🧑‍💻 Are you guilty of performative work?

Happy Tuesday! It’s September 12 — people are talking about Pelosi’s decision to run for Congress again, the trend of performative work, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

👵🏼 In the news: Pelosi runs for Congress, again

Nancy Pelosi (who will be 84 next year) is running for Congress again. Is the right move, or should she just retire already?

👵🏼 The SF Chronicle says Pelosi’s choice is both selfless and selfish. No one is better than her, but she's also holding younger politicians back.

👵🏼 The Cut is annoyed: Nancy, just retire already. She shouldn’t run again, especially with all the criticism McConnell and Biden are receiving for their age.

👵🏼 But The Independent loves the decision. She’s already made way for younger generations of leadership by giving up the Speaker role. And now she’ll be able to help secure the House in 2024 — that’s huge for democrats.

👵🏼 Regardless, Fox News thinks it’s all about the money. Pelosi’s veteran status in Congress is a major asset for Democratic fundraising — important for 2024.

🧑‍💻 Cultural trend: Performative work

Ever send an email late to make it look like you were working all night? You may be guilty of performative work, which is when you pretend to be busy.

🧑‍💻 Stylist says workers should try to keep performative work to a minimum — it can get in the way of actually getting stuff done.

🧑‍💻 The Economist blames the rise of remote work: Thanks to tech, it's easier to tell when someone's working — and easier to fake being productive.

🧑‍💻 But Corporate Gossip Pod thinks it has always been something people do — it's just more noticeable in the remote working world.

🧑‍💻 BBC had another explanation: It's prevalent because employers and employees don't trust each other. And some employers appreciate the performative work because it gives the illusion of productivity on their team.

🧑‍💻 Either way, the phenomenon seems ingrained. Fast Company: 75% of surveyed employees said performative work was “somewhat important for their professional success”.

Quick hits

⚫ More than 2,000 Libyans are feared dead after massive floods from Storm Daniel swept through the eastern coast of the country. (CNN)

✈️ Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, arrived in Russia to meet with Putin. (NBC News)

🧗‍♂️ Mark Dickey, a 40 year-old American explorer, was stuck in a cave in Turkey for 12 days before being extracted by rescuers. (ABC News)

👊 Sean Strickland upset Israel Adesanya to take the middleweight UFC title, winning by unanimous decision. (Yahoo Sports)

That’s it for today. Reply at [email protected] to let me know what you think of our newsletter, or to suggest a topic for next time.

Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We think it’s a better way to stay informed and see the big picture. Please reach out if you’re curious to learn more!

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)