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I dont know if urbanism is science or art, but I do know its outcomes are best with a dose of creativity. Theres plenty to learn from the giant leaps in art and science to improve your urbanism advocacy. Happy, healthy communities aren’t made from being stuck in a bygone era. The value of fog Impressionist painters didnt discover fog. It was always there, but it wasnt something people were discussing much in the early 19th century leading up to the impressionists and tonalists. Each of those artistic movements created illusions of reality with familiar scenes. James McNeill Whistler was an influential figure and one of the original tonalists. Heres what he had to say about finding inspiration from natural elements previously left off the canvas: {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"","headline":"Urbanism Speakeasy","description":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit urbanismspeakeasy.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} And when the evening mist clothes the riverside with poetry, as with a veil, and the poor buildings lose themselves in the dim sky, and the tall chimneys become campanili, and the warehouses are palaces in the night and the whole city hangs in the heavens, and fairy-land is before usthen the wayfarer hastens home; the working man and the cultured one, the wise man and the one of pleasure, cease to understand, as they have ceased to see, and Nature, who, for once, has sung in tune, sings her exquisite song to the artists alone. Claude Monet is probably the most famous of the impressionist bunch. Monets focus shifted from clear objects to the effects of atmosphere and light, after he stumbled into the London fog. Critics would argue about deeper meanings, whether impressionism was creating a dreamy or nightmarish mood for London, angelic or demonic. But the meaning (or lack thereof) isnt what got me thinking about these 19th-century art movements. Its the idea that something was always there and it took artists to draw the attention of normies to it. Claude Monet, The Houses of Parliament (Effect of Fog), circa 1903 [Photo: Szilas/Wiki Commons] The influence of gravity Some 300 years before Monet and Whistler, Nicolaus Copernicus was making the shocking case that Earth and other planets revolved around the sun, rather than Earth being the center of everything. He didnt get everything right. Copernicus had no concept of gravity, so he wasnt clear on how the celestial blobs swirled around each other or why they all orbited the sun. Not many decades later, Isaac Newton watched an apple fall out of a tree. He organized his math homework and philosophy into laws of gravity that were eventually used to describe planetary motion. In hindsight, it seems almost childish to talk about major leaps in art and science because the advancements seem so obvious. Of course this foggy picture with shadowy figures in motion makes me feel uneasy. Of course gravity makes things fall to the ground. Great leaps forward Generations ahead of us will probably read stories about our era that begin like this: Once upon a terrible time, Americas most educated city planners were convinced that cities optimized for motor vehicle traffic would be the safest and most prosperous. Things that dont even cross our minds today as possible outcomes will be boring in their obviousness later. Consider space: In 1960, science fiction was the only reasonable place for stories about a group of humans traveling beyond our atmosphere, circling the globe, and returning safely in their ship. In 1961, Project Mercury launched multiple such voyages, making all sorts of discoveries about how people and machines function in weightless environments. Consider music: In 1965, anyone interested in hearing a new band had to either listen live to one of a few radio stations or suffer through a friends attempt to sing. In 1966, the portable cassette recorder was introduced, making it possible for anyone to make and play recordings without cables and microphones. Consider city planning: In 2022, land use planners and politicians still worked under the assumption that the social and physical harms of zoning were necessary and would always exist. In 2023, a brave local planning department liberated its community from the crushing burdens of zoning, becoming a model for others to follow. (Maybe.) Theres no reason to always be operating from a yesteryear mindset with issues like affordable housing, traffic engineering, parks planning, and intersection design. Challenge what others take for granted. Open your eyes to the hidden potential of your block, your street, your neighborhood, and your city. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"","headline":"Urbanism Speakeasy","description":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit urbanismspeakeasy.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
