[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fRdy4Ph-Pr3_YSRANo4UELfNtlCWM9i03GPoJzUPa93A":3,"$fxhumEiI8v3BRlyG-lMuvOuJIBWF50KcvazErOj8CRLo":37,"$f6MjY0BoZ13nyd4XgPyqOMUSkNxXF8T_0zP3mGx5omVo":132},{"data":4,"meta":33},[5,9,13,17,21,25,29],{"id":6,"name":7,"slug":8},1,"Career & Finance","career-and-finance",{"id":10,"name":11,"slug":12},11,"After Hours","after-hours",{"id":14,"name":15,"slug":16},3,"Wellness","wellness",{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},12,"Style","style",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},4,"Voices","voices",{"id":26,"name":27,"slug":28},2,"Mindset","mindset",{"id":30,"name":31,"slug":32},10,"Nourish","food",{"pagination":34},{"page":6,"pageSize":35,"pageCount":6,"total":36},25,7,{"data":38,"meta":130},[39],{"id":40,"title":41,"createdAt":42,"updatedAt":43,"publishedAt":44,"content":45,"slug":46,"coffees":22,"seo_title":41,"keywords":47,"seo_desc":48,"featuredImage":49,"category":95,"author":99,"img":129},153,"Is Blake Lively Actually Nice? The Real Story Behind Her Reputation Crisis (2026 Update)","2024-08-22T22:50:18.208Z","2026-04-10T23:05:58.091Z","2024-08-22T22:59:12.975Z","\u003Cp>\u003Cem>You knew her as Serena Van Der Woodsen, and for us millennials, she represented the girl who wore the best clothes, made chaos look chic, and somehow always landed on her feet. Then 2024 happened. And 2025. And now here we are in 2026, still talking about Blake Lively but not because of a comeback, but because the story refuses to close.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Cp>Blake Lively's reputation is one of the most documented image collapses in recent Hollywood history. What started as a promotional misstep for It \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fwhat-bugs-me-in-blake-lively-and-justin-baldony-drama\">Ends With Us became a legal battle\u003C\u002Fa>, a PR war, and an extended public reckoning that resurfaced \u003Cem>years of inconvenient choices\u003C\u002Fem>. If you want to understand what actually happened, not the fan edits, not the PR spin, this is the breakdown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>She went from 'America's effortless sweetheart' to 'Hollywood's most contested figure' in under six months. Now, the question is no longer whether her image took a hit but whether the hit was earned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Ch2>Blake Lively's Public Image: Who She Was Before the Collapse\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>For almost two decades, Blake Lively held an unusual position in popular culture. She was famous enough to be a household name, aspirational enough to generate genuine admiration, and — crucially — uncontroversial enough that nobody looked too closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Serena effect was real. Lively's portrayal of Serena Van Der Woodsen on Gossip Girl embedded her in the consciousness of an entire generation of women. The character was everything the show's audience was told to want: stylish, effortless, magnetic. Lively translated that into a real-life image with precision. Her relationship with Ryan Reynolds, their mutual public roasting, their carefully curated family content, it all added up to a brand that felt authentic because it never asked you to question it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is the foundation that cracked in 2024, not because Lively suddenly became a different person, but because the cracks had always been there, and the promotional cycle for It Ends With Us gave everyone a reason to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>The It Ends With Us Promotional Disaster\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002Fblake_lively_3_46895b9d90.jpg\" alt=\"blake lively 3.jpg\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The It Ends With Us press tour is now a case study in what happens when a star's personal brand collides with the subject matter of her own film. Colleen Hoover's novel is a story about domestic violence, survival, and the complicated psychology of leaving. Lively promoted it with hair product launches, floral dress codes, and \u003Cem>'grab your florals & friends'\u003C\u002Fem> energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disconnect was immediate and it was loud. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fwhat-bugs-me-in-blake-lively-and-justin-baldony-drama\">Online discussions flagged the tension between Lively and director Justin Baldoni\u003C\u002Fa> early: cast members not following Baldoni on social media, separate promotional appearances, no collaborative presence. Audiences initially assumed that was a marketing tactic but it turned out to be something more substantive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baldoni doubled down on the film's weight while Lively pivoted to her business launches and he internet made its choice about which read it preferred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>THE VIRAL MOMENT\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nThe Kjersti Flaa interview — an older video in which journalist Kjersti Flaa stated she 'wanted to quit her job' after interviewing Lively — resurfaced at exactly the wrong (for Lively) time. It gave the 'mean girl' narrative a face and a timestamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Ch2>The Legal Battle: What Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Actually Filed\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>In late 2024, Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment, a coordinated smear campaign, and a hostile work environment during filming. The complaint was filed with the court and simultaneously \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2024\u002F12\u002F21\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmedia\u002Fblake-lively-justin-baldoni-it-ends-with-us.html\">shared with The New York Times\u003C\u002Fa>, which published a detailed account of Hollywood PR operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The strategy was clear:\u003C\u002Fstrong> control the narrative before Baldoni could. It worked, briefly. Baldoni lost projects, lost representation, and faced significant public backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Baldoni responded with a countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Lively's publicist, and The New York Times, and he brought documentation. The receipts changed the public temperature and by mid-2025, the PR momentum had shifted. Lively's team's case appeared less airtight than the initial New York Times piece suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baldoni’s countersuit, filed in January 2025 and valued at $400 million, made specific and documented claims. His legal team alleged that Lively and Reynolds ran a coordinated campaign to wrest creative control of the film from Baldoni, then used the harassment complaint as a mechanism to sideline him professionally once he pushed back. The filing included text messages that, according to Baldoni’s attorneys, showed Lively’s team explicitly discussing how to shape media coverage and neutralize Baldoni in the press. Critically, it named Ryan Reynolds as an active participant,not a bystander husband, in the communications strategy. The New York Times countersuit, filed separately, alleged the paper published a one-sided account based on materials selectively provided by Lively’s publicist, without adequate verification of Baldoni’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Flively-baldoni-celebrity-culture\">What this tells us about celebrity culture and how it operates\u003C\u002Fa> is more instructive than the outcome of any individual lawsuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>The Resurfaced Record: Past Controversies That Complicated the Narrative\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>When an ongoing controversy prompts people to look back, the results are rarely flattering. In Lively's case, the retrospective uncovered three specific incidents that complicated her carefully constructed 'progressive, unbothered' image:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The plantation wedding (2012)\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Lively and Reynolds married at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina, a former slave plantation. The choice was not controversial at the time but it became retroactively significant as cultural awareness shifted. However, it remains a factual data point about the judgment calls she was making before the current scrutiny existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The Harvey Weinstein comments\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Lively made public statements defending Harvey Weinstein that were resurfaced and widely shared in the context of her current lawsuit. The irony of someone alleging industry misconduct while having previously defended the industry's most prominent abuser was not lost on audiences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The Woody Allen comment\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Praising Allen as 'empowering to women' — post-allegations — is the kind of statement that ages poorly under any circumstances. In the middle of a harassment lawsuit, it ages significantly worse.\nNone of these incidents are new. All of them matter more now than they did when they happened, which is precisely how reputation works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>A Marketer's Take: Where Blake's Team Failed\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fblake_lively_drama_7cf738c32d.png\" alt=\"blake lively drama.png\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.edl.gr\u002Fblog\u002Fit-ends-with-us-marketing-and-pr-lessons-learned\">Blake Lively PR situation\u003C\u002Fa> is not a mystery. It is a textbook example of what happens when a communications team optimizes for brand extension when it should be doing crisis containment. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here is the breakdown:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Mistake 1: They launched during the wrong news cycle.\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Rolling out a hair product line during the promotional window of a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-illusion-of-safety-are-women-safe-in-the-western-world\">domestic violence\u003C\u002Fa> film is not a scheduling error — it is a priority signal. Audiences read it correctly. When your product launch and your film premiere compete for the same attention, you have told the audience which one matters more to you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Mistake 2: They used legal action as a PR tool.\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Filing a complaint and simultaneously handing it to The New York Times is not a legal strategy. It is a reputation play. The problem with reputation plays is that they require the opposing party to have nothing. However, Baldoni had something. And The New York Times is now in a countersuit. That outcome was foreseeable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Mistake 3: They underestimated the internet's institutional memory.