Black Friday is a pick me

How to hack the upcoming sales

Devamsha Gunput
17 Nov

This week’s edition looks a little different than usual… I’m trialling a new format. Let me know if you like it!

Sprint 3 is in full swing over in the community. We’ve got a retro + planning session coming up, more on that below.

Questioning yourself is a good thing

The War of Art, Steven Pressfield

I used an Audible credit this month to buy The War Of Art. Courtney Johnson recommends it as it helped her capture her creative downloads, which is something I’m actively working on improving as a process.

One quote had me instantly drop my shoulders and release the tension in my jaw:

“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?" chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”

📌 Join the shelf-improvement club here

Why Black Friday is a pick me

I asked Google for an official definition of ‘pick me’:

The term also alludes to the idea that “the woman” will do anything for attention or acceptance, similar to a small child who desperately wants to be chosen or noticed.

Pick-me-ism is very misogynistic, I’m putting that aside for this Black Friday commentary. OK?

Black Friday really fits the bill for me. Like a “pick-me,” it craves your attention with flashy deals and promises that “you won’t find this anywhere else”.

It floods your senses, urging you to validate it by spending money you may not have planned to spend.

It’s desperate for your attention and validation, creating a false sense of scarcity (limited time, limited stock etc) and demanding your focus, even if it means compromising your actual needs or priorities.

I also think Black Friday isn’t even that special anymore. You’ll often find sales just as good year-round.

Since Sprint 3 of the challenge is financially focussed, let’s talk the top 3 ways to navigate the upcoming sales mayhem…

Create Pinterest boards (or a wholistic understanding of why you need that thing)

I’m not here to tell you to ‘create a wishlist’. You’ve probably heard of that idea. What I’ll advise is creating a fictional world where the things on your wishlist make 100% sense to have.

That new jacket you want—can you imagine 5+ ways or events you’ll wear it to?
The red light mask—do you currently use every element of your skin care routine, and would the mask slot in easily?

See what I mean? Pinterest is a great way to understand the different ways you’ll use clothing, home wear or gadgets. Make sure you’re not impulsively buying something that doesn’t suit you or your life.

Marinate your purchases

Ok, you’re adding something to cart. Stop there—leave it to marinate for 24 hours. 48, if the Black Friday mayhem allows.

Do you still want the thing? Or did you kind of… forget about it?

I have a ‘marinating list’ in Notion full of things I’ve added to cart and almost checked out on. I can guarantee you I can’t remember why I added half of the things in there to cart 🤭

Audit like a CEO

If you have a wishlist or added things to a cart, review it the day before Black Friday.

Rate each item by utility (how much you’ll actually use it) and joy (how happy it will make you). If it doesn’t score high on both, ditch it. I’m not kidding. Now’s the time to be ruthless—there’s nothing quite like post-sales regret.

→ Life hack: any of these tasks above would count as your daily financial action. So if you’re doing Sprint 3 of the 100 day challenge, being smart about Black Friday will keep you consistent.

This week: planning and action

The daily writing habit from doing the 100 day challenge not only has me being creative everyday, but it has me so inspired every day. I’ve had so many ideas for issues of this newsletter, content, conversation topics… it’s overwhelming but so cool.

Sprint 3 started on Tuesday (12th) and everyone has loved it so far. If you wanna get a head start on your goals, and get your mental, physical, financial and business butt 🍑 in shape—join us.

We’re having a virtual goal planning and retro this evening to ensure Sprint 3 is a success, and I’m sharing the outcome of a calendar experiment in the retro.
On Wednesday we’re also having a content creation focussed co-working session. Only want to join for co-working? Click here.

✍🏽 Comment prompts:

What parts of yourself do you question the most vs feel wildly self-confident in?
Tell me what’s on your BF wishlist. As much as I like to shop smart, I’m also nosy AF. (I’ve got my eye on a red light mask and pilates accessories)
Do you think Black Friday is a pick me? I honestly think the sales aren’t even that rare anymore. I feel like Christmas, NY, and summer sales are the same. Nothing is ever that big a discount anymore.

Black Friday is a pick me

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