TikTok has been around long enough at this point to not be the thing the cool kids are doing anymore. TikTok now has over 138 million active users in the US alone and a whopping 52.6% of its users are above the age of 30! Regardless, it can be an amazing place to find cute dog videos, dance trends, both delicious and horrifying recipe videos, and yes, helpful tips to make your work life better. If you haven’t downloaded the TikTok app, take this as a sign that it’s time for you to join the 2020s and check out these accounts that Apra Greater Houston board members, Ashley Estes and Amanda Whiteside recommend:
Ashley’s Recs:
I’m currently living very focused on self-care and wellness, and I think there’s so much value for us as nonprofit employees to find resources that we can use to take care of our own mental health, create work-life balance, and keep to those boundaries we set with our employer.
- Nedra Tawwab (https://www.tiktok.com/@nedratawwab) is a therapist and New York Times bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace. Her TikTok account is full of wonderful videos breaking down how people interact and how we can better understand each other and create healthy boundaries with the toxic people in our lives. She provides recommendations on how we can grow and tools we can use to get out of our own way. Her insights have been earth-shattering at times for me. I send a lot of her videos to my husband.
- Anu Gupta (https://www.tiktok.com/@bemorewithanu) is a lawyer, educator, scientist, and the founder of BE MORE with Anu. He has synthesized his skills as an attorney, research scientist, and meditation teacher to build programs centered on advancing equity and belonging. His TikTok videos focus on meditation and mantras of the day, in addition to a handful on how to deal with bias. It’s nice to start your day with a quiet moment of positivity. Anu’s voice is so calming and he’s truly interested in breaking bias in our world and helping us all become stronger and more at peace.
- Miss Excel (https://www.tiktok.com/@miss.excel) is an account that I’ve found super helpful as I work a lot in Excel. Miss Excel shares tips and tricks on how to perform complex functions or shortcuts to perform common tasks. I’ve found a number of her videos have given me ideas in further customizing the reports I build to make them even more consumable by the gift officers or development leadership.
- My last recommendation is The Excel Team (https://www.tiktok.com/@the.excel.team). Another Excel-based account that has provided so many shortcut tips and formatting ideas. Additionally, she acts out work scenarios between colleagues, and it’s so charming. A lovely one-woman, Excel-based, show.
Amanda’s Recs:
I tend to let the algorithm tell me what I need at any given moment, and the algorithm has definitely figured me out! When it isn’t showing me videos of cows loving life or cats getting up to mischief, it gives me helpful hints for life – including for work!
- This isn’t a creator, but simply a one-off tip for those of us who use Microsoft Teams. You can change your Teams tone to liven up your day! This tip certainly has made taking video calls more enjoyable!
- Want to level up your soft skills? I highly recommend Dr. Ben Crosby of triviumu (https://www.tiktok.com/@triviumu). He is a Professor of Rhetoric and a Communication Skills Coach, and his videos focus on research and tips on how to interview, communicate, and improve your soft skills overall. He has different series on interviewing, public speaking, and how to improve your communication skills. I find I particularly enjoy that his tips are often grounded in research, which makes sense considering his academic background.
- Leigh of HRManifesto (https://www.tiktok.com/@hrmanifesto) does a great job of blending hilarious stories and sharing relatable bad manager experiences while letting viewers know what is and is not supposed to be expected in workplaces. Although not non-profit specific, I appreciate her humorous approach to talking about work situations, and think they are often great reminders of how to be a good co-worker.
- Who knew Excel was such a common topic on TikTok? One of my favorite Excel accounts is Grant of excel.withgrant (https://www.tiktok.com/@excel.withgrant). He gives mostly hot-key tips, which over time are really speeding up any manipulation I have to do in Excel. His videos are short and to the point, which I appreciate.
Happy scrolling!
Apra Greater Houston Blog 