Today I’m veering from the sketch blog norm to share some resources I’ve found helpful on my ongoing quest to get my sh*t together. I’m (mostly) using my downtime for productive, adult-type things (especially since I’m done with wedding planning — yay marriage!), so here are some things I can vouch for:

Podcasts (to listen to while you’re home alone job hunting while your significant other is at work):

• Call Your Girlfriend: A nice mix of pop culture, current events, and helpful lady resources through a feminist lens, hosted by long distance best friends Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow (two ladies who really have their sh*t together)
• How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black: MIB does a stellar job getting well-known folk like Bob Odenkirk and Amy Schumer to narrate how they got where they are today
• 99% Invisible: Cool stories regarding the design behind things we take for granted (like the PDX airport carpet!) — I’ve learned many bits of possibly useful trivia from this podcast
• The Deep End Design: Just started listening to this one yesterday, and it is full of super duper helpful advice for designers like how to set your rates and what to include in your online portfolio
• Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life: Short (10-20 minute) episodes that provide practical information on money matters, like how to improve your credit score and other things I should have learned a long time ago

Websites (to up your adult game):

• The Muse: I enjoy their email newsletter – lots of quick and easy tips to make the job hunt less of a living hell. Their advice on how to answer the most common interview questions has been particularly helpful for me
• DailyWorth: Financial and career advice for the ladies! Some/many of the articles are clickbait-y, but sometimes you just need a good listicle to encourage you to save money and dream about a house you can’t afford
• Red Lemon Club: Good information for graphic designers and other creative folk regarding the business side of things, plus the logo is cute

A Book (to enhance your knowledge of grown-up issues):

• Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry by Helaine Olen: As someone who knew very little about personal finances prior to reading this book (one of the many reasons I picked it up), this was an engaging, thought-provoking read about all of the people who are making bank by exploiting the people who don’t know what to do with their money. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Pound Foolish, and it has prompted me to seek out more personal finance resources so I can do a better job of managing the household moneys.

An irregularly scheduled sketch blog post (with pictures!) will return on Thursday.