Permission to be lazy: Granted.

Do you struggle with the word “no”? This one’s for you. 

WHAT’S ON DECK

• Tell Me More: How Taking One “Lazy Day” Per Week Can Help You Get Ahead

• Troublemaker Spotlight: May Habib, Co-founder and CEO of Writer

• Dear FQ: “Can I Create My Dream Job at My Current Company?”

• Poll the Pack: What Work Habits Do You Want to Change in 2025?

TELL ME MORE

One “lazy day” per week: Granted. More than granted. Encouraged!

One in three full-time employees report working on weekends. Are you one of them? We’re not judging. But while the intention behind going the extra mile on Saturday or Sunday is honorable, you might actually be stifling your own productivity.

Research has linked overworking and working on weekends to sleeping problems, depression and heart disease, to name a few.

Dr. Seun Adigun, a sports chiropractor, biomechanist, and 2x-Olympian knows this all too well. “The most concerning physical impact I see in my patients who choose to 'never rest' is an overstimulated nervous system. That tends to translate as very tight muscles all over the body and muscles that don't function properly—leading to overuse injuries. Many of these avoidable injuries turn into chronic pain and premature surgeries which impact people's overall quality of life.”

Giving your mind and body time to recuperate and reset between work days is essential for your health, but also for productivity, says Mayra Mendez, a licensed psychotherapist. “If work is stressful, demanding, and restricting, taking it home will interfere with mind-body recovery and the recuperation process. The mind needs to decompress and clear.”

So, how can you take this research and approach your weekends differently? The science says: be lazy. Intentionally lazy, that is.

On top of resisting the urge to work, try and allocate one day (or as much of it as you can) to intentionally unproductive time. Whether it’s absorbing a new episode of your favorite series, gardening, or going on a day trip to somewhere new, scheduling “lazy” time is proven to be productive in the long run.

Dr. Adigun clarifies, “The terms 'laziness' and 'weakness' are very relative words and are often misconstrued depending on the situation. Whether I was on my Olympic or sports medicine journey, I knew I could not perform at my best without respecting the need to recover.”

We often think that resting or taking a break is a waste of time, but in fact, the opposite is true. So, on top of fully using your vacation days, make sure your weekends are padded with time spent away from work emails, and Teams or Slack messages.

Feeling pressure to be available 24/7? One study found that up to 63% of employees felt pressure from their employers to work on weekends. Luckily, many companies and even governments are beginning to trust the science and protect employees’ right to work-free weekends. Australia passed legislation for workers’ “Right to Disconnect,” i.e., do not call, do not email, do not Slack during non-work hours. Similar “disconnection” rights already exist in Spain and France. Portugal, Belgium, and Kenya are all proposing similar bills to respect employees’ lives outside of work. The US, which ranks 53rd in the world for work-life balance, could learn a thing or two. When in doubt, take a minute and zoom out. We’re firm believers in work-life boundaries, not work-life balance. AKA, that email can wait…

TROUBLEMAKER SPOTLIGHT

May Habib, Co-Founder and CEO of Writer

May Habib is friends with big numbers. The Harvard grad just closed series-C funding for Writer, the generative AI company she co-founded, to the tune of $200 million at a valuation of $1.9 billion. Described as “a force of nature” by investor Whitney Bouck, May is a trailblazer in the world of AI and lighting the way for more women in tech.

FQ: What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?

MH: There’s a stigma in the industry that women need to act more like men to succeed in the workforce. I’ve never bought into that. Early on in my career, I learned that leading with my feminine perspective, rooted in empathy, collaboration, and trust, would ‌be a strength. Emotion can be used to strengthen and build real, lasting relationships.

Women have an incredible opportunity to shape the future of the workforce, especially in tech. As industries like AI evolve, the stakes are higher than ever—AI can either bridge equity gaps or widen them. That’s why it’s so critical for women already in the industry to support those entering it. The more women we bring in, the more opportunities we create for them to lead, innovate, and inspire others.

What’s the best piece of non-obvious career advice you’ve gotten?

Your customers are your greatest teachers. I’ve spent a lot of time talking with our customers, both at Qordoba and Writer, working backwards from their needs and using those insights to shape our product roadmap and go-to-market strategies. Building with customers in mind has kept us agile and competitive, but more importantly, it's how we’ve been able to move companies past proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide deployment that delivers real ROI.