\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>The Kjersti Flaa interview had been sitting on YouTube for years. The Weinstein quotes were publicly indexed. The plantation wedding photos were in every gossip archive. The team appears to have calculated that none of this material would resurface at scale. In 2024, in a high-attention controversy, that calculation was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Mistake 4: They had no credible contrition arc.\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Effective reputation repair requires a moment of visible accountability. Lively never provided one. She did not address the promotional disconnect directly, she did not address the resurfaced interviews, therefore the absence of that moment left audiences with no path back to sympathy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Mistake 5: They chose silence over statement.\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>There is a version of the Blake Lively situation that could have been managed with a single, well-timed public statement; not an apology tour, not a press conference, but one direct acknowledgment that the promotional rollout missed the mark on tone. That statement never came. Instead, Lively’s team defaulted to legal action and media silence, which in the absence of any counter-narrative allowed Baldoni’s team to define the story. Silence is not neutral in a PR crisis. When one side is talking and the other is not, the side that is talking wins the public narrative, regardless of the legal facts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>THE TAKEAWAY FOR WORKING WOMEN\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nYour personal brand is not just what you put out. It is the sum of every decision, statement, and choice that exists on the public record, including the ones you made before anyone was paying attention. Build accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Ch2>Is Blake Lively the Ultimate Hollywood 'Yapper'?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>There is a specific pattern in Lively's controversies that is worth naming: she talks. A lot. In interviews, in promotional appearances, in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=F2-2RBi1qzY\">Kjersti Flaa video\u003C\u002Fa>, in the promotional press run. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Flights-camera-chaos-4-hollywood-scandals\">Hollywood has a long history of stars\u003C\u002Fa> whose public relations problems were self-generated. Not by scandal, but by saying too much in the wrong room. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the concept of a 'Hollywood Yapper' resonates, there is a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fdating-a-yapper-when-does-talking-become-too-much\">full breakdown of what it means and who fits the pattern\u003C\u002Fa>. Blake is not alone in this category, but she is currently the most visible example of how it plays out at scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Blake Lively's Reputation in 2026: Where Things Stand\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The legal case is ongoing and recently the judge dismissed 10 of her 13 claims, including those of sexual harassment. However, neither side has achieved a definitive win in court or in public opinion. Baldoni has the more coherent narrative at the moment: the receipts strategy was effective. Lively's team appears to be in a holding pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What has changed in 2026 is the audience's orientation toward the story. The initial shock of the revelation has settled into something more analytical. People are less interested in whether Blake Lively is a good or bad person and more interested in what the situation reveals about how Hollywood power actually operates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is a harder environment to navigate than a simple cancellation cycle because it does not have a resolution. It just continues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Frequently Asked Questions\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch3>Is Blake Lively nice in real life?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Accounts differ significantly depending on who is talking and when. Journalist Kjersti Flaa's account suggests a dismissive and condescending interaction. Others describe positive professional experiences. The honest answer is that the public record is contradictory, and the current legal proceedings make it difficult to assess any claims with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>What is Blake Lively's reputation in 2026?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Significantly damaged compared to her pre-2024 standing, though not in a simple 'canceled' sense. As of early 2026, the industry is still absorbing the latest court filings and the ongoing legal battle with Baldoni, combined with the accumulation of resurfaced controversies, has created a complex, contested public image that is unlikely to fully recover without concrete legal outcomes and visible acknowledgment of the issues raised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>What happened between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Lively filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment, a smear campaign, and a hostile work environment. Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, her publicist, and The New York Times, which was eventually got dismissed. As of 2026, the case remains active and heading to trial in May.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Did Blake Lively get married on a plantation?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Yes. Lively and Ryan Reynolds married in 2012 at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina, a former slave plantation. The choice was not widely critiqued at the time and became a recurring reference point in the 2024-2025 retrospective coverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Will Blake Lively's career recover?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>It depends on legal outcomes and whether she makes any genuine move toward addressing the public record directly. Image rehabilitation is possible but not automatic. It requires a credible accountability moment, something that has not materialized so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>What is Blake Lively’s net worth in 2026?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Blake Lively’s net worth is estimated at around $30 million as of 2026, though figures vary depending on the source. This reflects her acting earnings, her stake in the Betty Buzz beverage brand, and previous business ventures including her now-shuttered lifestyle site Preserve. The legal battle and associated PR fallout have not visibly impacted her personal wealth in the short term, but the longer-term commercial implications, such as brand partnerships, casting opportunities, remain an open question as the lawsuit continues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Did Ryan Reynolds stand by Blake Lively during the controversy?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Publicly, yes. Reynolds has maintained a united front with Lively throughout, and his name appears in Baldoni’s countersuit as an active participant in the communications strategy, not a peripheral figure. The filing alleges Reynolds was directly involved in the messaging campaign designed to contain and redirect the narrative around the film and the allegations. Reynolds has not addressed these claims specifically in any public statement. Whether his involvement strengthens or weakens the case for either side is a question the legal proceedings will eventually need to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Photo credits:\u003C\u002Fem> \n\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Few.com\u002Fblake-lively-hair-care-launch-not-meant-to-coincide-with-it-ends-with-us-8696767\">(1)\u003C\u002Fa>, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fblake-lively-ryan-reynolds-netflix-1235234456\u002F\">(2)\u003C\u002Fa>, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.verywellhealth.com\u002Fblake-lively-no-conditioner-8691499\">(3)\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","when-did-blake-lively-s-public-image-take-a-turn","Blake lively sues justin baldoni, Blake lively legal complaint, Blake lively Justin baldony lawsuit, blake lively, blake lively drama, it ends with us, blake lively feud, justin baldoni drama, blake lively cancel","Blake Lively's public image went from America's sweetheart to Hollywood's most debated figure. Here's the full story, updated for 2026. ",{"id":50,"name":51,"alternativeText":52,"caption":53,"width":54,"height":55,"formats":56,"hash":89,"ext":58,"mime":61,"size":90,"url":91,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":93,"updatedAt":94},438,"blake lively 1.jpg",null,"blake lively ",1500,1000,{"large":57,"small":66,"medium":74,"thumbnail":81},{"ext":58,"url":59,"hash":60,"mime":61,"name":62,"path":52,"size":63,"width":55,"height":64,"sizeInBytes":65},".jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Flarge_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9.jpg","large_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9","image\u002Fjpeg","large_blake lively 1.jpg",129.65,667,129650,{"ext":58,"url":67,"hash":68,"mime":61,"name":69,"path":52,"size":70,"width":71,"height":72,"sizeInBytes":73},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsmall_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9.jpg","small_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9","small_blake lively 1.jpg",37.42,500,333,37425,{"ext":58,"url":75,"hash":76,"mime":61,"name":77,"path":52,"size":78,"width":79,"height":71,"sizeInBytes":80},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fmedium_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9.jpg","medium_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9","medium_blake lively 1.jpg",77.7,750,77704,{"ext":58,"url":82,"hash":83,"mime":61,"name":84,"path":52,"size":85,"width":86,"height":87,"sizeInBytes":88},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9.jpg","thumbnail_blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9","thumbnail_blake lively 1.jpg",11.07,234,156,11070,"blake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9",175.65,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fblake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9.jpg","aws-s3","2024-08-22T22:50:13.263Z","2024-08-22T22:51:19.422Z",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24,"createdAt":96,"updatedAt":97,"publishedAt":98},"2020-12-24T19:16:11.810Z","2025-10-01T19:49:12.086Z","2024-06-26T07:27:59.419Z",{"id":6,"name":100,"slug":101,"instagram":102,"facebook":103,"bio":104,"createdAt":105,"updatedAt":106,"publishedAt":107,"linkedIn":108,"avatar":109,"avatarImg":128},"Dimitra","dimitra","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fdimdimi\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Fdimitra.lioliou.9","She worked in corporate, then embraced the freelancer dream and built two businesses. In the meantime, she learned five foreign languages, picked up a Master's in Digital Marketing, and somehow ended up deep in the world of AI Risk Strategy — because understanding people was always the strategy anyway.