Claire Zulkey

Since 2002, Claire Zulkey has run the blog Zulkey.com. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Jezebel, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and the Los Angeles Times. She is the author of the young adult novel An Off Year and will be publishing a middle grade novel with Harper Collins in 2015. She lives in Chicago.

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Work Life

7 Ways Being A Mom Makes Me Better At My Job

These working moms have turned parenthood into professional development.

Work Life

Looking To Give Back At The End Of A Rough 2016? Follow These Examples

Finding meaningful ways to be generous with our time and money is helping a lot of us end a particularly divisive year on a positive note.

Work Life

Are You Crowdsourcing Or Wasting Your Time?

The line between seeking constructive advice online and procrastinating is a fine one. Here’s how to make the most of crowdsourcing.

Most Creative People

Ditch Your Book Club: This AI-Powered Memoir Wants To Chat With You

Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s interactive Textbook uses smart bots to engage with readers in real time. A new tech lit is born.

Work Life

The Software That Airbnb And Kickstarter Have Used To Get Honest Employee Feedback

“Know Your Company” helps CEOs find out the honest answers to questions that employees are otherwise too shy to answer.

Work Life

What I Gained When I Threw In The Towel On Family Dinner

Sometimes, everyone is better off when mom goes on strike.

Most Creative People

The (Hectic, Messy, Sometimes Annoying) Truth About Working From Home

Thirty-seven percent of Americans telecommute, and it has its perks–but also downsides. Such as: You might actually miss your commute.

Most Creative People

5 Creative Ideas For Throwing An Office Holiday Party People Will Love

Because you can do (way) better than white elephant gifts and cookies in the break room.

Most Creative People

Out Of Office With The Founder Of Ghana’s Ashesi University

Patrick Awuah, a 2015 MacArthur Fellow, founded a university to educate Africa’s future leaders. He also plays Words With Friends.

Most Creative People

5 Rules For Building A Family-Friendly Startup For Grownups

Senior-level hires care more about baby-friendly policies than in-office beer pong. Here’s how one CEO created culture for the long haul.

Most Creative People

A MacArthur “Genius Grant” Winner’s Brain-Boosting Pursuits

To get the most out of his time in the lab, University of Chicago computational geneticist John Novembre prioritizes time out of it.

Work Life

15 Apps That Make Freelancer Life Easier

Figuring everything out on your own can be hard, so we asked freelancers what makes their lives easier. Here are their favorite tools.

Most Creative People

How To Quit Your Job While On Maternity Leave

You changed your mind about going back to work after maternity leave (and no, you shouldn’t feel guilty). Here’s how to handle it.

Most Creative People

How To Teach Your Kids About Screens When Screens Are Your Job

Modeling appropriate use of smartphones and the Internet is tricky–especially when you spend most of your waking hours working on them.

Work Life

How My Day Job Prepared Me For Freelance Life

These seven skills learned from years of traditional office jobs have made it easier to adopt to working for myself.

Work Life

How To Master The Fine Art Of The Follow-Up

Here’s your guide to how to (professionally) pester about a job, a pitch, an invoice, and more.

Work Life

How To (Gently) Crush Your Client’s Dreams

When clients have unrealistic goals, how do you bring them back to reality without convincing them to take their business elsewhere?

Most Creative People

Apps For A More Organized Life–And Why They Won’t Work

You can’t tap your way out of your messy life. (We know; we tried.)

Most Creative People

True Confession: I Had A Baby And Now My Dog Is Driving Me Nuts

But that’s okay, says . . . the Humane Society?!

Most Creative People

Why I Stopped Apologizing For Being A Working Mother

Not only is it time to not feel bad about working, it’s time to quit saying we feel bad.

Impact

Al Roker just got back from Greenland, and he’s horrified by what he saw there

Impact

Forests are a big part of the climate solution, but we’re not fixing the problem

Impact

London is going to use heat from the Underground to help heat its homes

Creativity

What we talk about when we talk about Lana Del Rey’s ‘Norman F___ing Rockwell’

Creativity

A shocking 73% of stories on LGBTQ websites are being flagged as unsafe for brands, survey says

Creativity

Let’s talk about SNL’s most important new cast member: Bowen Yang

Co.Design

This smart toilet seat monitors your heart health through your gluteus maximus

Co.Design

Another reason to silence your notifications: They could alter your memory

Co.Design

Claire Zulkey

7 Ways Being A Mom Makes Me Better At My Job

These working moms have turned parenthood into professional development.