When announcing her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, on the New Heights podcast, Taylor Swift said, You should think of your energy as if its expensive. . . . Not everyone can afford it. She was encouraging people to have a healthy relationship with social media and not get sucked into online drama and endless scrolling. As a working mom with three kids, this hit me deeplyabout much more than social media. I have spent a good portion of my adult life talking about productivity, apps, and tools to save time. But Swift used a different word: energy. I can do dozens of things to save time in my day, but if I dont have any energy left, what have I really gained? If you want to treat your energy as if its expensive, you should think about how youre spending your time and what things drain too much of your finite energy resources. Heres how to get started. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} Audit how you spend your time Think of a block of time in your daymaybe for a meeting or picking your kids up from school. What drains your energy far beyond the amount of time on the clock? Years ago, I was part of a book club that I really enjoyed. But then the group started fighting about everything from the books we chose to the members we accepted. As much as I loved the people I met through the group, it was draining too much of my energy. So I left. A good way to audit your time is to ask yourself: What is taking up too much space in my brain? If you get sucked into work drama, youll probably find yourself upset or stewing hours later. A 30-minute meeting ends up absorbing much more of your time and energy. Things that take up too much of your energy leave you feeling drained, defeated, or exhausted later. Identifying these is the first step to setting boundaries. Reframe your priorities Next, youll look at the demands on your time and energy. Figure out what is required and how you can cut back on things that are too expensive. A meeting with your boss might require a lot of your energy, but you have to do it because its part of your job. Volunteering for a local organization might require a lot of your time, but is low energy or something you enjoy. Break down your time into four quadrants: high-priority + high-energy, high-priority + low-energy, low-priority + high-energy, and low-priority + low-energy. High-priority + high-energyHigh-priority + low-energyLow-priority + high-energyLow-priority + low-energy Low priority + high energy is not a good combination. If you treat your energy as expensive, those are things you should cut back on. Low priority + low energy might be something you can cut altogether, unless its something that can give your brain a reprieve and doesnt interfere with your high priorities. Reclaim your energy for what matters the most While you cant necessarily get rid of high-priority + high-energy demands, you can try to protect yourself. Keep the interactions or work to the bare minimum. I used to work with a group of people who were very high-drama. Meetings turned into battles, and the disagreements would continue in long strings of emails. I couldnt escape the interactions, because it was part of my job. But later in the day, I would complain about the group at dinner with my family. I would stew over the interactions while I was driving around. I let the drama absorb way more of my energy than it deserved. With effort on my part, I learned to say, Nope. Im going to leave work at work. You can also find ways to recharge your energy, whether its a walk, a nap, or locking your phone so you dont get sucked into an endless doomscroll. Recharging isnt a luxuryits essential, especially when youre locked into a lot of high-priority + high-energy work. If youre not careful with how you spend your time, its a quick path to burnout, feeling frazzled, or lacking the energy for things that matter in your life. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
Americans’ mental health is suffering and it’s not just due to stressful news feeds or not getting enough steps in. Toxic work environments are playing a large role in an epidemic of worsening mental health. According to Monster’s newly released 2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey of 1,100 workers, 80% of respondents described their workplace environment as toxic. The alarming statistic is an increase from 67% just a year ago. The challenging environment has major implications. An astonishing 71% of workers say their mental health is poor (40%) or fair (31%), while only 29% rank it positively: 20% said it was good and 9% described it as great. Workers say that a toxic workplace culture is the top cause of their poor mental health (59%), followed closely by having a bad manager (54%). Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster, says that toxic work environments can lead to more than burnout. Stressful and toxic work environments arent just bad for businesstheyre dangerous for employee health, Salemi explained in a press release. Our findings show workers are reaching a breaking point, prioritizing their mental well-being even over promotions or raises. Employers cited some ways that their employers can support their mental health. Half of workers who feel supported say theyre allowed time off for doctor/therapy appointments; 29% say they feel supported by having a generous amount of paid time off and 23% say that policies specific to mental health are important ways to show support. Mental health is incredibly important to employees. The majority (63%) care more about it than having a “brag-worthy” job. Likewise, many would pass on a promotion (43%) or opt out of a raise (33%) if it was better for their mental health. However, most workplaces are not meeting workers’ standards when it comes to properly supporting employee mental health. Regardless of the fact that workers seem to be feeling strained, most of them don’t feel their employer is responding to workers’ mental health needs. The vast majority (93%) say their employer isn’t focused on supporting employee mental healtha statistic that rose drastically since just a year ago, with 78% claiming the same. While not every worker struggling with their mental health is able to throw in the towel. That’s especially true in the era of “job hugging.” But that doesn’t change the fact that many would like to. According to the survey, more than half of workers (57%) say they’d rather quit their job than continue working in an environment they feel is toxic and overall, causing major strains to their mental wellbeing.