\nNow she spends her time between Greece and the US, meeting with clients, writing about whatever life brings, and helping businesses figure out what AI gets wrong before it costs them.\nJust a suggestion: don't ask her about languages. She will never stop talking.","2020-12-24T18:56:38.909Z","2026-02-19T19:46:02.745Z","2020-12-24T18:56:43.888Z","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fdimitra-lioliou\u002F",{"id":110,"name":111,"alternativeText":112,"caption":113,"width":114,"height":114,"formats":115,"hash":124,"ext":117,"mime":120,"size":125,"url":126,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":127,"updatedAt":127},1244,"Dimitra Lioliou.png","dimitra lioliou profile pic","dimitra lioliou the working gal",250,{"thumbnail":116},{"ext":117,"url":118,"hash":119,"mime":120,"name":121,"path":52,"size":122,"width":87,"height":87,"sizeInBytes":123},".png","https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_Dimitra_Lioliou_4c495e8044.png","thumbnail_Dimitra_Lioliou_4c495e8044","image\u002Fpng","thumbnail_Dimitra Lioliou.png",47.83,47833,"Dimitra_Lioliou_4c495e8044",34.56,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002FDimitra_Lioliou_4c495e8044.png","2025-04-09T22:06:21.464Z","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002FDimitra_Lioliou_4c495e8044.png","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002Fblake_lively_1_a72eb5ece9.jpg",{"pagination":131},{"page":6,"pageSize":35,"pageCount":6,"total":6},{"data":133,"meta":455},[134,212,283,336,406],{"id":135,"title":136,"createdAt":137,"updatedAt":138,"publishedAt":139,"content":140,"slug":141,"coffees":14,"seo_title":136,"keywords":142,"seo_desc":143,"featuredImage":144,"category":186,"author":189,"img":211},152,"The Intelligence Architecture: 9 Habits That Sharpen Strategic Thinking (And the Science Behind Each One)","2024-08-22T18:18:52.624Z","2026-04-12T18:18:31.891Z","2024-08-22T18:28:30.690Z","Intelligence is not a fixed quantity. This is not motivational framing. It is a well-supported finding in cognitive neuroscience: the brain demonstrates neuroplasticity throughout adulthood, meaning its structure and function continue to change in response to behavior, environment, and deliberate practice.\n\nWhat this means practically is that the cognitive capacity you are operating with today is not the ceiling. The habits you maintain around information, sleep, movement, nutrition, and mental challenge directly influence the quality of your thinking, your [decision-making speed](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fdecision-fatigue) and accuracy, your ability to hold complexity, and your resilience under sustained cognitive load.\n\nThe 9 habits below are not assembled from the generic 'be smarter' advice that populates the Internet. Each one maps to a specific cognitive mechanism. Understanding the mechanism is what separates people who apply these habits strategically from people who apply them occasionally and wonder why nothing changes.\n\nThe Three-Layer Framework: How These 9 Habits Work Together\n-----------------------------------------------------------\n\nBefore the individual habits, the architecture matters. Cognitive performance is not improved by any single behavior in isolation. It depends on three layers operating in parallel: what you put into your brain (input quality), how you train your brain to process information (processing habits), and how you allow your brain to recover and consolidate (recovery practices). Most advice focuses on one layer. All three are required.\n\n![how to be smarter 2026](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fhow_to_be_smarter_d695bb7a9a.webp)\n\nThe 9 habits below are distributed across these three layers. Applying habits from only one layer produces partial results. The complete architecture is what produces durable cognitive performance improvement.\n\nLayer 1: Input Quality\n----------------------\n\nThe brain does not distinguish between high-quality and low-quality information in terms of processing load. It processes both. What changes is the output quality of the thinking that follows. Garbage in, garbage out applies to cognitive systems as directly as it applies to data pipelines.\n\n### 1. Curated Information Consumption: The Filter Before the Feed\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  The prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive function and strategic thinking, does not have unlimited processing capacity. Every piece of information it evaluates and decides whether to engage with consumes cognitive resources. Doomscrolling and [passive social media consumption](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fpsychology-social-media-women) do not rest the brain. They occupy it with low-value processing that depletes the same resources needed for high-quality thinking.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Build a deliberate information diet. Identify three to five sources you trust in the domains relevant to your work, and check them intentionally rather than reactively. Remove social media apps from your home screen. Replace passive scroll time with [one long-form article](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fexpensive-mistakes-building-business-founder-lessons) or a chapter of a book. The goal is not to read more. It is to raise the average quality of what you are processing.\n\n### 2. Nutritional Support for Cognitive Focus: What You Eat Is What You Think\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  The brain consumes approximately 20% of the body's total energy despite accounting for only 2% of body weight. The primary fuel is glucose, but the source and consistency of that glucose supply significantly affect cognitive function. Ultra-processed foods and [refined sugar](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fyes-you-can-deal-with-sugar-craving) produce rapid blood glucose spikes followed by crashes that directly impair concentration, working memory, and decision quality. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, walnuts, and flaxseed, are structural components of neuronal membranes and are associated with improved cognitive performance in peer-reviewed research.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Remove the processing tax before you start work: [no high-sugar breakfast](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fbusy-mornings-20-healthy-breakfast-ideas-if-you-don-t-have-time), no ultra-processed food during working hours. The cognitive crash that follows these inputs is not discipline failure. It is a predictable physiological response. Replace with protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates at meals. Hydration is the most underrated variable: a 2% decline in hydration is associated with measurable impairment in attention and short-term memory.\n\n### 3.High-Quality Intellectual Environment: The People Around You Shape Your Thinking\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  Cognitive challenge is one of the primary drivers of neural adaptation. Sustained exposure to people who think at a higher level than your current default forces your brain to operate at the edge of its capacity, which is the stimulus required for growth. This is not a motivation principle. It is the same mechanism that governs physical training: progressive overload applied to cognitive rather than muscular systems.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Audit your intellectual environment deliberately. Which [conversations in your week](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002F7-minute-rule-networking) require you to think harder than you normally would? Which ones operate well below your cognitive level? Increase the proportion of the former. This applies to the content you consume as much as the people you spend time with: a podcast that challenges your assumptions is a different cognitive input than one that confirms them.\n\nLayer 2: Processing Habits\n--------------------------\n\nInput quality determines the raw material. Processing habits determine what you do with it. The two most significant cognitive processing habits for high-performing professionals are how they manage decision fatigue and how they transfer and retain what they learn.\n\n### 4. Decision Fatigue Management: Protecting Your Best Thinking for What Matters\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  The brain's executive function operates like a finite daily budget. Every decision made depletes it, regardless of the decision's importance. A trivial choice made in the afternoon costs the same cognitive currency as a significant one, which is why decision quality degrades over the course of the day for most people. The research on decision fatigue, including studies of judicial decisions and medical choices, consistently shows that choice quality declines as the day progresses without deliberate management.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Reduce low-stakes decisions through systematization. Meal planning, [capsule wardrobes](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fconfidence-capsule-wardrobe), scheduled blocks for routine tasks, and standardized templates for recurring communications. The goal is to remove cognitive load from decisions that do not require your best thinking so that your best thinking is available for decisions that do. Schedule your highest-stakes cognitive work for the first two to three hours of your working day, before the depletion accumulates.\n\n### 5. Output-Based Knowledge Transfer: Teaching as the Highest Form of Retention\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  The retention rate for passively received information (reading, listening) sits at approximately 10 to 20% after 24 hours. The retention rate for information you have taught or explained to someone else exceeds 90%. This is the principle behind the [Feynman Technique](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.colorado.edu\u002Fartssciences-advising\u002Fresource-library\u002Flife-skills\u002Fthe-feynman-technique-in-academic-coaching), named after physicist Richard Feynman, whose learning method was based on explaining concepts in simple language as a test of genuine understanding. The act of producing output forces the brain to identify gaps, resolve contradictions, and reorganize information into a coherent structure.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Implement a weekly knowledge transfer practice. Write a brief note on the most significant thing you learned this week, and write it as if explaining it to someone who does not share your professional context. The writing is not the point. The process of producing clear, simple language is the point. It surfaces what you actually understand versus what you assumed you understood.