What was a “heartbeat moment” for you in your career?

The biggest “heartbeat moment” in my career was making the pivot to Writer from Qordoba. My co-founder, Waseem Alshikh, and I had initially been focused on using natural language processing to automate language localization for companies, but as we started using transformers in our work, it became clear that generative AI had radical potential—especially for the complex needs of enterprise users. Once we saw the potential, we couldn't walk away from it.

We saw early on that this technology could completely rewire how enterprises work. But to drive real change, simply wrapping generative AI around our existing platform wouldn’t deliver meaningful value. Enterprises need accuracy, efficiency, and scalability, and we knew we had to build a full-stack, purpose-built platform from the ground up.

This was in 2020—well before ChatGPT brought generative AI into the mainstream. Building our own LLMs from scratch was a bold move, but solving real enterprise challenges creates a different level of innovation. Our decision to build a full-stack platform, rather than rely on existing solutions, wasn’t an easy path, but it was absolutely the right decision.

This move was a defining moment because it required both a gut decision and the conviction to think bigger about the problem we were solving and who we were building for. It ties back to a core value for Waseem and me since the beginning: “Leave no user behind.” Putting people first is central to everything we do, and this relentless focus has been the foundation of Writer’s success today.

Where have you caused some good trouble in your career?

I’m not afraid to speak candidly in front of a crowd and say what everyone else is thinking. Over the years, I’ve gotten comfortable with discomfort because I’ve seen how necessary those honest, sometimes tough conversations are for driving real change. If we’re unwilling to challenge the way things are done or ask those tough questions, we’ll miss the chance to grow and evolve.

For AI to truly deliver on its transformative potential, organizations need to embrace this same mindset. Leaders who lean into this discomfort—and help teams do the same—are in the best position to harness AI’s full potential and keep their organizations competitive.

DEAR FQ

Your burning career questions answered

Heather Flemming of The Female Quotient weighs in:

Great question, and good for you for identifying that you’re driven to do and accomplish more. Have an honest conversation with yourself and identify your passions: What excites you about your work? What are your career goals? If you could take a job elsewhere, what would it look like?

Then, look at where you are now. Can you create aspects of that role at your current company in a way that brings value to the organization?

When it comes to making it all happen, it will be up to you to take the initiative at your current workplace. Start by:

• Scheduling 15-minute coffee chats with colleagues from different departments to gain new perspectives and opportunities. (Don't be shy to reach out to colleagues you've never met before!)

• Enrolling in online courses, attending industry conferences, or even finding a YouTube rabbit hole on a subject you're curious about. All of these will help you stay updated and acquire new skills.

• Volunteering for projects, cross-training in other departments, or even offering to mentor a new team member.

As you’re making these changes, think about pivoting with positivity.

• Proactively suggest innovative solutions and improvements to your team or company.

• Work with your team and even other departments within your organization to identify projects that align with your interests and can challenge you. Don't be shy to explore projects that straddle multiple teams—that's where innovation happens!

• Have an honest talk with your manager. Come prepared with specific ideas on how you can contribute even more—showing initiative, creativity, and your commitment to growth.

Remember, jobs are like relationships. The grass is greener where you water it! Your career growth is in your hands.

P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.

POLL THE PACK

Employees aim to take control of work-life boundaries in 2025

We love this for 45% of you because it’s all 👏 about 👏 boundaries 👏

Does work-life balance exist? According to The Female Quotient Founder and CEO Shelley Zalis, “There is no such thing as balance.” Instead of chasing a balance that will most likely leave you guilt-ridden one way or another, try setting boundaries that reflect your priorities. If you’re a founder, CEO, or leader, that includes giving your team mental health days or even “wellness weeks” like we have at The Female Quotient to signal that you recognize rest is important.

Not in a position to call the shots? You still have control over some powerful levers, like your priorities, time, communication, and the word “no.” 

According to Forbes, setting boundaries protects your well-being, fosters a sense of safety, contributes to healthier relationships, and even boosts your self-esteem. Take time to define your priorities and then sketch out how you plan to stick to them.

You deserve to experience your out-of-office life fully, and boundaries can help you get there. Cheers to setting and defining your goals for 2025!

Happy New Year from all of us at The FQ! Got big plans for 2025? You’re in the right place. 

Xo,

The FQ