Looking To Give Back At The End Of A Rough 2016? Follow These Examples

Finding meaningful ways to be generous with our time and money is helping a lot of us end a particularly divisive year on a positive note.

Are You Crowdsourcing Or Wasting Your Time?

The line between seeking constructive advice online and procrastinating is a fine one. Here’s how to make the most of crowdsourcing.

Ditch Your Book Club: This AI-Powered Memoir Wants To Chat With You

Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s interactive Textbook uses smart bots to engage with readers in real time. A new tech lit is born.

The Software That Airbnb And Kickstarter Have Used To Get Honest Employee Feedback

“Know Your Company” helps CEOs find out the honest answers to questions that employees are otherwise too shy to answer.

What I Gained When I Threw In The Towel On Family Dinner

Sometimes, everyone is better off when mom goes on strike.

The (Hectic, Messy, Sometimes Annoying) Truth About Working From Home

Thirty-seven percent of Americans telecommute, and it has its perks–but also downsides. Such as: You might actually miss your commute.

5 Creative Ideas For Throwing An Office Holiday Party People Will Love

Because you can do (way) better than white elephant gifts and cookies in the break room.

Out Of Office With The Founder Of Ghana’s Ashesi University

Patrick Awuah, a 2015 MacArthur Fellow, founded a university to educate Africa’s future leaders. He also plays Words With Friends.

5 Rules For Building A Family-Friendly Startup For Grownups

Senior-level hires care more about baby-friendly policies than in-office beer pong. Here’s how one CEO created culture for the long haul.

A MacArthur “Genius Grant” Winner’s Brain-Boosting Pursuits

To get the most out of his time in the lab, University of Chicago computational geneticist John Novembre prioritizes time out of it.

15 Apps That Make Freelancer Life Easier

Figuring everything out on your own can be hard, so we asked freelancers what makes their lives easier. Here are their favorite tools.

How To Quit Your Job While On Maternity Leave

You changed your mind about going back to work after maternity leave (and no, you shouldn’t feel guilty). Here’s how to handle it.

How To Teach Your Kids About Screens When Screens Are Your Job

Modeling appropriate use of smartphones and the Internet is tricky–especially when you spend most of your waking hours working on them.

How My Day Job Prepared Me For Freelance Life

These seven skills learned from years of traditional office jobs have made it easier to adopt to working for myself.

How To Master The Fine Art Of The Follow-Up

Here’s your guide to how to (professionally) pester about a job, a pitch, an invoice, and more.

How To (Gently) Crush Your Client’s Dreams

When clients have unrealistic goals, how do you bring them back to reality without convincing them to take their business elsewhere?

Apps For A More Organized Life–And Why They Won’t Work

You can’t tap your way out of your messy life. (We know; we tried.)

True Confession: I Had A Baby And Now My Dog Is Driving Me Nuts

But that’s okay, says . . . the Humane Society?!

Why I Stopped Apologizing For Being A Working Mother

Not only is it time to not feel bad about working, it’s time to quit saying we feel bad.

Impact

Al Roker just got back from Greenland, and he’s horrified by what he saw there

Forests are a big part of the climate solution, but we’re not fixing the problem

London is going to use heat from the Underground to help heat its homes

Creativity

What we talk about when we talk about Lana Del Rey’s ‘Norman F___ing Rockwell’

A shocking 73% of stories on LGBTQ websites are being flagged as unsafe for brands, survey says

Let’s talk about SNL’s most important new cast member: Bowen Yang

Co.Design

This smart toilet seat monitors your heart health through your gluteus maximus

Another reason to silence your notifications: They could alter your memory

Fabric dyes are a toxic problem. These beautiful alternative colors are made out of food waste

Work Life

How the concept of a “hard stop” helped me gain more time in the day

When your body calls time-out

What to do if your boss is professionally ‘breadcrumbing’ you