use the things
just the hits #47
Who else is paying for things she forgets to use, or memberships she’s not maximizing?
The first thing I did was to check my subscriptions (Apple, Substack, others) and cancel the ones I haven’t used for at least 3 months.
For the remaining ones, I reflected on how I’ve used them in the past, and wrote out these ways to use them more proactively.
Microsoft Copilot
I have Copilot through our company’s Microsoft 365 account, and have finally gotten into a rhythm for using it daily. Here’s a peek at how I use it:
I treat it as a second brain. I upload all my meeting minutes, notes from 1:1 meetings, journal articles, and hairbrained ideas to Copilot (each category is its own conversation: management team minutes, 1:1 with (insert team member), partner meeting minutes, crazy ideas). Once it’s there, I no longer have to worry about it.
At the end of every week, I ask Copilot to review all the items I uploaded that week and prepare a week-in-review. I’ll edit it in Copilot, and ask it to reference our overall timeline and prepare the following week’s goals/deadlines/critical path check-ins.
I use it to automate high priority tasks. 2 weeks before the end of the quarter, it’ll prompt me to start my quarterly investor update. I ask it to review the prior quarter’s update and all of the meeting minutes from the quarter, and to create a first draft. It usually requires a fair amount of edits before I circulate it for internal review, but not having to start it from scratch helps a lot. I do the same for board decks, advisor outreach and check-ins, and general networking on behalf of the company.
I use it as a research assistant. All of the reference articles and publications we’ve collected are uploaded, and I ask Copilot “can you please pull up the article and specific section where (XXX) is?”
BritBox & Hallmark+
Every time I scroll through social media or skim my go-to news sites, I feel my anxiety rising but also find it impossible to put down my phone and reset (here’s hoping this ritual helps with that).
Even my beloved Bravo shows are stressing me out. Which is why I’m only watching them when I’m doing chores, and watching a cozy show or film from BritBox or Hallmark+ before bed. Hallmark+ is a near-daily watch during the holidays (my dad and I watch a Christmas movie every day that we’re together during the season), and I feel like we’ll be starting that tradition early. Here are some of my favorites:
Hallmark+ favorites: Adventures in Love and Birding, The Chicken Sisters, The Way Home, Home Turf, The Groomsmen. Finding Mr. Christmas might be the best competition reality show ever (the name says it all).
Britbox favorites: Outrageous, all the Agatha Christie adaptations, The Change, Ludwig, Misbehaviour
Duckbill
Instead of jotting down a small task to do later, I immediately add it in Duckbill.AI and have it taken care of by their AI agents or a real person. This week, I had it take care of all our medical appointments (vaccines, dentists, even my father’s neurologist appointment). Duckbill handles ordering my kids’ friends birthday gifts, meal and activity reservations for an upcoming trip, helping me plan outings when the kids aren’t in school, and more.
Self-Care Memberships: Glamsquad, Glowbar, WTHN
I love freshly blown out hair, glowing skin, and to feel balanced and good. And I spend a fair amount of money to feel this way every month, only to let these credits roll over and eventually expire (which is unacceptable, as I work remotely). For the rest of the year, I’m scheduling my appointments the way I do my meetings and the kids’ afternoon schedules, blocking them off as recurring meetings and scheduling them two weeks in advance:
1st and 3rd Monday every month: Glamsquad blowout (I have the 2 blowouts a month subscription)
2nd and 4th Monday every month: Glamsquad manicure (and pedicure once a month)
2nd and 4th Wednesday every month: WTHN acupuncture after therapy (which I’ll do as a call, while walking through Central Park en route to WTHN)
Friday afternoon: monthly Glowbar facial (preferably the day after a flight, if I’m traveling that month)
You can use code HITHA for $25 off your first Glamsquad appointment, and HITHA15 for $15 off your next one.
The Sculpt Society
Last week, a tennis injury had me opening this app for the first time since I subscribed to it. I’m kicking myself for not using it sooner, because they really are the ‘show up and just do something’ workouts that I need right now. I remember signing up for the app when they announced their Oura partnership, and picking a workout from the recommended category is fairly effortless and helps me move my body most days (instead of wearing workout clothes all day without actually working out).
Catch up on the latest:
things i’m loving right now
Prime Day deals of things I’ve bought and use regularly: my clothing steamer, this travel adapter (which charges multiple devices), the air filters we have in our bedrooms, and my Kindle.
How The Summer I Turned Pretty licensed all those Taylor Swift songs
I made a few skincare swaps for fall (though I apparently jumped the gun): every item in Elemis’ It-List kit (especially the marine cream with SPF) and Sahajan’s eye balm. I also restocked my favorite retinol (it’s gentle enough to use every day, and the size is perfect for travel).
Learning to lose is the best lesson you can learn. I loved this piece, Doree Shafrir.
It’s my first year hosting Diwali without my mom (who’s in India for a family friend’s wedding). I ordered these desserts from Malai, got these Lego sets for the boys, we plan to watch this Ramayana film, and we’ll light sparklers that night. I have more hopeful plans to make air clay diyas and draw rangoli on our patio—if they happen, great. If not, that’s okay.
Easy ways to make the most of spooky season.
If you enjoyed this weekend’s letter, please consider:
tapping the ❤️ icon below
tapping the 💬 and share how you’re feeling right now
upgrading your subscription, if budget permits
Wishing you a wonderful Sunday.
xo,
HPN
I desperately need to do an app audit, but it's so overwhelming that it almost seems easier to cancel my existing billing card and just burning it all to the ground. thanks for the push! and that article about the music licensing -- so cool!
AI makes me very nervous from a human/creative loss frame to the environmental harm. Anna Marie just wrote about the latter: https://open.substack.com/pub/thatannamarie/p/lesson-plan-ais-environmental-impact