\n\n### 6. Cognitive Flexibility Training: Disrupting Automatic Patterns\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  The brain is an efficiency machine. It builds neural shortcuts, called heuristics, for every repeated process. This is useful for speed and reduces cognitive load. It is counterproductive for creative problem-solving and strategic thinking, where the most valuable insights often come from approaches that fall outside established patterns. Research on cognitive flexibility, the capacity to switch between thinking modes and adapt to new information, consistently identifies it as a stronger predictor of [professional success](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-art-of-failure-how-to-turn-mistakes-into-actual-success) than general intelligence. The working gal already has a piece on this worth reading.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Introduce deliberate pattern disruption into your week. Take a different route to a familiar place. Approach a recurring problem from a constraint you would not normally apply. Read a discipline-adjacent publication outside your field. The specific disruption matters less than the regularity. The goal is to keep the brain from defaulting entirely to efficiency mode, which closes off the lateral thinking pathways that strategic problems require.\n\nLayer 3: Recovery Practices\n---------------------------\n\n![9 habits to become smarter.webp](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002F9_habits_to_become_smarter_bedc334e30.webp)\n\nThe recovery layer is where the most consistently underinvested cognitive capacity sits. High-performing professionals tend to treat recovery as a reward for completed work rather than as a prerequisite for it. The neurological reality is the opposite: recovery is when the brain consolidates learning, clears metabolic waste, and restores the executive function depleted during the day. Skipping recovery does not produce more cognitive output. It produces the illusion of more output while quietly degrading quality.\n\n### 7. Sleep as Cognitive Maintenance: The Non-Negotiable Architecture\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  Sleep is not passive rest. It is active neurological maintenance. During slow-wave sleep, the glymphatic system clears metabolic waste products, including amyloid beta proteins associated with cognitive decline, from the brain. During REM sleep, the brain consolidates memories, integrates new information with existing knowledge structures, and processes emotional experiences from the day. A single night of less than six hours of sleep produces measurable impairment in attention, working memory, and emotional regulation equivalent to 24 hours of total sleep deprivation.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Seven to eight hours is the evidence-based target for sustained cognitive performance. The timing matters: the 90-minute sleep cycles that produce deep slow-wave sleep and REM sleep in the appropriate proportions are most effectively accessed in the hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. If sleep quality is a current problem, the [brain dump practice](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fbrain-dump-before-sleep) before bed reduces the cognitive activation that delays sleep onset. \n\n### 8. Movement as Neurological Reset: Exercise Is Not About the Body\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  Aerobic exercise produces BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports the growth and maintenance of neurons and has been described by neuroscientist John Ratey as 'Miracle-Gro for the brain.' A 2024 [study from the International Neuropsychological Society](https:\u002F\u002Fpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Farticles\u002FPMC11021864\u002F) found that aerobic exercise improves cognitive function, particularly in domains of executive function, memory, and processing speed. The mechanism is direct: exercise increases cerebral blood flow, reduces cortisol, and stimulates neurogenesis in the hippocampus, the brain region most directly involved in learning and memory.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  Three sessions of moderate aerobic exercise per week is the minimum effective dose for cognitive benefit, based on current research. The timing that produces the most immediate cognitive benefit is morning exercise before knowledge work, as the BDNF and cortisol-reduction effects peak in the two to four hours following exercise. This is not about fitness goals. It is about creating the optimal neurological state for the cognitive work that follows.\n\n### 9. Deliberate Language Acquisition: The Cognitive Cross-Training\n\n**THE MECHANISM:**  Learning a new language is one of the most comprehensively studied cognitive interventions in neuroscience. The process requires the brain to maintain two competing linguistic systems, suppress automatic responses in one language while activating the other, and manage switching between them. This sustained executive function demand produces measurable structural changes in the brain: increased gray matter density in areas associated with executive function, working memory, and attentional control. [Research published by Alzheimer's Research UK](https:\u002F\u002Fpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Farticles\u002FPMC7089902\u002F) found that bilingual individuals show a delayed onset of cognitive decline by an average of four to five years.\n\n**THE APPLICATION:**  You do not need to achieve fluency for cognitive benefit. The research indicates that the benefit accrues from the active effort of learning and maintaining a second language, not from reaching proficiency. Fifteen to twenty minutes of deliberate practice four to five times per week in any language you are genuinely motivated by is sufficient to produce the executive function training effect over time.\n\nFrequently Asked Questions: Cognitive Performance for Working Women\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n### How long before these habits produce measurable results?\n\nThe timeline varies by habit and by how consistently it is applied. Sleep quality improvements are typically felt within one week of consistent behavior change. Nutritional changes affecting cognitive clarity are usually noticeable within two to three weeks. Exercise benefits for cognitive function compound over six to eight weeks of regular practice. Cognitive flexibility and language acquisition produce measurable effects over three to six months. The architecture is designed for cumulative, compounding benefit rather than rapid transformation.\n\n### Which habit produces the fastest cognitive improvement?\n\nSleep optimization and hydration produce the fastest measurable cognitive improvement because they address the most immediate physiological constraints on brain function. If sleep quality is compromised or chronic dehydration is present, no other cognitive habit will perform at its potential. These are the foundation. Everything else builds on them.\n\n### Is decision fatigue real, or is it just tiredness?\n\nDecision fatigue is a distinct phenomenon from general tiredness, though they share some neurological overlap. The research that established it, including [Shai Danziger's study of Israeli parole board decisions](https:\u002F\u002Fpapers.ssrn.com\u002Fsol3\u002FDelivery.cfm\u002FSSRN_ID3741635_code1282794.pdf?abstractid=3741635), showed that choice quality declined predictably across the day regardless of the importance of the decision, and recovered after breaks. It is not a motivational problem. It is a resource depletion problem with a structural solution.\n\n### How does this connect to burnout?\n\nBurnout and cognitive performance degradation share the same root cause: sustained depletion of executive function resources without adequate recovery. The habits in the recovery layer of this architecture are the primary [protection against burnout](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fquiet-burnout-symptoms), because they are the behaviors that restore the resources that burnout depletes. Applying input and processing habits while neglecting recovery accelerates burnout rather than preventing it.\n\nThe Architecture Is Cumulative\n------------------------------\n\nNone of these habits works in isolation. The brain is an integrated system, and cognitive performance reflects the quality of the entire architecture rather than the presence of any single practice. A founder who optimizes her sleep and movement but maintains a high-volume, low-quality information diet is running a partially optimized system. The goal is coherence across all three layers.\n\nStart with the recovery layer if you are currently depleted. Start with the input layer if sleep and movement are already in place, but thinking quality still feels compromised. Start with the processing layer if you are consuming high-quality information but not retaining or applying it.\n\nThe ceiling is higher than you are currently operating at. The architecture is how you reach it.\n\n_Disclaimer: This article provides general psychological and nutritional information for educational purposes. It does not constitute clinical advice. Consult a qualified professional before making significant changes to your diet, sleep, or exercise routine._\n","want-to-be-smarter-these-are-the-9-habits-that-will-boost-your-intelligence","habits that make you smarter, cognitive habits for entrepreneurs, how to increase mental clarity, strategic thinking habits, habits to boost intelligence, decision fatigue management, cognitive performance founders","Intelligence is not a fixed quantity. These 9 habits are the cognitive architecture that high-performing founders use to sharpen strategic thinking and protect mental clarity.",{"id":145,"name":146,"alternativeText":52,"caption":147,"width":148,"height":149,"formats":150,"hash":182,"ext":152,"mime":155,"size":183,"url":184,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":185,"updatedAt":185},437,"9 habits to become smarter.webp","9 habits to become smarter",1600,900,{"large":151,"small":160,"medium":167,"thumbnail":174},{"ext":152,"url":153,"hash":154,"mime":155,"name":156,"path":52,"size":157,"width":55,"height":158,"sizeInBytes":159},".webp","https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Flarge_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163.webp","large_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163","image\u002Fwebp","large_9 habits to become smarter.webp",21.55,562,21548,{"ext":152,"url":161,"hash":162,"mime":155,"name":163,"path":52,"size":164,"width":71,"height":165,"sizeInBytes":166},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsmall_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163.webp","small_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163","small_9 habits to become smarter.webp",9.51,281,9512,{"ext":152,"url":168,"hash":169,"mime":155,"name":170,"path":52,"size":171,"width":79,"height":172,"sizeInBytes":173},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fmedium_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163.webp","medium_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163","medium_9 habits to become smarter.webp",15.85,422,15848,{"ext":152,"url":175,"hash":176,"mime":155,"name":177,"path":52,"size":178,"width":179,"height":180,"sizeInBytes":181},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163.webp","thumbnail_9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163","thumbnail_9 habits to become