: We were able to build a form of our own cloud in the various data centers around the U.S. But from a legal standpoint, it was just a big question mark. Levine: We had Mark Cuban in the press repeatedly insisting that YouTube wasnt worth a dime because of the copyright issues.Roelof Botha, former PayPal CFO and partner at Sequoia Capital, YouTubes first investor: Wed gone down for a meeting in Los Angeles with Universal Music, and it was probably the worst business meeting of our lives. They were pit bulls, and when you looked at the demands they had, it wouldnt benefit artists. I think the [YouTube] founders left feeling quite defeated, and so the prospect of an acquisition became far more attractive. Two tech behemoths quickly emerged as the most likely buyers. Chen: It was a big decision whether to move forward with Yahoo or Google. Google was still the search engine, and Yahoo was everything else. Botha: Yahoo was maybe the more natural acquirer because it had media experience and [former Warner Bros. co-CEO] Terry Semel was leading the company. But some of the dysfunction of the company was starting to show up in its ineptitude in landing the opportunity. Maxcy: Google had the infrastructure, they had the know-how, they had the capital to really make it work. How YouTube Shaped Culture Charlie Bit My FingerAgain!, May 2007Charlie, an English 1-year-old, chomps on his 3-year-old brother Harrys finger. Nobody is injured in the process, and millions of viewers find it adorably hysterical. Countless YouTubers riff on the duos videoincluding, a decade later, the brothers themselves. Chen: What we liked about Google was not so much on the financial side. Eric Schmidt, the CEO, took me and Chad aside and basically told us, Weve been doing all these things with Google Video to try to compete, but theres some magic vibe within this YouTube group and community. We want to make sure that through this acquisition, we dont do anything to decelerate that. If anything, we should be here to help. Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google (2001-2011): YouTube was the clear winner when it came to the social side of online video. It wasnt just about watching clips. It was about community, sharing, and connection. Thats what really drew us to the company. John Harding, Google software engineer (2005-2007); YouTube engineering manager, director, VP (2007-present): Most of us on Google Video were infrastructure-focused. YouTube had this great consumer product. We all immediately saw, Okay, this is actually a perfect match. Schmidt: They were right about the product, and we were right about how to scale it. Levine: I think it took five days from signing the term sheet to signing the long-form agreement. I was operating on pure adrenaline. Maxcy: The day of the acquisition, we were moving into new offices in San Bruno. Chads car was broken, so we rode to work together in mine. We show up and there are satellite trucks outside the building, and its this entire circus. Quagliarello: I was about to go get lunch and leave the building. My manager’s like, “You might wanna stay here for this. McGuire: My phone started blowing up with all these text messages. Theyd announced we got bought. We all went to TGI Fridays on the other side of the parking lot at the end of the night to celebrate. Google honored its pledge to provide YouTube with resources while letting it chart its own course. Suzie Reider, YouTube CMO (2006-2013): Chad [became] co-CEO with a longtime Googler named Salar [Kamangar], and they sat together in an office. I think Google did a good job of helping us come into the fold. McGuire: They had one of their cafés in Mountain View cook lunch and they would drive it up in a van and serve it in our basement every day. Chen: Wed been stumbling into hurdles when it came to search, recommendations on videos, internationalization. We were able to decide where we thought the most help was needed to continue the growth of YouTube as a platform. How YouTube Shaped Culture CNN/YouTube Presidential Debate, July 2007 YouTubers get face time with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and other Democratic candidates with the services first-ever debate livestream. The Republican contenders follow in November. Harding: There was a lot of quick triage: Okay, what’s in the most risky shape, and how quickly can we get those things moved onto the Google infrastructure that’s more scalable? Search was one of the first things, and then pretty quickly after that we moved the video processing. McGuire: Google previously had a strategy of making all their acquisitions rewrite their stuff in the Google way. I don’t know if they decided that wasn’t working out for them, but we were the first people who were not given that advice. They did send over a small number of engineers who were almost all pretty good. But even then, they were just trying to work with what we had. Chen: That’s very different from what we thought would happen if Yahoo had been the acquiring group. We wanted to really avoid what happened with eBay and PayPal. Billy Biggs, Google/YouTube software engineer (2006-present): After [Google] bought the company, I saw that some of the technical choices they made were very elegant. It was a master class in learning how to scale. The motherships influence did grow over time. Quagliarello: They said, Nothing’s going to change. You guys keep doing what you’re doing. It felt like that for about a year. But then it was pretty clear that things were going to change. There was more rigor and discipline around goals and OKRs. It just became more hierarchical. Matthew Darby, YouTube director of product management (2008-present): There’s definitely a lot of the Google culture that got imbued into YouTube. It’s a very analytical, very engineering-driven culture, very rigorous. Its hard to know whether YouTube on its own would’ve been quite the same. Reider: For me, it was calming, because I’d worked in larger organizations and I was used to a little more rigor and structure. I think it was hard for people who had never worked for a big company like that before. But we needed it. Three months after Google acquired YouTube, Apple announced the iPhone, pitching video-watching as a core feature. When the phone shipped in 2007, it had YouTube onboard. Googles own mobile platform, Android, made YouTube even more of a strategic asset. Harding: In 2007 and 2008, it wasn’t obvious that mobile was going to become what it did. Biggs: It was truly unclear whether people would really want to watch a lot of video on their phone, or whether that was just not going to be a thing. Chen: There was no SDK for third-party iPhone apps. Apple reached out to us to say, We think in order for the iPhone to be fully demonstrated, it needs to have YouTube on it. And so we were the only third-party company that rolled out with the initial set of apps that came with the iPhone. Harding: We had a couple weeks to build the YouTube app for the iPhone, in partnership with the Apple team, before they had to send it off to manufacturing. I was like, I know exactly how to do that. I’ve already built this for Google Video, but nobody wants it. Chen: We had to make sure that all the videos that we had were transcoded to be streamed on their video player. It just completely took off. Darby: There was a concerted effort to get everybody at Google to think about mobile first. Android ended up sort of eating the entire world, and YouTube rode along that. In the wake of the oogle acquisition, YouTubes cultural influence was already extraordinary and still growing. It was reflected in everything from a TV ad that repurposed a YouTube videos Chicken McNuggets rap to the U.S. presidential campaign. Chris Edwards, Arnold Worldwide creative director (1999-2012): A colleague of mine shared a link to the video with a comment saying, What do they need us for anymore? I thought, Shit, this would make a great 30-second [McDonalds] spot. It got over a million views in the first few weeksback in 2007 that was a lot!and tons of comments and copycats doing parody videos on YouTube. We did local TV buys in three markets, and McNuggets sales shot up an average of 42%. Chen: YouTube did a collaboration with CNN for the Democratic and Republican [primary] debates. Instead of having a bunch of panelists speaking into the camera for the questions, they had them coming from YouTube creators. I remember traveling to Charleston and appearing with Anderson Cooper. I was like, We’ve reached the pinnacle of anything that YouTube can do. But this was just 2007. Additional reporting by María José Gutiérrez Chávez, Yasmin Gagne, and Steven Melendez.
Category:
E-Commerce
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