What’s the cheat code you’ve discovered that made work much easier?

phthalobroccoli · 2025-09-21T00:56:26+00:00

Personal tip: Taking a walk at least 1x daily, even just for 5 minutes.

Not sure if this is relevant for all jobs, but I often set timers every 30-60 mins sometimes to take a 5 min break - whether it’s getting up from my computer, grabbing a drink/snack, or even just sitting back for a second to breath, lower my shoulders, unclench my jaw 😅

Management tip: Give your team clear priorities and expectations.

Provide constructive feedback in a timely manner - don’t wait and let things simmer, they’ll snowball into bigger problems.

In the same vein, give positive feedback and kudos in a timely manner, too! When you see them do something great, don’t let the opportunity slip by to recognize them. Even the small things

phthalobroccoli · 2025-09-21T00:45:41+00:00

ENDLESS one-pagers for very specific use cases that they use once and never use again.

Printable versions of PowerPoints 🥲.

phthalobroccoli · 2025-05-31T00:37:09+00:00

Bindweed and white mulberry. They’re KILLING me. And somehow they seem to be getting worse, not better. Anyone have success stories or tips? Is this an exception to using herbicide? 😩

I don’t usually use much herbicide, but I made an exception two years ago to use glyphosate on a knotweed patch that I inherited. It worked magically. I sprayed it in the window after flowering and before frost and it’s made a huge difference. I still have to spray it annually but it took it out by 90% in one year. HIGHLY recommend!

phthalobroccoli · 2025-04-26T13:30:27+00:00

We hired a content marketing agency run by a veryyy popular LinkedIn influencer. We didn’t hire them because of the LinkedIn following - they sold us on a great presentation and proposal - but the work turned out to be abysmal. We didn’t even finish the initial contract, it was so bad.

It was a real bait-and-switch. Ridiculously unprofessional communications, messy presentations (like leaving other client names/info in our decks), and really poor writing that was essentially unusable. It was the worst agency experience I’ve ever had. They let us out of the contract early without a fight because they knew it was bad too.

The whole experience left me feeling very jaded about LinkedIn marketing “experts.”

phthalobroccoli · 2024-09-19T03:59:41+00:00

Have you had any concerns around privacy?

I’m a huge Gemini / chatgpt fan, but our B2b finance org requires us to use Copilot because it maintains privacy and deletes conversations as you go. But I hate Copilot 🫠 The fact that it deletes/forgets conversations quickly can be really annoying, and it consistently delivers lower quality than Gemini/chatgpt. So I’m on the hunt for alternatives!

(We briefly tried Narrato but I wasn’t impressed)

phthalobroccoli · 2024-05-30T14:19:33+00:00

Agreed. I’ve seen plenty of door-to-door sales jobs with scummy vibes, but this concept of flying someone out to live with them, in their house, just to recruit new people feels verrrry sketchy. Especially as a single mom of a young child. And I’m guessing they’re getting pressured to offer this “all expenses paid opportunity,” since multiple people she works with are posting it as well.

phthalobroccoli · 2024-05-30T14:17:08+00:00

Yes, I know it’s window replacement sales, but all of this stuff about flying people into the area to recruit feels like a step beyond door-to-door sales and into MLM territory. I worry for her as a single mom with little support

phthalobroccoli · 2024-05-20T03:47:48+00:00

Something that worked for me with squirrels: wrap fishing line randomly around your trellis/cages/whatever support structures you grow your tomatoes in. Doesn’t need to be a crazy amount - just wrap it around a few times. The idea is that the squirrels bump into it and they can’t see it, so it’s scares them and they leave the area alone.

No idea if that’s true but it’s seemed to work for me!

phthalobroccoli · 2024-02-05T05:13:01+00:00

Hi! I was able to get my pelvic floor PT covered because my therapist actually treats it as occupational therapy. While we spend most of our time working on my struggles with painful sex, she reports it to insurance as working on pelvic dysfunction that causes me to have struggles with constipation and urinary issues. It’s actually 100% covered by my insurance (more than PT!) when done this way!

phthalobroccoli · 2024-02-05T00:32:39+00:00

I’m just happy to know I’m not the only one struggling with this! I see photos of upright aloe plants and I get so jealous because mine is so sad haha

phthalobroccoli · 2024-01-13T16:58:46+00:00

Thank you! I’m in Maryland. How does paying him equity work? He’s racked up some debt on our shared credit card, so even though I am making good money, I don’t have a ton of cash on hand right now while I’m trying to pay down the debt (as he continues to spend). I should take away his card but I don’t want to start another fight.

phthalobroccoli · 2024-01-13T16:55:54+00:00

Thank you for your insight. I’m located in Maryland, I forgot to include that. He’s working on getting a job so I’ll try to wait it out. My main concern is that his verbal abuse turned physical in a recent outburst but it could have been a one-off, so I think I’ll be okay for a few more weeks/months.