smarter.webp",4.01,245,138,4014,"9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163",43.47,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002F9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163.webp","2024-08-22T18:27:21.522Z",{"id":26,"name":27,"slug":28,"createdAt":187,"updatedAt":188,"publishedAt":98},"2020-12-24T19:15:46.057Z","2025-10-01T19:50:39.801Z",{"id":18,"name":190,"slug":191,"instagram":52,"facebook":52,"bio":192,"createdAt":193,"updatedAt":194,"publishedAt":195,"linkedIn":52,"avatar":196},"Mariana","mariana","Mariana is our amazing psychologist. She is generally shy, but she has the answers to all questions. She is calm but can be pretty sarcastic if she wants to! She is working with women who are struggling in their jobs. She also loves knitting. She helps our Working Gal Team with her valuable insights and tips for a balanced work life.","2023-11-12T05:43:27.688Z","2023-11-12T05:47:04.640Z","2023-11-12T05:47:04.619Z",{"id":197,"name":198,"alternativeText":199,"caption":199,"width":114,"height":114,"formats":200,"hash":206,"ext":152,"mime":155,"size":207,"url":208,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":209,"updatedAt":210},248,"1.webp","",{"thumbnail":201},{"ext":152,"url":202,"hash":203,"mime":155,"name":204,"path":52,"size":205,"width":87,"height":87},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_1_ead45d4a4f.webp","thumbnail_1_ead45d4a4f","thumbnail_1.webp",4.51,"1_ead45d4a4f",8.67,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002F1_ead45d4a4f.webp","2023-11-12T05:43:16.157Z","2023-11-12T05:43:16.165Z","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002F9_habits_to_become_smarter_8072516163.webp",{"id":213,"title":214,"createdAt":215,"updatedAt":216,"publishedAt":217,"content":218,"slug":219,"coffees":52,"seo_title":214,"keywords":220,"seo_desc":221,"featuredImage":222,"category":255,"author":258,"img":282},151,"4 Myths About Food Supplements That You Need To Know","2024-08-20T18:36:33.694Z","2024-08-20T18:44:17.255Z","2024-08-20T18:44:17.252Z","Dietary supplements have become increasingly popular and are a valuable ally for our health and well-being, and consuming them correctly is essential for promoting a strong and healthy body and mind.\n\nFood supplements are a great way to improve our overall well-being and can assist in several situations. For example, in places where the sun is not shining very often, a significant percentage of people may face **vitamin D** deficiency, which is known as the “sun vitamin” since it’s mainly composed when our skin is exposed to the sun. Also, food supplements can enhance our brain function, especially when we are overwhelmed and work consumes us.\n\nNevertheless, the more they are used, the more questions arise about their appropriate use. Therefore, there are many inaccuracies about their proper use, and the reality is often completely different. For this reason, we are frequently confused about what is valid and what is not.\n\nBelow, we will see 4 very common myths about food supplements and the reality about them.\n\n# Myth 1: A balanced diet guarantees that we receive all the necessary nutrients\n![4 myths about food supplements.webp](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002F4_myths_about_food_supplements_0e261d4e43.webp)\nWhile a balanced diet is vital, even people who follow a healthy diet may struggle to meet all their nutritional needs. This can happen for several reasons, such as the quality of modern agricultural practices and the mass production of crops, which can reduce soil quality, resulting in fruits and vegetables having lower vitamin and mineral content. In addition, factors such as a [busy lifestyle](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-to-maintain-your-work-life-balance) and limited access to fresh products can make it difficult to consistently follow a perfectly [balanced diet](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-best-nutrition-tips-i-learned-while-working-with-nutritionists-part-1) every day. In addition, the right food combination is a significant factor that can lead to an unbalanced **intake** of all the necessary nutrients. Therefore, nutritional gaps that are not visible can be created and affect our bodies in the long run.\n\n# Myth 2. Supplements are expensive and unnecessary\n\nOne of the common myths we hear is that supplements are a costly luxury and addressed only to specific... wallets. First of all, investing in our health **is never a luxury** but a key priority. In addition, using targeted supplements can be a cost-effective way to prevent future health problems and replenish the valuable nutrients we need. Consider it as preventive maintenance for your body. In fact, supplements are an affordable choice for everyone. If you scroll you Amazon account, you will definitely discover supplements that are value for money without minimizing their quality.\n\n# Myth 3. Supplements can cure diseases\n\nUnfortunately, many people believe that regularly taking supplements can cure a disease or a cold. For example, many people believe that taking [vitamin C](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fvitamin-c-deficiency) can cure a cold. In fact, taking vitamin C can help our body relieve symptoms without being a medicinal solution. Dietary supplements can be an ally in the treatment of diseases but do not replace medical care or any medication. Also, it’s important to note here that constantly taking supplements may have adverse results and cause toxicity due to overconsumption.\n\n# Myth 4. All supplements are suitable for everyone\n\n![4 myths about food supplements.webp](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002F4_myths_about_food_supplements_fffe531979.webp)\n\nThere is often confusion about nutritional supplements and whether they are suitable for each individual. Nevertheless, the reality is that supplements are only ideal for some, as each body is different, and the needs of each body vary. Many factors determine which supplement one should take, which relate to the reason for doing so, such as **age, gender, and even body type**. For example, someone on a vegetarian diet has different needs than someone on a balanced diet but may lack some nutrients for various reasons. For this reason, choosing the right supplement is very important, and we should always consult a specialized physician or a registered nutritionist.","4-myths-about-food-supplements","food supplements, dietary supplements, myths about food supplements, vitamin D, wellbeing supplements","Read about the myths around food supplements and what you need to know before taking any supplement.",{"id":223,"name":224,"alternativeText":52,"caption":225,"width":148,"height":149,"formats":226,"hash":251,"ext":152,"mime":155,"size":252,"url":253,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":254,"updatedAt":254},432,"4 myths about food supplements.webp","4 myths about food supplements",{"large":227,"small":233,"medium":239,"thumbnail":245},{"ext":152,"url":228,"hash":229,"mime":155,"name":230,"path":52,"size":231,"width":55,"height":158,"sizeInBytes":232},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Flarge_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd.webp","large_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd","large_4 myths about food supplements.webp",72.35,72352,{"ext":152,"url":234,"hash":235,"mime":155,"name":236,"path":52,"size":237,"width":71,"height":165,"sizeInBytes":238},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsmall_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd.webp","small_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd","small_4 myths about food supplements.webp",24.18,24176,{"ext":152,"url":240,"hash":241,"mime":155,"name":242,"path":52,"size":243,"width":79,"height":172,"sizeInBytes":244},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fmedium_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd.webp","medium_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd","medium_4 myths about food supplements.webp",46.25,46250,{"ext":152,"url":246,"hash":247,"mime":155,"name":248,"path":52,"size":249,"width":179,"height":180,"sizeInBytes":250},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd.webp","thumbnail_4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd","thumbnail_4 myths about food supplements.webp",8.11,8110,"4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd",185.13,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002F4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd.webp","2024-08-20T18:41:14.281Z",{"id":14,"name":15,"slug":16,"createdAt":256,"updatedAt":257,"publishedAt":98},"2020-12-24T19:16:00.904Z","2025-02-19T20:04:41.159Z",{"id":259,"name":260,"slug":261,"instagram":262,"facebook":263,"bio":264,"createdAt":265,"updatedAt":266,"publishedAt":267,"linkedIn":52,"avatar":268},6,"The Working Gal Team","the-working-gal-team","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fthe_working_gal\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Ftheworkinggal","At The Working Gal, we prioritize collective strategic insight. This piece reflects the shared expertise of our editorial board and specialists, delivering a 360° analysis of modern business and executive lifestyle.","2021-02-14T21:17:05.180Z","2026-04-12T03:32:03.659Z","2021-02-14T21:17:25.177Z",{"id":269,"name":270,"alternativeText":199,"caption":199,"width":114,"height":114,"formats":271,"hash":277,"ext":117,"mime":120,"size":278,"url":279,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":280,"updatedAt":281},108,"Untitled-7.png",{"thumbnail":272},{"ext":117,"url":273,"hash":274,"mime":120,"name":275,"path":52,"size":276,"width":87,"height":87},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_Untitled_7_b2bf764bcd.png","thumbnail_Untitled_7_b2bf764bcd","thumbnail_Untitled-7.png",12.8,"Untitled_7_b2bf764bcd",22.3,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002FUntitled_7_b2bf764bcd.png","2021-02-14T21:15:43.138Z","2021-02-14T21:15:43.147Z","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002F4_myths_about_food_supplements_99f8a263dd.webp",{"id":284,"title":285,"createdAt":286,"updatedAt":287,"publishedAt":288,"content":289,"slug":290,"coffees":14,"seo_title":285,"keywords":291,"seo_desc":292,"featuredImage":293,"category":328,"author":331,"img":335},150,"5 Toxic Phrases Used By Colleagues With A Huge Ego -And How To Deal With Them","2024-08-19T21:42:38.066Z","2024-08-19T21:49:00.508Z","2024-08-19T21:49:00.505Z","Egoism, the belief in prioritizing one's own self-interest, is a pervasive force in life. While often associated with negative connotations like selfishness and greed, a healthy dose of egoism can be a driving factor for individual success and organizational growth.\n\n### The truth is that we are all inherently selfish to some degree\n\nThe real challenge, however, is to achieve a balance of **\"healthy selfishness\"** that allows us to focus on our goals without selfishness getting in the way. Apart from the negative impact egoism can have in our lives, here are arguments in favor:\n\n**Individual happiness:** Egoism, when balanced, can help us achieve personal **fulfillment** and happiness. When we focus on our own needs and goals, we can attain a greater sense of satisfaction in our lives.