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E-Commerce
When I first entered the workforce, my mantra was simple: Do whatever it takes. So when I was organizing and running programming for an event early in my career and the need for visitor transportation came up, I didnt hesitate. Thats how I ended up behind the wheel of a 12-person Sprinter vandoing pickups, drop-offs, and general schlepping in between running the actual event. Saying yes to every extra task doesnt make you indispensable. It makes you exhausted. And worse, it raises the question of your value as an employee. Are you just duct tape slapped over a leak when needed, or is there real substance and strategy to your role in the organization? A stretch project that builds skills or visibility? Now, thats worth stepping up for. But, extra work that adds no upside except more caffeine paired with a shot of anxiety? Not so much. Ah, but theres always a catch, and in this case, its a tricky one. We want to keep our jobs, impress our managers, and ideally get promoted. This is, after all, our careers were talking about. So the question becomes: How do you say no to extra work without looking like a slacker? It comes down to communicating boundaries in a way that demonstrates clarity, professionalism, and commitment to outcomes. Anchor in Your Priorities The first strategy is to make your no about what you are doing, not what you arent. The fastest way to get labeled not a team player is to just say no. This isnt D.A.R.E. The smarter move is to show what youre focused on and why it matters. Try framing your response around impact instead: Id love to help, but I need to stay focused on delivering X by the end of the week. If this new task is a priority, lets discuss what gets shifted so that can happen. Youre not avoiding responsibility, youre managing it. By being clear about your workload and bandwidth youre reminding your manager that resources are finite. And, by anchoring in your priorities, youre signaling that you know how to make thoughtful choices, not frantic ones. Offer an Alternative Sometimes a no can feel harsh. Thats where the second strategy comes in: redirecting. Offering an alternative shows youre flexible without overcommitting. This could look like offering to take on a smaller piece of the work, proposing a revised schedule, or simply extending the timeline: I cant take this on right now, but I can jump in next week once I wrap Y project. And heres the bonus, because we all love a little lagniappe (that lil something extra, as they say in New Orleans): Offering alternatives doesnt diminish credibility. It builds it by showing youre thinking like a problem-solver, not a martyr. (See my article on workplace martyrdom for more on why that mindset is so dangerous.) Zooming Out: The Big Picture And finally, zoom out. The third strategy is to reframe boundaries not as personal preference, but as organizational protection. The biggest fear people have about saying no is how it will look. But, and this is a big ol but, theres a difference between looking like a slacker and actually being a slacker. You were hired to do a job, and that job likely came with a description and a somewhat defined scope. There wasnt (I hope) an expectation that you were signing your life away with an open tab on your time. Theres also a ripple effect when people keep saying yes: It convinces leadership that no extra resources are needed, or worse, that priorities are clear when theyre not. Overflow work gets absorbed, masking the fact that the team could use more support. Ironically, saying yes to everything can keep your company from making the very decisions that would help everyone succeed. Boundaries arent laziness: theyre strategy. They signal that you understand the value of your time, and that youre willing to protect it. I still cringe when I think about that Sprinter van. But it was the lesson I neededand like many early-career professionals, not one I learned quickly. Heres hoping youre a faster learner than I was.
