Portfolio & Featured Work - Alyssa Towns

Portfolio

I love writing about the career world, whether that's a piece on developing leadership skills, effectively setting goals, or integrating your career into your life meaningfully. I'm also slightly obsessed with time management and productivity tips because time is the only thing we can never get back, so we might as well make the most of it, right?

Below are some of my favorite pieces, or you can browse my full portfolio on Authory, which is embedded below.

Creating a Change Management Communications Plan: A Guide for IC and HR Pros

Managing change is one thing; communicating changes to others is another. It’s not uncommon for organizations to task their internal communicators (ICers) and human resources (HR) professionals with the ultimate challenge of communicating a significant change. That might be a company-wide restructure, the celebration of a new acquisition, major rebrand, or something else bound to shake the stable ground.

Mockup of a cell phone with calendars floating around it

Find a Meeting Time that Works for All Attendees | Clockwise

Years ago, I regularly scheduled group meetings for busy executives across congested calendars and different time zones worldwide. No matter how much I wanted to help, I can still recall what it felt like to have a CEO (or another leader) walk hurriedly toward my desk and say something like, “Can you find a time that works for everyone on this list to meet in the next couple of days?” My palms would immediately start sweating, and my heart rate would skyrocket as nervousness set in.

The History of Social Media: From ARPANET to TikTok

What if you had to send your friends and family a handwritten letter whenever you wanted to know what they’ve been up to?

Or what if you had to find a time in your busy schedule to meet in person to catch up and connect?

Believe it or not, people kept in touch through letters, landline phones, and in-person connections at restaurants and other locations before the dawn of social media.

How empathetic are you? Unlock your EQ potential

Empathy is the ability to tune into and understand others' emotions, even when their perspectives differ from your own. It allows us to connect with others based on our awareness of their feelings.

Drawing of a happy robot sitting and reading a book, surrounded by stacks of books

Was This Written by AI? Distinguish Mind from Machine

In today's digital age, distinguishing between human-written and AI-generated content has become increasingly challenging. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, its ability to mimic human writing is more convincing than ever, leaving readers questioning the authenticity of what they read.

Person with headphones sitting at a table staring at their open laptop

How to Avoid Over-Scheduling and Improve Work-Life Balance | Clockwise

“Sure, I’ll add that task to my to-do list!” she says with a list that’s 30+ items deep. ‍“Yeah, I can attend that meeting; no problem!” he grumbles, as this will be his eleventh meeting this week. ‍“Let’s catch up over coffee this week!” I say, only to immediately panic because I have no idea where I’ll be able to fit in a coffee run. ‍Overscheduling in the workplace is a byproduct of our culture's championing of busyness, achievement, and success in the race to the top.

Laptop sitting on a desk with a background from The Everygirl

This Productivity Method Could Be the Answer to Burnout

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where, despite trying numerous productivity hacks and maintaining effective self-care routines, you’re still striving for more and feeling utterly drained? In particular, knowledge workers (anyone who adds value to the workplace by providing knowledge and information, like engineers, accountants, marketers, and academics) and anyone else spending their time on digital devices are experiencing incurable busyness, constant distractions, and overwhelming levels of exhaustion.

Cartoon illustration of an AI generated art piece showing Monty from G2

The Rise of AI-Generated Art: From Algorithms to Aesthetics

When navigating the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), the arts and creative industry isn’t exempt.

Thanks to AI-generated art, you can imagine an image in your mind, turn it into a text prompt, and watch your words transform into an image in minutes.

Group of board game pieces wearing headphones

Unraveling the Impact of Fragmented Time on Productivity | Clockwise

Nearly four years into “new” ways of working, many organizations are still trying to manage and reduce fragmented time.

Fragmented time refers to a workplace phenomenon commonly seen across knowledge work, in which we experience the workday split into numerous and tiny fragments filled with small, sometimes insignificant tasks.

Cartoon illustration of an About Us webpage

Your About Us Page Should Standout: Tips for a Compelling One

An About Us page is like a first-round interview, with your customers asking questions to determine whether you’re a good fit.

“Who are you?”

“What can you do for me?”

“Why should I care about your brand?”

It’s your chance to make a rockstar first impression and keep customers returning for more.

Pattern of books neatly organized

Books on Productivity That Are Worth Your Time | Clockwise

Productivity books sometimes get a bad rap for pushing “hustle culture” and a relentless obsession with work. I get where people are coming from when they feel this way—working all week and spending free time reading books about how to work better, faster, and more efficiently can make it seem like productivity books are pushing workaholic ideals.