\n\n**Economic efficiency:** [Some](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fpmc\u002Farticles\u002FPMC9729783\u002F) claim that egoism can drive economic growth and innovation. When individuals are motivated by self-interest, they may be more likely to take risks, create new businesses, and develop new products or ideas.\n\n**Motivation:** A healthy dose of self-interest can drive us to work hard and achieve our goals, even if this motivation derives from self-focus and the intent to do something good for ourselves.\n\n**Self-preservation:** Egoism can be seen as an instinct for self-preservation. By prioritizing our own needs, we may be better equipped to survive in a challenging and demanding world when our attention is always somewhere and the need for [concrete boundaries](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-to-set-and-preserve-boundaries) is more important than ever.\n\nThat said, egoism also has negative consequences. It can lead to social problems, such as inequality, conflict, and a lack of cooperation. In multiple situations, it is important to consider the needs of others and to act in a way that benefits the **community** as a whole, which egotists tend to ignore.\n\nWhether egoism is good or bad depends on each situation and each individual's values. There may be times when it is appropriate to prioritize one's own needs, but it is also essential to be mindful of the impact of one's actions on others.\n\n****\n\nHowever, things can get tricky when it comes to the workplace and egotist people. It doesn’t matter whether the egotist is your team member or your manager; a person's arrogance and know-it-all attitude can harm morale and team spirit. People who show extreme egoism in the workplace tend to create a hostile and [toxic work environment](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-to-recover-from-a-toxic-workplace), making people feel incompetent or reluctant to share their thoughts and end up showing decreased performance. According to experts, it’s not that challenging to notice selfish and egotistical behaviors, and egocentric people can’t help but show where they stand.\n\nHere are 5 toxic phrases that experts say are often used by egocentric people and those who generally feel entitled that _\"the world owes them\"_ in a professional environment.\n\n![blog-900x550-_8_ (1).webp](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fblog_900x550_8_1_a3bd5c1c2e.webp)\n\n## \"This comment offends me\"\n\nEgotists interpret any constructive criticism of feedback as a personal attack. They refuse to accept the reality: _there is always room for improvement and growth_. They believe they can make no mistakes, which makes them hypersensitive and touchy to any suggestion that their work may be open to improvement. If you are a manager and try to give some constructive feedback to a team member and they find it offensive, then you probably have an egotist in front of you. On the other hand, if you express your opinion to your boss\u002Fmanager\u002Fsupervisor and they immediately shut you down, stating that this is offensive, then you hit the [narcissistic boss](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-to-deal-with-a-passive-aggressive-manager) jackpot.\n\n## \"My ideas are valuable and worthy of serious consideration\"\n\nNo matter how **mediocre** they actually are, egotists tend to assume that they always deliver excellent work. They show complete ignorance of the fact that most ideas, opinions, and proposals are flawed, regardless of the effort we invest in them, and they are incredibly **competitive** towards anyone who dares to challenge that. They also tend to impose their ideas and modus operandi on the rest of the team members, expecting them to be adopted immediately.\n\n## \"Their success comes at the expense of mine\"\n\nA very selfish person tends to be less successful than someone who channels his self-centered tendencies to help others. Since they cannot see the value of support, they believe that others' victories are unfair and the result of special treatment. If you are about to get a promotion or be praised for a successful project you carried out, beware of the selfish colleague who is waiting in the corner: they will try and undermine your efforts because they simply think that when someone succeeds, they have lost something.\n\n## \"Why are you always trying to control me?\"\n\nToxic egotists dislike bosses who give instructions or have clear expectations from their team. To them, a manager's instructions are, at best, merely suggestions or, at worst, an attempt to mistreat them. They believe they are above all, and any guidance is not well-received. If you are a manager and you have to give instructions or advice on any project, or if you work with an egotist colleague on a project, then good luck with providing instructions -it’s doubtful if they will even hear.\n\n## \"You are disrespectful because you don't agree with me\"\n\nYet another toxic phrase that truly selfish people may use at work. Expecting total recognition and respect for their expertise and ideas often leads them to show little interest in learning from others. So, when someone may have a different viewpoint, they don't see it as an opportunity to learn but as a sign of disrespect. Egotists don’t actually have any sense of what respect is, and most importantly, they cannot even perceive that someone may know something better than them. Let alone disagree.\n\n# How to deal with selfish people at work\n\n![blog-900x550-_7_ (1).webp](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fblog_900x550_7_1_39491189c9.webp)\n\nSelfish people and egotistical people can be a substantial challenge in the workplace. While in your personal life, you can always stop communication and let them go, in a **professional** environment, things are not that simple. However, there are some tricks to take a break from them.\n\n## Avoid them if and when possible\n\nDealing with toxic people, in or out of the workplace, is a recipe for **failure**. Unfortunately, however, they are among us. Therefore, choose your battles wisely and avoid getting caught up in unnecessary conflicts and arguments. On the other hand, if something offends you as a person and a professional, communicate it without straying from your values. Sometimes, you need to **speak up**, if only for your own peace of mind.\n\n## Set clear boundaries\n\nThe importance of setting **boundaries** is indispensable, whether it involves our personal and our professional life. In case you are dealing with an **egotist** in the workplace, even when their behavior goes off the rails, make sure to call them to order. At the very least, you can make it clear that their behavior is unacceptable and harmful to your working relationship.\n\n## Talk to them about the risks they face\n\nSelfishness has many adverse effects in a work environment, which you can highlight to the egotist directly. For example, you could try saying, _\"If you only focus on what suits your needs, you're not seeing the big picture. This affects everything and, in the long run, can hinder your development.\"_ or, _\"If you see everything as a personal insult, you will constantly feel frustrated and be burdened by negative thoughts about others. Isn't that exhausting?\"_.\n\nRemember to be prepared that you may not get the response you're hoping for in either case, but, at least, you will give them some food for thought, and they may back off a bit.\n\nIf the workplace is becoming too toxic for you, maybe it’s time you started looking for another job.","5-toxic-phrases-used-by-colleagues-with-a-huge-ego","selfish people at work, egotist phrases, egoist phrases at work, egoism in the workplace, ego in the workplace, challenges in the workplace","If you are dealing with a colleague who is an egotist, you need to recognize the signs and be prepared. Read the article and beware of the ego.",{"id":294,"name":295,"alternativeText":52,"caption":296,"width":148,"height":149,"formats":297,"hash":323,"ext":58,"mime":61,"size":324,"url":325,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":326,"updatedAt":327},431,"egoist colleague in the workplace.jpg","egoist colleague in the workplace",{"large":298,"small":305,"medium":311,"thumbnail":317},{"ext":58,"url":299,"hash":300,"mime":61,"name":301,"path":52,"size":302,"width":55,"height":303,"sizeInBytes":304},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Flarge_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14.jpg","large_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14","large_Blog 1600x900 (8).jpg",48.5,563,48504,{"ext":58,"url":306,"hash":307,"mime":61,"name":308,"path":52,"size":309,"width":71,"height":165,"sizeInBytes":310},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsmall_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14.jpg","small_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14","small_Blog 1600x900 (8).jpg",16.01,16009,{"ext":58,"url":312,"hash":313,"mime":61,"name":314,"path":52,"size":315,"width":79,"height":172,"sizeInBytes":316},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fmedium_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14.jpg","medium_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14","medium_Blog 1600x900 (8).jpg",30.33,30329,{"ext":58,"url":318,"hash":319,"mime":61,"name":320,"path":52,"size":321,"width":179,"height":180,"sizeInBytes":322},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14.jpg","thumbnail_Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14","thumbnail_Blog 1600x900 (8).jpg",5.21,5209,"Blog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14",103.97,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002FBlog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14.jpg","2024-08-19T21:47:47.366Z","2024-08-19T21:48:12.384Z",{"id":6,"name":7,"slug":8,"createdAt":329,"updatedAt":330,"publishedAt":98},"2020-12-24T19:15:38.145Z","2020-12-24T19:15:38.158Z",{"id":18,"name":190,"slug":191,"instagram":52,"facebook":52,"bio":192,"createdAt":193,"updatedAt":194,"publishedAt":195,"linkedIn":52,"avatar":332},{"id":197,"name":198,"alternativeText":199,"caption":199,"width":114,"height":114,"formats":333,"hash":206,"ext":152,"mime":155,"size":207,"url":208,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":209,"updatedAt":210},{"thumbnail":334},{"ext":152,"url":202,"hash":203,"mime":155,"name":204,"path":52,"size":205,"width":87,"height":87},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002FBlog_1600x900_8_d8c2372e14.jpg",{"id":337,"title":338,"createdAt":339,"updatedAt":340,"publishedAt":341,"content":342,"slug":343,"coffees":26,"seo_title":338,"keywords":344,"seo_desc":345,"featuredImage":346,"category":380,"author":381,"img":405},149,"16 Ways to Save Money on Home Expenses in 2025 (That Actually Work)","2024-08-19T18:55:58.600Z","2025-12-02T20:13:53.686Z","2024-08-19T19:04:28.700Z","Let's be honest: saving money on home expenses feels like trying to catch water with your hands sometimes. You turn around, and there's another bill, another thing that broke, another reminder that simply existing in a home costs money.