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Thirsty Thursday #181

#ThirstyThursday Issue #181

Apr 30, 2025
A cute cartoon of two snakes getting married, one in a tux and the other in a veil, next to the joke: โ€œIf two snakes marry, what will their towels say?โ€

Click the image for the punchline ๐Ÿ‘†.

โœ… Today’s Checklist:ย 

  • How to win at office politics without selling your soul
  • Why your age doesnโ€™t define your potential
  • 5 stress-hacks that actually work
  • 10 social media ads guaranteed to make laugh

QUICK LINKS

๐Ÿ‘ต 3 ways to support and empower older employees.

๐Ÿงฒ This ATS roundup makes finding top talent less of a slog.

๐Ÿ“š 17 standout books to transform your time management.

๐ŸŒ€ Cycle syncing: The key to better health & a stronger mind-body connection.

CAREER

A video still with a woman speaking, overlaid with large teal text reading โ€œWhat is in it for them,โ€ about effective communication strategies.

5 Power Moves To Win at Office Politics

 

Takeaways:

  • Elevate your boss for mutual benefit. Actively support your bossโ€™s success and look for win-win opportunitiesโ€”this not only strengthens your relationship but can also unlock new career growth.
  • Build a standout professional brand and know your unique value. Cultivating a strong reputation and understanding your unique impact helps you rise above the noise and play office politics with intention.
  • Understand what drives others. Tuning into the motivations and needs of colleagues (even difficult ones) helps you navigate dynamics more effectively and build lasting influence.

Watch the YouTube.

EXPENSE MANAGEMENT

A bold, playful illustration of a yellow clipboard, dollar bill, and calculator overlapping against a bright blue backgroundโ€”representing expense management in action.

How to Manage Expenses Without Losing Your Mind

 

Tired of the monthly โ€œwhere did all the money go?โ€ scramble?

Whether youโ€™re running a business, leading a team, or juggling multiple vendors and contractors, managing expenses shouldnโ€™t feel like a second job. If your current system involves spreadsheets, email threads, and last-minute reimbursements, hereโ€™s how to make things a whole lot easier:

โœ… Set clear approval workflows โ€” Know who needs to sign off and when. No more chasing down โ€œCan you approve this?โ€ messages.

โœ… Keep everything in one place โ€” Centralize receipts, invoices, and payments so nothing falls through the cracks.

โœ… Automate the boring stuff โ€” Manual data entry? Miss us with that. The right tool should do the heavy lifting.

โœ… Track cash flow in real time โ€” Visibility = power. Especially when youโ€™re making decisions on the fly.

Bill.com simplifies everything from bill pay to reimbursementsโ€”so you can stay organized, get approvals faster, and pay people on time without stress.

  • Snap a photo of a receipt or forward it via emailโ€”itโ€™s instantly logged.
  • Set up custom approval chains, so the right eyes see each expense.
  • Pay vendors and reimburse employeesโ€”all from one dashboard.
  • And yes, it integrates with your accounting software.

Translation: less admin work, more clarity, and way fewer โ€œOops, forgot to pay thatโ€ moments.

Want to spend less time managing money and more time making it? Check out Bill.com.

MOTIVATION

A photo of skier Lindsey Vonn smiling and holding a medal, with text celebrating her historic World Cup podium finish at age 40.

Donโ€™t Let Age Hold You Back

 

Takeaways:

  • Age doesnโ€™t define achievement. Lindsey Vonn just became the oldest female Alpine skier to podium at a World Cup raceโ€”six years post-retirement AND less than a year after a knee replacement!
  • Fuel your drive with doubt. Vonn credits not just belief in herself, but the doubters who pushed her to prove whatโ€™s possible through hard work and mental grit.
  • Resilience is the real flex. Her historic comeback is a masterclass in perseverance, showing that with focus and fire, you can defy the oddsโ€”and rewrite the story. โ›ท๏ธ

Read the motivational LinkedIn post.