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E-Commerce
Agentic AI is redrawing the boundaries of value creation in corporate America. Gartner projects that by 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will incorporate agentic AI, and at least 15% of daily business decisions will be made autonomously by AI agents. The AI race isnt about building the most sophisticated algorithms, its about whether employees actually adopt these digital collaborators and use them to expose inefficiencies long hidden in plain sight. Yet many business leaders are still grappling with how to integrate agentic AI seamlessly into existing operations, and deliver meaningful results. A recent MIT Nanda report found that 95% of AI pilots fail. The core barrier? The learning gap, a disconnect between what the tools can do, and how organizations leverage them. The same report noted that buying AI solutions from specialized vendors succeeds around 67% of the time, while in-house builds succeed only a third as often. RETHINK WORK AT THE ATOMIC LEVEL Agentic AI isnt just another automation tool, its a new way of automating. Its true potential lies in reimagining work at its most granular level: breaking down complex processes into smaller, modular components that can be quickly reconfigured for maximum flexibility and impact by LLM-driven systems and reasoning. Consider the music industrys digital transformation. When the world shifted from CDs to digital downloads, record labels no longer had to sell entire albums to move a single hit. Tracks could be released individually, targeting specific audiences, and responding instantly to demand. Agentic AI lets work evolve the same way. Instead of forcing employees through rigid, linear processes, AI agents can identify whats needed in each moment, suggest next steps, and help people move forward while still ensuring all compliance requirements and approvals. Every step becomes a point of value creation, not just a box to check. Now, the energy once lost to bureaucracy gets redirected toward more meaningful progress that drives improved business outcomes. EXPOSE HIDDEN INEFFICIENCIES One of agentic AIs most powerful capabilities is surfacing inefficiencies that go unnoticed under legacy systems. When workflows become more visibleand dramatically fasterflaws built up over years are suddenly impossible to ignore. At one large industrial company, a frontline employee needed to order a $50 backpack from a trusted supplier. On paper, the process looked fine, a simple purchase order flowing through the required workflows. But when an agentic AI was implemented, the reality was clear: The request required seven separate approvals, each one adding delay. The AI didnt just move through the workflows faster; it turned the entire process into a conversation, exposing how much unnecessary friction had crept in over time. That visibility sparked an important discussion: Did they really need so many layers of sign-off for such a routine expense? The technology made the inefficiency undeniable, but it took a cultural and compliance shift within the company to actually eliminate the redundancy. By combining automation with organizational will, the company not only streamlined purchases but also gained insight into how work actually gets done, building momentum for broader changes regarding outdated processes. FROM RIGID TO RESPONSIVE Traditional enterprise software enforces strict compliance: every field filled, every form completed, every step followed in order. But work in the real world is rarely so tidy. Employees operate with partial information and constantly adapt to shifting priorities. Agentic AI changes the equation. It adapts to how people work, not the other way around. AI agents capture whats available, ask follow-up questions later, and complete tasks dynamically as information emerges. The most advanced agentic deployments go further. When a major movie studios engineering team noticed unexplained server spikes, their ambient AI scanned logs, release schedules, and forums, revealing leaked content driving traffic from torrent sites. It flagged the issue and suggested scaling options, while the agentic AI spun up extra servers and alerted the security team, immediately turning insight into action. These breakthroughs only matter if people actually use the tools. Thats where most enterprises stumble. THE REALITY OF RESISTANCE Many organizations are already overwhelmed by digital complexity. Employees face fragmented workflows, siloed teams, and outdated systems. Agentic AI wont erase this complexity overnight, and adoption will be uneven. Thats why successful implementations dont force new processes or best practices. Instead, agentic systems leverage how work already happens, and makes it easier. Agentic AI wont debate how you onboard vendors or process reimbursements, they just help get it done faster and with less friction. This builds trust. When employees see AI agents handling tasks they already do like finding files, filling out forms, or submitting requests theyre more likely to engage. And the best agentic systems dont just wait for instructions; they reach out proactively, helping people stay one step ahead. The more useful and interactive the assistant, the faster adoption spreads. CAREER IMPLICATIONS Working with AI is fast becoming a core career skill. Employees who learn to collaborate with AI agents by asking smart questions, interpreting insights, and applying them to real-world challenges will be better prepared as roles evolve. This isnt about replacing humans, but amplifying their capabilities. Those who master conversational AI, navigate multiple systems, and use AI to manage complexity will accomplish what once took entire teams. That fluency will set top performers apart. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR TOMORROW PwCs Value in motion report predicts AI adoption could boost global GDP by up to 15% by 2035, an impact on par with the industrial revolution. But realizing that future requires responsible deployment, clear governance, and a culture of trust. The workplace of the future will be built on collaboration between people and AI. Companies that get this right will break down silos, eliminate waste, and empower employees to focus on what matters most. The technology is ready; the real challenge is building cultures that value transparency over complexity and see AI agents as essential partners, not threats. Agentic AI wins when people use it because it makes their jobs easier, shines a light on hidden inefficiencies, and unlocks new ways of working that were once out of reach. Bhavin Shah is founder and CEO of Movework.
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E-Commerce
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