Person sitting at a tabletop next to a plant smiling behind them

How to Politely Decline a Meeting Invite | Clockwise

Picture this: you’re merrily tapping away at your keyboard, cruising your way through your to-do list, crossing items off left and right with your favorite color highlighter when an invitation for a “Project Sync” pops up on your Google Calendar. You pause for a moment, feeling distracted and caught off guard. The meeting is in a few hours, and you need to be in the loop on the project your teammates will discuss, but is there a better way?

Partial screenshot of Gmail inbox window on a laptop

How to Streamline Email for Effective Communication | Clockwise

These are the types of emails that send me spiraling like Ron Swanson from the hit series Parks and Recreation:

Maybe this example is exaggerated, but you get the point.

I searched high and low for recent statistics on the number of emails the average knowledge worker receives daily, and I kept running into a McKinsey study from 2012. At the time, McKinsey reported that knowledge workers spent 28 hours each week writing emails, searching for information, and collaborating internally.

Pattern of notepads, pens, and books neatly organized

Level Up Your One-on-One Meeting Agendas | Clockwise | Clockwise

Mark Zuckerberg once shared that the secret to his business relationship with Sheryl Sandberg resulted from weekly one-on-one meetings. But it’s not enough to spend time together—the agenda for the meeting has the power to make all the difference.

Person working on her laptop and smiling

Code Like a Boss: Personal Productivity for Software Engineers | Clockwise

The most effective and successful software engineers have one thing in common—they’re personal productivity pros! The engineering field has distractions, competing priorities, growing to-do lists, too many meetings, and other sneaky time thieves.

Insanely productive software engineers move things forward in magical ways. If you’re an engineer looking to improve your personal productivity skills, we’ve got you covered.

Illustration of three clocks to demonstrate time management

7 Tips for Improving Time Management Skills | Clockwise

On an episode of the television series “Shameless,” Lip Gallagher works in a kitchen restaurant while going to school. He asks his boss if he can leave early to study for his literature exam, but he denies his request. In a moment of tough love, Lip’s boss tells him that he sees other students struggling to balance their priorities all the time, and they get there with the help of three words — time management skills.

Three people sitting at a table working with laptops and notepads

The Surprising Trait That May Be Affecting Your Productivity

Do you ever feel like no matter how many productivity hacks, time management tips, or The Everygirl desk essentials you buy, you still aren’t operating at your peak productivity levels?

We’ve all heard the same advice from productivity experts everywhere, “Wake up an hour earlier!” or “Have you tried [insert time management strategy here]? It’s a total game-changer.” We live in a world where productivity is always top of mind, but sometimes, something still feels off no matter how many strategi

Cartoon person juggling clocks, emails, and Slack messages

Context Switching: The High-Cost Productivity Killer | Clockwise

What would you say if I asked you to describe how your typical workday goes, start to finish? Not the perfectly smooth and organized day you plan on paper when you get to your desk first thing in the morning, but how your day actually looks.

I’ll start. I first look at my calendar and make a daily to-do list while I clean out my inbox. The day often begins quietly, and sometimes if I’m lucky, I’m able to dig into a project before I attend my first meeting.

Cartoon salesperson and customer shaking hands with a heart drawn around them

Customer Marketing

Customer marketing increases retention, brand loyalty, revenue, and social proof. Learn how to build effective customer marketing strategies.

Cartoon-like laptop with sticky notes on it displaying a clock in the center of the screen

7 Tips & Tools to Manage Your Time as a Freelancer | Clockwise

In this post, we’re sharing seven tips (and some tool recommendations) for how to effectively manage your time as a freelancer (backed by freelancers themselves).

Stairs leading up to a welcome sign and balloons

Onboarding

Onboarding processes are designed to integrate new employees into their organization. Learn more about the stages of onboarding and best practices.

Time and effort graph visualizing Parkinson's Law

Overcome Parkinson's Law to Get More Done in Less Time | Clockwise

Work expands to fill our time. Read about Parkinson's Law and how to overcome it!

Open window with a small pot of flowers on the ledge

Window of Opportunity

Windows of opportunity are critical periods for taking action or making a decision. Learn about the benefits, factors, and how to spot them.

Laptop emoji shown for Monday through Thursday, and the palm tree emoji shown on Friday

The Benefits of a Four Day Work Week | Clockwise

Read now to learn everything you need to know about the four-day workweek and the future of work.

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Lifestyle Portfolio

As an added bonus, here are a few of my favorite lifestyle pieces I've written. Enjoy!

Business Insider

Flight attendants walking through the airport and talking to each other

Business Insider

13 things you should never do on an airplane, according to flight attendants

Business Insider asked current and former flight attendants what travelers should avoid doing on airplanes.

Here's what the professionals said.