\n\nIf you've noticed your monthly expenses creeping up over the past few years, you're not imagining it. [According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bls.gov\u002Fopub\u002Freports\u002Fconsumer-expenditures\u002F2023\u002F), household spending increased by 8.3% in 2023 alone, and energy costs have risen nearly 15% since 2021\\. The moment you step out of your family's house—whether you own, rent, live alone, or with roommates—maintaining a household becomes one of the biggest drains on your salary.\n\nThe good news? There are real, practical ways to cut back without feeling like you're living in deprivation mode. Some of these might seem small on their own, but trust us—when you stack them together, you'll notice a genuine difference in your bank account at the end of each month.\n\n# Kitchen & Grocery Savings\n\n## Buy in Bulk Strategically\n\nThis one's a lifesaver—but only if you do it right. Buying bulk is an efficient way to cut your grocery spending, but if you live alone, buying five pounds of spinach that wilts before you can use it isn't saving anything.\n\nFocus on products with no expiration date or very long shelf lives: pasta, tomato sauces, nuts, toiletries, cleaning products, legumes, rice, and canned goods. These are perfect candidates for bulk buying since you'll definitely use them, and they can last for more than a year. Plan a visit to your local Costco, Sam's Club, or even the bulk aisle at your regular grocery store. According to a [Consumer Reports analysis](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.consumerreports.org\u002Fhealth\u002Ffood-shopping\u002Fhow-to-save-time-and-money-food-shopping-a5059610882\u002F), buying in bulk can save households anywhere from 20-40% on staple items.\n\nKeep a running list on your phone of what you actually use regularly. Before any bulk purchase, ask yourself: \"Will I genuinely use all of this before it expires?\" If the answer is no, skip it.\n\n## Embrace Meal Prep\n\nWe've talked about the [importance of meal prep](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002F5-tips-for-meal-prep) for time management and healthy eating, but let's be clear about the financial impact: meal prepping can save you a significant amount of money every single month.\n\nWhen you plan your meals, you have control over what you need, and your grocery list becomes exponentially more efficient. You won't be buying food you don't need immediately, you'll be able to define the quantities you actually require, and you'll dramatically reduce food waste. The USDA estimates that the average American family throws away $1,500 worth of food per year. Meal prep directly combats that.\n\n![how to reduce home expenses](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fblog_900x550_6_1dc62b0575.webp)\n\nEven cooking extra-large meals on weekends and freezing portions can drop your reliance on takeout and delivery apps—which, let's be real, have become a budget black hole for many of us. Financial experts estimate that pre-planning meals and freezing portions can save families $250 or more per month.\n\n## Create a Grocery List and Actually Stick to It\n\nThis sounds almost too simple, but don't shop by memory. Write down what you need before you go. This habit alone can cut food expenses, support your meal planning, and drastically reduce impulse buying.\n\nThere are apps that can help you organize lists and find bargains, or you can keep it old school with a notes app on your phone. The key is to treat the list like a commitment, not a suggestion. If it's not on the list, it doesn't go in the cart.\n\n# Utility Bill Strategies\n\n## Actually Turn Off the Lights\n\nYou get out of the shower, ready to watch an episode of [Emily in Paris](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fshows-like-emily-in-paris) in your cozy living room. But you forget to turn off the bathroom lights, pass by the kitchen for a snack with those lights on, and by the time you're on the couch, the whole house is lit up like a stadium.\n\nThis habit impacts your electricity bill more than you might think. Not turning off lights when you don't need them isn't just energy waste—it's money waste. A simple mindfulness shift can save you a meaningful amount each month. While you're at it, be conscious of small appliances: unplug them when you don't use them, and make sure that when you leave the house, you're not leaving the A\u002FC or heating running full blast for an empty home.\n\n## Switch to LED Lightbulbs\n\nHere's a stat that might surprise you: residential LED lights use at least 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent lighting. [According to the U.S. Department of Energy](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.energy.gov\u002Fenergysaver\u002Fled-lighting#:~:text=LED%20is%20a%20highly%20energy,times%20longer%2C%20than%20incandescent%20lighting.), if every household replaced just one incandescent bulb with an LED, it would save about $600 million in annual energy costs nationwide.\n\nThat's massive. And on a personal level, switching to LEDs saves energy usage and saves you money on replacement bulbs over time. The good news is you can find LED lights in virtually any shade, color, and size—from traditional fluorescent to soft, warm hues. Make the switch and watch the difference in your electricity bill.\n\n## Be Mindful of Water Usage\n\n[Water is a precious resource](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fwater-is-a-beauty-elixir) that often goes unnoticed in daily routines since water bills tend to be relatively cheap compared to electricity. But reducing your daily water consumption can still meaningfully lower your utility bills—and it's better for the environment.\n\nNext time you're in the shower waiting for your [homemade hair mask](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Feasy-and-affordable-homemade-hair-masks) to work its magic, turn off the water. Take shorter showers (a productivity hack in itself), and consider replacing your showerhead with a low-flow model. According to the [Regional Water Provider Consortium](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.regionalh2o.org\u002Fwater-conservation\u002Findoor-water-conservation\u002Fshower#:~:text=Cutting%20just%20one%20minute%20from,of%20it%20down%20the%20drain.), cutting even one minute from a daily shower could save about 75 gallons a month.\n\nAlso, adjust your laundry habits and use your dishwasher mindfully—don't run it half-empty, but don't overload it either, as both can increase water consumption. And here's one that's easy to overlook: fix leaky faucets. A dripping faucet can add up to gallons of wasted water over time, and replacing a leaky faucet costs less than $10 and takes just minutes.\n\n## Install a Faucet Aerator\n\nA faucet aerator might sound technical, but it's actually a small, simple attachment that screws onto the end of your faucet. It mixes air with the water to reduce flow without lowering pressure, helping you conserve water while also filtering out debris and minimizing splashing.\n\nThis means you'll save money on water bills and avoid messy puddles around the sink. Best of all, it costs less than ten dollars and can be picked up at any hardware store.\n\n## Use a Humidifier in Winter\n\nAs the colder months approach, another bill gets added to expenses: heating. A humidifier won't replace your actual heating system, but it can help spread warmth more evenly throughout your home, leading to more mindful energy consumption.\n\nPlus, a humidifier combats the static electricity that accumulates during cold, dry months and helps keep your skin hydrated (along with your [favorite moisturizer](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-best-moisturizers-of-2024-and-2025), of course\\!). Invest in a quality humidifier and watch your heating bill become more manageable.\n\n## Invest in Sun-Blocking Curtains\n\nWindows are the primary cause of energy loss from a home, which translates directly into higher utility bills. According to [energy.gov](http:\u002F\u002Fenergy.gov), about 30% of a home's heating or cooling energy is lost through windows, and roughly 76% of sunlight that enters windows does so as heat.\n\nSun-blocking curtains or blinds help maintain your home's temperature—keeping the cool in during summer and the warmth in during winter. And no, this doesn't mean sacrificing your decor aesthetic. Closing the blinds when you leave home is enough to make a huge difference, and it's a great way to explore different interior styles. Bonus: if you're someone who wakes up the moment the sun rises, blackout curtains will protect your precious sleep.\n\n## Seal Gaps and Cracks\n\nCheck around your windows and doors for drafts—these are spots where air escapes, forcing your heating or cooling system to work harder. Sealing these gaps with weather stripping or caulk keeps your home better insulated and saves you money on both heating and cooling.\n\nThis is a super-simple, cost-effective fix that yields high efficiency returns. While you're at it, fit draft excluders under doors during wintertime for extra insulation.\n\n# Subscription & Service Savings\n\n## Audit Your Subscriptions\n\nCanceling subscriptions is, according to financial experts, one of the first steps to [stop spending money](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-i-stopped-spending-money). If you need to reduce your home expenses, it's time for an honest conversation with yourself about how much you actually use all those streaming services.\n\nDo you really need Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, and Peacock simultaneously? If you do, please share your secret for finding the time. After a long day at work, [a good show is essential](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fshows-like-gilmore-girls), but most people don't genuinely use all these platforms within a single month.\n\nMonitor which subscriptions you actually use and stick to those. If there's a specific show you want to watch on another platform, subscribe for that month and then cancel. Your bank account will thank you.\n\n## Negotiate Your Internet and Phone Bills\n\nPull up your internet and phone bills and really look at the charges. Are you paying for services you don't actually use? If you never use your landline, cancel it. Look at your internet speed—nowadays, internet quality is good enough that paying for the highest-tier speed often isn't worth it for basic use.\n\nCall your providers and ask about discounts or more affordable plans. Most companies would rather keep you satisfied than lose a customer—so negotiate. The same goes for your mobile plan: if you're paying for unlimited calls but barely talk on the phone, or you're paying for tons of data but work from home on WiFi, it's time to adjust. Small changes here can show big results in your monthly finances.\n\n# Maintenance & DIY Savings\n\n## Learn Basic Home Repairs\n\n![how to reduce home expenses](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fblog_900x550_5_011174af31.webp)\n\nNothing in a home stays intact forever. Something will break, or you'll need to hang a new picture or fix a wobbly shelf. If you're not naturally handy, the easy move is to just call a professional for every little thing—but that adds up fast and isn't kind to your budget.