HACK

A video still of a peaceful beachside table with text that reads: โ€œ5 weird shifts I made at work after learning the neuroscience of stress (that healed my 'productivity = worth' wound).โ€

5 Weird Hacks To Make After Learning The Neuroscience of Stress

 

Takeaways:

  • Rethink your morning habits. Swapping early caffeine and emails for hydration, food, and deep work reduced cortisol spikes and helped reclaim focus from the start.
  • Simplify to-do lists into a โ€œTop 3.โ€ Narrowing priorities cut down decision fatigue and boosted clarity, making space for what actually matters.
  • Protect your flow state. Turning off notifications and setting a clear end-of-day ritual created better boundaries, deeper focus, and mental peace.

Watch the IG reel.

PAYROLL

Colorful illustration of three people working with payroll toolsโ€”one using a calculator, another on a laptop, and a third holding a briefcase. Background features a large calendar, dollar signs, and charts, symbolizing payday and financial organization.

Still Doing Payroll the Hard Way? Let’s Fix That

 

You started your business to make an impactโ€ฆ

Not to spend Thursdays buried in tax tables and wondering if you forgot to submit yet another payroll form.Most payroll tools are either too complicated, too expensive, or try to upsell you on features you donโ€™t need.

Patriot flips that script. Itโ€™s clean, itโ€™s affordable, and itโ€™s built specifically for small business owners who want to run payroll without pulling their hair out.

Hereโ€™s how it saves your sanity:

๐Ÿงพ Easy-as-heck payroll โ€“ Run it in 3 steps. Log time, hit approve, and boomโ€”everyoneโ€™s paid.

๐Ÿ“ค No more tax panic โ€“ Patriot calculates, files, and deposits payroll taxes for you.

๐Ÿ’ฌ Actual human support โ€“ Based in the U.S. and wildly helpful (you wonโ€™t dread picking up the phone).

๐Ÿ’ธ Transparent pricing โ€“ No upsells. No shady fees. Just solid software that works.

Bonus? Their accounting platform is just as intuitiveโ€”perfect for tracking income, expenses, and invoices without needing a finance degree.

If โ€œdo the booksโ€ keeps getting bumped down your to-do list, Patriot is your permission slip to stop overcomplicating things.

MARKETING

A screenshot of a tweet from Turkish Airlines reacting with โ€œNOOOOOOOOโ€ to a New York Post tweet claiming receding hairlines are now sexy, featuring actor Walton Goggins.

The 10 Funniest Social Media Ads

 

Takeaways:

  • Hijack attention with relevance. Whether itโ€™s a trending topic (Dame Products), a viral format (Heights), or a familiar interface (Lagoon Sleep), the smartest brands find creative ways to interrupt the scroll by meeting people where they already are.
  • Bold wins eyeballs. From Turkish Airlinesโ€™ knockout response to Jumpspeakโ€™s competitive jab, these ads prove that confident, cheeky messaging cuts through the noise and builds brand personality fast.
  • Simplicity still sells. Whether itโ€™s Appleโ€™s minimalist approach or IKEAโ€™s subtle wink, sometimes the most effective ads are the ones that donโ€™t feel like adsโ€”they start a conversation or let the product speak for itself.

See all 10 ads on LinkedIn.

STAFF PICKS

Stuff We’re Loving This Week

 

๐ŸŒฟ Smart solutions to help you thrive through midlife and beyond.

๐ŸคŽ Glow up your #OOTD with this edgy faux-leather belt.

๐ŸŒ A simple way to build and launch your websiteโ€”no tech skills required.

๐Ÿ’ง Cam canโ€™t live without this Caudalie dark spot serum.

JUST FOR FUN

A millennial woman holds shopping bags in a nostalgic video titled โ€œA millennial goodbye to Forever 21,โ€ with an image of the store sign in the foreground.

JOB LEADS

A stylized ribbon banner with shades of blue and green displays the word "HIRING" in bold, dark blue letters on a cream-colored background. The design has a clean and modern look against a light gray backdrop.

Your Next Gig = One Click Away

 

โญย View more jobs here >

SPILL THE TEA

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