Business Insider

Artistic staircases with small people climbing up them

Business Insider

An expert in color psychology details how 5 bedroom shades can positively affect your mood

From blues to blushes, the colors in your bedroom can affect the energy of your space. Insider spoke with the color-psychology expert Amy Wax about the positive benefits certain shades can have on your mood and energy.

This article is part of The Well-Designed Life, a series about optimizing your well-being through spatial design.

Couple getting married on the beach

These 12 Kauai Wedding Venues Are Truly Breathtaking

These wedding venues in Kauai are sure to wow.

The island of Kauai, also known as the Garden Isle, is a tropical paradise filled with natural beauty, magnificent beaches, native plants and wildlife—and some truly spectacular Kauai wedding venues. Sitting northwest of Oahu, the island of Kauai is the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands and is home to Waimea Canyon State Park and the Na Pali Coast State Park. Not to mention the heavenly Hanalei Bay makes for incredible scenery.

Business Insider

Business Insider

A local's ultimate guide to visiting Denver

At 5,280 feet above sea level, Denver offers a variety of activities for visitors amid its gorgeous landscapes and bustling downtown.

Features

Here are some of the pieces I've been featured or quoted in.

Blonde woman wearing a flower top and smiling at the camera

SHOUTOUT COLORADO

Meet Alyssa Towns | Freelance Writer & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alyssa Towns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, what matters most to you?

As I continue to navigate my career journey and life path, time consistently sits at the top of my values list. Time is a scarce and precious resource, and how we spend our time and who we spend it with is all we can say we have in the end. It’s not your fancy job title, the amount of money sitting in your bank account, or material possessions that matter, nor

Change Management Activity to Make Your Workplace's Change Management Effective | Scribe

By nature, humankind is resistant to change. But when you work in an organization, especially with a dynamic environment, change is bound to happen. It can be as simple as training employees on new technology or as complex as merger and acquisition.

Cartoon-like microphone and computer screen

10 Tips for Maximizing Freelancing Website Conversions

Did you know that almost 50% of the global workforce are freelancers? That’s 1.57 billion people or a mindblowing amount of talented workers.

If anything, that proves that freelancing is here to stay. But most importantly, it shows that freelancing is incredibly competitive, and you need to stand out from the crowd for success.

That’s where a well-designed website comes into play.

Task list with a highlighted box around "take a walk"

A No-BS Guide to Self-Reflection in the Workplace (Insights From Over 20 Marketers and Founders) - Sunsama Blog

Have you ever felt completely daunted by your to-do list? Running at 200 miles per hour — but with no clear direction of where you’re going?

Or felt like you’re working harder than ever but getting less done?

If you or anyone you know has these symptoms, there’s some terrible news: You might be totally, absolutely…normal.

Screenshot of the homescreen of helpareporter.com

How to write a HARO pitch by Melissa King

To help prevent this, freelance writer Alyssa Towns adds the following blurb to her HARO queries:

"You have a higher likelihood of being featured if your initial reply contains answers to the questions in the query. I will follow up with you if I have any questions about your response or need more details. Please do not pitch individuals for interviews."

Screenshot of an online newsletter called The Clever Week

The Clever Week #032

42 Freelancers to Follow on Twitter Today

Having a thriving community can make all the difference as a freelancer. When you put time and energy into building your network, it can reward you tenfold. The freelancers you connect with and learn from are experiencing the same highs and lows as you. They can comfort you on the tough days, inspire you on the best days, and swap notes and funny stories in between.

Team of cartoon people and creatures high-fiving and help one another

How To Create A Supportive Company Culture That Isn’t Just For Looks by Kat Boogaard

There’s one more thing to keep in mind: When employees actually do take their well-deserved PTO, they shouldn’t be bombarded with emails and pings while they’re out. In fact, make your best effort to avoid contacting them at all. “To me, this indicates a respect for boundaries,” says Alyssa Towns, a Business Operations Specialist at Adswerve and a freelance writer.

Woman wearing a hat and leaning over an outdoor stairway railing smiling

Meet Alyssa Towns | Freelance Writer & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alyssa Towns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, what role has risk played in your life or career?

Growing up, I was never a risk-taker. The mere idea of taking risks and stepping outside my comfort zone was a concept I was unwilling to explore. I enjoyed operating and, more specifically, excelling within the confined bounds of my comfort zone. After college, I worked at a desk job that I loved but felt unchallenged by. For the first

Cartoon person surrounded by urgent to-do lists with exclamation points

How To Prioritize Tasks As A Team When Everything Seems Important by Kat Boogaard

That’s where this strategy comes into play. “Align team and project work with business objectives,” advises Alyssa Towns, a freelance writer and Business Operations Specialist at Adswerve. Take each task on your team’s to-do list and ask yourself: Which broader business goal does this task support? This is helpful for a few reasons.