How To Make Your Brain Younger
Your weekly round up of what's going on in the Admin world
Hello and Happy Friday!
There’s been a really interesting study on something specific that makes our brains younger - definitely worth a read to either gloat, or learn what you can do with your ageing brain (I’m firmly in camp two).
There’s also news of the next EA Awards coming to London in the winter, so you’re going to want to get your nominations in pronto (and I’ll accept NO excuses for people not wanting to vote for themselves - you blow your own trumpet, people!)
It’s still hotter than the sun across Europe this week, so I’ll be sweating in my office for a little longer, complaining whenever I have to step outside. Send help.
Yvette 🌶️
NewsWrap
The Strategic PA Network are hosting their sixth annual awards at The Grove hotel, London on 9th November 2026. The exciting news is that they are accepting nominations for a whole host of categories including VA of the Year, CSR Champion and L&D Trainer of the Year. You can nominate someone else, or you can nominate yourself. I’ve nominated myself before, because who is going to shout up for us if we don’t do it ourselves?!? Nomination entries can be done here
There’s been a study on the link between multilingualism and brain age and it’s not surprising that there appears to be a direct link between the more languages you speak and the age of your brain. It makes sense to me that the more you use something and the more different ways you use it, the stronger it becomes. I’ve been taking some language lessons so I look forward to my brain appearing younger in due course! I learn with a tutor via Preply - you can get 70% off your trial lesson here if you fancy giving it a go.
Delta Airlines have added lower-fare options to their premium cabins - with some trade-offs. Those trade-offs are exactly as you would expect - reduced flexibility, reduced luggage, etc. Could be worth looking into for your next flight - or if you have an exec already booked, you might be able to switch. Of course, check all terms and conditions of your existing booking first - it’s not cheap if you pay twice!
Is your LinkedIn strategy working? With the algorithms they use changing with the seasons, it can be difficult to know what to do and when, to keep up with what’s going to get seen the most. Luckily, they have just posted their latest tips on effective posting, and whilst there’s nothing ground breaking here, it’s worth a refresher because if they are saying it, then you should be doing it. Plug it into your AI tool if you like and ask it to come up with a content strategy based on their tips!
If you live or work in a major city in the US, you might well have spotted the camera-laden Waymo cars driving around. They are currently being tested in London and Tokyo as well. A car without a driver sounds really appealing - certainly to women. However, whilst this story about a Waymo car calling the police when it identified some bad behaviour in one of it’s vehicles sounds good on the surface, the fact that the car was able to disable itself while the police arrived concerned me quite a bit. I don’t know if a human was involved at all, and whether that would make it better or worse. But something doesn’t sit well with me on this one. What do you think?
I had some really interesting comments about this week’s Extra Wrap - with several of you telling me that you felt like you actually became worse at your job when you were working under a micro manager. This has personally happened to me as well - when someone critiques everything you do, as though they are trying to justify their position. Making edits and changes to your work that are wholly unnecessary. All it does it make you question your ability, and then you spend your time trying to do the task in hand their way rather than your way - which quite often can both be perfectly fine. Thank you for sharing your stories and comments 💜
If you missed it - you can catch it here ⬇️ (and if you’re not an Extra Wrap subscriber, you can use your free trial to check it out).
The Second-Guessing Tax
Here’s an uncomfortable thought. You might be measurably worse at your job when you work closely under someone than you are when you’re left alone.
By referring your friends and colleagues to The Admin Wrap, you can earn yourself free access to The Extra Wrap - our in depth thought leadership pieces which are sent out every Monday. Can you make it to the top of the leader board?
🔎 RealityWrap:
Being Hated on Your Exec’s Behalf
Every “no” you deliver isn’t yours, it’s theirs. But you’re the one who has to say it, and you’re the one who gets the look, the sigh, the passive-aggressive follow-up email.
“He’s not available.” “She can’t fit that in.” “That’s not something we can accommodate right now.”
These sound pretty normal and familiar, including the fact that you probably didn’t make the decision, you’re just the one standing in front of it. Eventually, the resentment for the decision transferred from the person who made it to the person who delivered it.
Some execs don’t notice this happens. Others notice exactly what’s happening and let it keep happening, because it’s convenient and keeps them off the hook. If you’re the one saying no, they get to stay the person who’s always so lovely and approachable. You become the gatekeeper and they remain the good guy. Nobody warns you about that trade when you take the job.
I’m pointing it out because it takes its toll on both you and your career. You might not be the villain in these interactions, but it certainly feels like it. Eventually people see you as the person they need to sidestep to get to the top. You’re the bad cop, and you probably don’t even see any benefit from it.
You can’t always change the dynamic, but you can try to stop absorbing it as if it’s a reflection of you. If a particular exec is consistently letting you take the heat for calls that were entirely theirs to own, that’s worth a direct conversation, not resentment that builds for two years until you quit.
You’re allowed to be liked. Being the messenger doesn’t have to mean being the target.
EventWrap
The next cohort for the Carve AI course starts on 21st July for the summer intake. If you’ve been thinking about it, now is your chance to sign up. You can read all the details, including what’s included each week, here
Business Travel Show Europe are hosting a webinar to help you if you are writing an RFP (request for proposal) for your next TMC (travel management company). On this webinar you will be shown how to separate the AI marketing hype from the real information you need. It’s on 22nd July at 1pm EDT - if you can’t make it, or if you’re not quite in TMC RFP territory at the moment, you will have access to the recording - worth saving!
CTRL+ALT+ELITE is back baby!! This new series kicks off on 14th July and will be covering all things Google and Google Workspace Studio. If you’re an EA How To Plus member, it’s absolutely free (which is an absolute STEAL). Check out all the sessions here - you can choose which ones you want to do
For a list of Conferences, head over to the Conferences section in our Ultimate Assistant’s Toolbox.
If you are running an event aimed at administrative professionals, please send me an email and let me know all about it - hello@theadminwrap.com
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