Morning Brew - 🍹 Earth Day

It’s hard enough to get a job, but even after you secure one, no one tells you how to succeed in it, especially if it’s your first rodeo (@newgrads). How do you know to take notes during meetings, set up coffee chats with your coworkers, or avoid the question “So, when are we going back to the office?” 

Gorick Ng, a first-gen college student, Harvard career advisor, and author, says the answers are part of the “unspoken rules of work.” In a recent HBR IdeaCast episode, he explains: “So much of what separates top performers who get ahead from perceived mediocre performers who stumble and don’t know why ultimately has to do with these so-called unspoken rules. Certain ways of doing things that managers expect, but don’t explain. And that top performers do, but don’t realize.” 

Some of these rules may seem like common sense, but Ng says they’re “actually learned behaviors within upper middle-class white male dominated white color social circles, that happened to have made their way across global teams.” We don’t know what we don’t know (one of my high school teachers calls this the DKDK Zone). 

The best way to explore and counteract the DKDK Zone? Ng says: Show you want to learn and help. When you start a new role, soak in everything, take notes, and ask questions. Ng calls this learner mode. Over time, you’ll transition to leader mode, when you know what you need to know and can start delegating.

Get the inside scoop on the other “unspoken rules” from the pod, or check out Ng’s new book, The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right. 

• Tune in today at 5:30pm EST for an Earth Day IG Live with me and Mimi Ausland, founder of Free The Ocean. We’ll be talking eco-friendly products, sustainability journeys, and greenwashing. 
• Also on the ’gram: Save and share our Sidekick Bingo board. Tag @sidekickmb, and DM us when you get “Bingo!”
• Chetna’s Cauliflower Butter Masala deserves a gold star. Any recipe that calls for butter and then even more butter is an all-around winner. 
• There goes my April budget...here are the best kitchen organizers under $30. That set of six refrigerator organizer bins is going straight into my Amazon cart. 
• If you’re in a movie or TV rut (like me right now, please send your recs), head to What to Watch: a site that’ll give you recs based on your preferred genre, release date, or rating. 
• Plant parents! This site has all the answers—from how to care for your fiddle leaf fig to “To feed or not to feed?” Plus, the illustrations are stunning. 
• One of the best pieces of news this week: Apple released the season two teaser for Ted Lasso. T-minus 92 days, but who’s counting? 

Composting, or the natural process of recycling food scraps and yard waste into fertilizer, may seem nearly impossible and a pain in the ass, especially if you live in a major city. But, with this comprehensive guide on how to compost at home, it’s 100% doable. 

There are ways to compost without stinking up your 500-square-foot apartment or spending a ton of moolah. The easiest route: a simple countertop compost bin. You can buy a very good-looking Bamboo one on Goldune, or opt for Oxo’s Easy-Clean Compost Bin. They don’t take up too much space, and there’s usually no smell involved. You’ll have to drop off your scraps at the local farmers’ market (see NYC locations), but if you’re already heading there to pick up a head of lettuce, it’s easy. 

The guide volunteers a few other indoor and outdoor methods, including vermicomposting, aka worm composting (works well, but ew) or the bokashi system. And if you’re a little lost about what can vs. what can’t be composted, save this handy list and this one, too.

This is the easiest ad ever.

Reader, get a load of this: You’re reading an ad enticing you to drink a G&T with Bombay.  Like you need enticing to...drink a G&T...with Bombay. 

You already know a G&T is the perfect, refreshing spring bev. And you might even know that Bombay is made with a unique vapour infusion method, which extracts the flavors of its botanicals more delicately than other gins. 

Hmm, we’ve got some more room to say stuff, so maybe we should tell you to, umm, dunno: Drink a G&T with Bombay. 

No ques-gin about it, you should drink a G&T with Bombay. 

• I’m pleasantly surprised by Dirty Labs’s signature bio laundry detergent. It removes stains super well, and the signature scent smells like spring in a bottle. The brand says no to sulfates, phthalates, or parabens, and yes to their own proprietary formula called Phytolase (a natural formulation). The small cap size might make you skeptical, but each bottle covers 75 loads (25 cents/load). 
• My least fave part of wearing makeup: taking it off. These Face Halo reusable makeover remover pads are a budget-friendly, eco-friendly swap for your disposable ones. After a few uses, throw ’em in the wash, and they’re good as new again. 
• I know they’re bad for the environment, but I like straws. I want to do my part to reduce plastic pollution, so this compact silicone straw set is my solution (found this pack at my local Target). I admit, it’s kind of a pain to carry around and wash after each use, but if straws are your thing, it’s worth the purchase.