Maya Angelou & Haruki Murakami

Our aim at Athena is to give you your time back so you can spend it in the ways that matter most.

In each issue of our newsletter you’ll get unique delegation tips.

Maya Angelou & Haruki Murakami

Maya Angelou rented a hotel room in every town she lived in.

Not to sleep in.

To write.

Each morning, she'd arrive by 6:30 am and write lying across the bed until early afternoon. Her elbow grew calloused from the hours. She never let staff change the bedding – she wasn't there to sleep.

Haruki Murakami took a different (but equally disciplined) approach:

"When I'm in writing mode for a novel, I get up at four a.m. and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for ten kilometers or swim for fifteen hundred meters (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at nine p.m. I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it's a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind."

Two creative legends with completely different rituals but one shared principle:

Greatness isn't born from bursts of inspiration. It's often built from fiercely protected routines.

Calm hotel room. Intense work sessions followed by even more intense exercise.

Whatever works for you.

The purpose behind it is what actually matters: building a fortress around your focus.

Fake Job Seekers Are Infiltrating Remote Companies

Recent reports from CNBC and The Week highlight an alarming rise in fake job applicants using sophisticated AI tools — fabricating resumes, falsifying IDs, and even conducting deepfake video interviews.

Gartner predicts that by 2028, 1 in 4 job candidates globally could be fraudulent, posing risks like data breaches, malware, and financial harm.

At Athena, we protect your data, trust, and security with robust safeguards built into every part of our operations.

Here’s how:

1. In-person verification

   Unlike companies relying solely on virtual screening, Athena conducts final-stage interviews and training in-person at our physical offices, thoroughly verifying each employee’s identity face-to-face.

2. Established legal entities and background checks

   Athena maintains legal entities in every country where we operate—ensuring we can proactively enforce accountability, prosecute fraud, and conduct extensive background checks to eliminate impostors.

3. Secure, company-owned devices with remote lockdown

   Every Athena assistant has always used a company-owned and managed laptop equipped with advanced desktop monitoring software, allowing immediate detection and remote disablement (“bricking”) if any suspicious activity occurs.

In an era of increasing fraud and sophisticated impostors, Athena's proactive protections ensure your assistant is exactly who they claim to be:

Verified, trustworthy, and secure.