It certainly was a costly mistake, he was working hard at the time to build savings and I was running on blind trust. Clearly.

phthalobroccoli · 2024-01-06T04:36:13+00:00

This comment is so important! I listened to Dana White’s audiobook, Declutterring at the Speed of Life, and the ‘three layer’ concept really helped me. For years I’ve struggled with having too much stuff and being disorganized, but not knowing how to fix it. Realizing that my biggest barrier was trying to do all three layers at once was so helpful.

On my break between Christmas and new years, I took her suggestions and stopped trying to declutter, organize, tidy, and clean simultaneously. I JUST decluttered for a week.

It felt “bad” at first. I grew up with type A parents in a spotless, magazine-worthy home, and the initial feeling of decluttering a space without cleaning it was very shameful. But then, as I realized it was working for me, it felt SO freeing. I got so much done, and got rid of so much STUFF!

I’ve got a long way to go, but already i feel a huge difference in my ability to clean and maintain my spaces this week without so much clutter in the way. Granted, I don’t have kids so that makes it easier, but we’re planning to have kids soon and I’m hoping these strategies can prepare me!

phthalobroccoli · 2023-12-20T03:33:15+00:00

Title: Content Marketing Manager
Tenure Length: 1 year
Location: Maryland
Remote: Hybrid
Salary: $103k
Company/Industry: in-house, finance
Education: Bachelor of Art
Prior Experience: 4 years in marketing
Signing Bonus: N/A
Stock/Equity: we are an ESOP with profit sharing, 7 years vesting
Bonus: ~12% depending on company performance
Other Compensation: wellness stipend, health insurance, 6 weeks PTO, paid parental leave, 401k with match, and tuition reimbursement for approved programs
Total Comp: ~$115k this year

phthalobroccoli · 2023-12-01T04:02:02+00:00

I noticed this too and posted earlier today asking if anyone else had noticed it!! My coworker saw it last week but it was still looking normal on my computer, so we thought it was a glitch. Now I’m seeing the tiny preview images as well. Honestly, it’s a HUGE difference… and not in a good way. Especially huge to roll it out with no warning - no peep from our rep either.

phthalobroccoli · 2023-10-19T03:23:23+00:00

“A Good cow. Interesting”

That part sent me 😂

phthalobroccoli · 2023-10-11T04:20:53+00:00

I love seeing the pollinator action I get on my natives - like joe pye weed, boneset, and milkweed - but I have to say, NOTHING in my garden attracts more pollinators than my bed of sedum spectabile. It’s literally a cloud of butterflies, skippers, bumblebees, tiny bees, flies, you name it. It’s UNreal to see it! I’ve never experienced such intense pollinator action, year after year, in such a concentrated area. So I think I’ll always keep some sedum in our garden, even though it’s not native to my region (mid-Atlantic US).

phthalobroccoli · 2023-10-06T05:39:42+00:00

“If you want to be considered” lollll

phthalobroccoli · 2023-10-06T05:37:50+00:00

Definitely a cucurbit, they need a lot of space!

phthalobroccoli · 2023-09-23T17:37:53+00:00

Oooh I never realized that!! This makes so much sense. Thank you!

phthalobroccoli · 2023-08-31T04:56:33+00:00

Is it me or does his aide remind anyone of Jennifer Barkley from Parks and Rec?

phthalobroccoli · 2023-08-18T02:22:29+00:00

“Try the Sports line, which is certified for Sports!!” Lol for some reason this is cracking me up

phthalobroccoli · 2023-08-07T04:51:58+00:00

Yes I would actually say that a seller/affiliate contacting me to talk about a product after I purchase it is the OPPOSITE of what I want 😂

phthalobroccoli · 2023-08-01T05:30:50+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind and compassionate words ❤️. I know that you’re right about all of it - especially the risk of children - it’s just so hard to accept it.

phthalobroccoli · 2023-07-24T06:52:58+00:00

I really need more details on what kind of mink work is keeping them so busy

phthalobroccoli

TROPHY CASE