Restarting > quitting
I missed my last newsletter.
And not in a “whoops, ran out of time” way. In a full-on, stared at the draft, rearranged a paragraph three times, answered three texts, took a coaching call, told myself I’d finish it tomorrow… and then suddenly two weeks had passed kind of way.
Work picked up (which I’m grateful for). Coaching filled my calendar (also grateful). And somewhere in there, I started putting pressure on myself to “get the cadence right” between this newsletter and LinkedIn—to be consistent, polished, on top of it.
Instead, I got overwhelmed.
When I mentioned it to my mom, she didn’t analyze my workflow or ask about my content strategy. She just said, “You’re working really hard. Show yourself some grace.”
It felt very on brand for a newsletter called Mom on the Sidelines. 😉 I even told her I was going to use her encouragement to encourage you because not everyone has a mom telling them to offer themselves grace.
(On that note, if no one’s told you today: you’re crushing it.)
We don’t always get it right. We miss things. We drop balls. We overcommit. We try to be excellent at everything all at once.
The slightly humbling part? I tell my clients this all the time.
You missed a week of your job search plan? Start again.
You avoided networking for a month? Start again.
You sent one application and spiraled? Start again.
Restarting is not failure. Restarting is part of the process.
It turns out, taking your own advice is harder than giving it.
So this is me taking it.
If you’ve let something slide lately—a goal, a routine, a plan you swore you’d stick to—consider this your permission slip. You don’t need a dramatic comeback. You don’t need a perfectly mapped strategy.
You can just begin again.
And I’m really glad you’re here.
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If there’s one thing I know about staying sane during a job search, it’s this: you need a strategy.
And if your Google Calendar looks like a game of Tetris… welllll, that’s not it.
Your week should work for you, not against you.
Last week, I broke down how to stay focused, creative, and sane during those long days of searching.
Instead of telling people what they should do with their résumés, I had a slightly unhinged idea: show what not to do instead.
A couple of weeks ago, I intro’ed The Tuesday Teardown over on LinkedIn—where I break down real résumé examples (anonymized, always) to show the bad, the ugly, and the fixes so you don’t make the same mistakes before hitting submit.
I’m learning TikTok for this. It might be a dumpster fire. But you’ll learn something.
Want to submit your résumé for a future teardown? Reply to this email, and I’ll add you to the lineup.
Beyond the Office
I’m trying something new this week—a little section called Beyond the Office, where I’ll share things I’ve been into lately. I always like hearing what other people are enjoying, so I thought I’d give it a try here too.
Hit reply and let me know if you dig it or could do without it.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. This may say something about my very dry sense of humor, but I was thrilled to see the writers from Derry Girls back at it again. It’s dry, witty, very Irish, and the kind of funny mystery you can curl up with and accidentally finish in a weekend (ask me how I know). Streaming on Netflix.
I’m currently 2% through the modern epic and National Book Critics Circle Award winner, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by poet Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. It’s not a fast read, but it’s a thoughtful one, and I’ve found myself sitting with it long after I close the book.
Need a cozy weeknight meal? I’ve been trying one new recipe a week lately (otherwise I default to the same four meals on repeat), and this One Pot Chicken Dumpling Soup was a winner. Easy, cozy, and ideal for a night when you want something warm without a lot of effort.
Next week is already March 2026, .
If there’s something you’ve set down—a goal, a habit, a plan—where might you give yourself a gentle nudge to pick it back up?
Restarting counts.
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Share this newsletter → If this resonated, forward it to someone who might need the nudge to start again and invite them to subscribe at nicoleflowers.com/newsletter.