\n\nFor basic tasks like hanging things, replacing a showerhead, or painting a wall, consider learning to do it yourself. YouTube and TikTok are goldmines for home repair tutorials. These tasks aren't as intimidating as they seem and can be learned quickly. You'll save money, time (no more searching for the perfect available handyman), and gain the satisfaction of handling things yourself.\n\nThat said, know your limits. If something requires a professional—like fixing your A\u002FC or dealing with electrical issues—don't try to DIY it. You might end up causing more damage and spending more money.\n\n## Borrow Tools Instead of Buying\n\nChances are you have a friend or family member with a comprehensive toolbox. If you need something for a small project—like fixing that leaky faucet we mentioned earlier—instead of running to Amazon and buying a tool you'll rarely use again, ask your network to lend you what you need.\n\nThis way, you're not spending money on tools that will collect dust, and you're saving storage space without accumulating a pile of unused equipment. Plus, libraries often have tool lending programs—check your local branch.\n\n## Keep Your Warranties Organized\n\nWhen a small appliance like a vacuum or microwave breaks, it's tempting to just replace it with a new one. But this habit increases your expenses when many of those products come with warranties that cover repairs or replacements.\n\nKeep all your warranties in one designated drawer or folder (digital works, too), and when something breaks, check if it's still covered before spending money. Reach out to the seller or manufacturer for replacement or guidance. Why pay for something when you can get it handled for free?\n\n## Use Your Network for Bigger Repairs\n\nFor tasks that do require more expertise, tap into your network before hiring a stranger. People who have toolboxes usually know how to use them. A family member or friend who's experienced might be willing to help you out—or at least recommend a trustworthy, reasonably priced professional.\n\n# The Bottom Line\n\nSaving money on home expenses isn't about one dramatic change—it's about a collection of small, sustainable habits that compound over time. Some of these tips might save you $5 a month. Others might save you $50 or more. Stack them together, and you're looking at meaningful savings that make a real difference in your financial life.\n\nThe cost of living isn't going down anytime soon, but you have more control than you might think. Start with the changes that feel easiest to you—maybe it's finally canceling that streaming service you forgot you had, or switching out your lightbulbs this weekend. Then build from there.\n\nYour bank account—and your future self—will appreciate the effort.\n\n","10-ways-to-save-money-on-home-expenses","save money on home expenses, reduce household expenses, cut home costs, lower utility bills, reduce living expenses, how to save on bills, money saving tips for home","Struggling with rising costs? Discover 16 smart ways to save money on home expenses in 2025—from utility bills to groceries. Real tips that actually lower your monthly spending.",{"id":347,"name":348,"alternativeText":349,"caption":349,"width":148,"height":149,"formats":350,"hash":375,"ext":152,"mime":155,"size":376,"url":377,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":378,"updatedAt":379},428,"how to reduce home expenses.webp","how to reduce home expenses",{"large":351,"small":357,"medium":363,"thumbnail":369},{"ext":152,"url":352,"hash":353,"mime":155,"name":354,"path":52,"size":355,"width":55,"height":158,"sizeInBytes":356},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Flarge_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57.webp","large_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57","large_Blog-1600x900-_7_ (2).webp",32.41,32406,{"ext":152,"url":358,"hash":359,"mime":155,"name":360,"path":52,"size":361,"width":71,"height":165,"sizeInBytes":362},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsmall_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57.webp","small_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57","small_Blog-1600x900-_7_ (2).webp",12.56,12564,{"ext":152,"url":364,"hash":365,"mime":155,"name":366,"path":52,"size":367,"width":79,"height":172,"sizeInBytes":368},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fmedium_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57.webp","medium_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57","medium_Blog-1600x900-_7_ (2).webp",21.72,21720,{"ext":152,"url":370,"hash":371,"mime":155,"name":372,"path":52,"size":373,"width":179,"height":180,"sizeInBytes":374},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57.webp","thumbnail_Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57","thumbnail_Blog-1600x900-_7_ (2).webp",4.8,4796,"Blog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57",69.24,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002FBlog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57.webp","2024-08-19T19:02:47.793Z","2024-08-19T19:03:13.358Z",{"id":6,"name":7,"slug":8,"createdAt":329,"updatedAt":330,"publishedAt":98},{"id":26,"name":382,"slug":383,"instagram":384,"facebook":385,"bio":386,"createdAt":387,"updatedAt":388,"publishedAt":389,"linkedIn":390,"avatar":391},"Tonia","tonia","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fliolioutonia\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Ftonia.lioliou","If you could find one person combining physical strength and mental ability it would have her name. Tonia is also a teacher, but she has serious experience in all kinds of jobs. She can do whatever you ask her. She is also a big fan of remote work -and she is not afraid to admit it. This is why she loves writing about it.","2020-12-24T18:57:03.277Z","2022-03-04T12:40:41.173Z","2020-12-24T18:57:04.381Z","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Ftonia-lioliou-078949202\u002F",{"id":26,"name":392,"alternativeText":393,"caption":393,"width":114,"height":114,"formats":394,"hash":400,"ext":117,"mime":120,"size":401,"url":402,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":403,"updatedAt":404},"the working gal author.png","the working gal author",{"thumbnail":395},{"ext":117,"url":396,"hash":397,"mime":120,"name":398,"path":52,"size":399,"width":87,"height":87},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_tonia_614def26ea.png","thumbnail_tonia_614def26ea","thumbnail_tonia.png",52.63,"tonia_614def26ea",111.31,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Ftonia_614def26ea.png","2020-12-24T18:57:01.136Z","2025-02-22T08:34:14.859Z","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002FBlog_1600x900_7_2_4085de1c57.webp",{"id":407,"title":408,"createdAt":409,"updatedAt":410,"publishedAt":411,"content":412,"slug":413,"coffees":14,"seo_title":408,"keywords":414,"seo_desc":415,"featuredImage":416,"category":449,"author":450,"img":454},148,"Do Social Media and Influencers Damage Our Body Image?","2024-08-16T20:43:57.962Z","2024-08-16T20:52:19.577Z","2024-08-16T20:52:19.575Z","### Social media can influence your body image — sometimes positively, sometimes negatively\n\nTikTok is a social networking platform with many \"faces,\" and for some time now, it has proven to be extremely popular with those interested in obtaining drugs, such as **Ozempic**, to slim down. It seems, however, that the company has decided to curb promotional videos and released new rules that will block body-shaming images and relatively harmful messages. As expected, users who were making money promoting slimming drugs and tactics saw their commissions affected by the new rules and either headed to other platforms or started changing the way they talked about these drugs. But TikTok is only a part of the social media universe and the huge influence it has gained over our bodies.\n\nOur world is undoubtedly dominated by social media; if you are online, it's hard to escape the endless stream of perfectly filtered images and curated lifestyles. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok platforms have reshaped our perception of beauty, making body image concerns more prevalent than ever before. But what is social media's impact on our self-esteem? And how can we survive this world of filters and influencers without surrendering to unreal and unrealistic standards?\n\nSocial media's profound influence on body image and the way it shapes our ideals of beauty has recently alerted scientists and psychologists. Over the last 3-4 years, with the rise of influencers promoting unattainable standards and the damaging effects of **comparison culture**, social media, instead of a means of healthy connections, has become a psychological and emotional toll on many individuals, especially women. According to a [survey](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fpmc\u002Farticles\u002FPMC5865626\u002F), social media is correlated with body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms.\n\n# The role of filters and photo editing in shaping body image\n\nSocial media platforms have revolutionized the way we present ourselves to the world. The ubiquity of filters and photo editing tools has created an environment where the \"perfect\" image is the norm. These digital enhancements allow users to smooth skin and slim features and even wholly alter their physical appearance with just a few taps, showing mainly a “different”, more beautified self.\n\nThis ease of manipulation has profoundly impacted our perception of beauty and body image. When constantly exposed to these flawless, filtered images, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy, realistic view of our bodies. We see the “perfect” bodies and believe it’s true. The line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred, and we start to internalize the idea that perfection is attainable, even if it's only through digital tools.\n\nThe problem is that these edited images do not reflect the true diversity of human bodies. They perpetuate a narrow, unrealistic standard of beauty that is simply unattainable for the majority of people. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and even body dysmorphia as individuals strive to achieve an image that is inherently false and unattainable. The **psychological impact** of this constant exposure to filtered perfection can be devastating, particularly for young people who are still developing their sense of self and body image.\n\nAlongside the rise of filters and photo editing, the influence of social media influencers and celebrities has had a significant impact on body image. These individuals, often with large followings and carefully curated images, have become the new arbiters of beauty and desirability.\n\n![social media and body image.webp](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsocial_media_and_body_image_1f2fd67585.webp)\nMany influencers and celebrities promote a specific body type, mainly the thin, toned, and flawless type. The images they share make us believe and reinforce the idea that this is the \"ideal\" body, leading their followers to compare themselves and strive to achieve this unattainable standard, often via extreme methods, such as **extreme diets**, unsuitable and potentially dangerous medications, etc. The constant barrage of these idealized images can be overwhelming, leaving the audience feeling inadequate and ashamed of their bodies.\n\nMoreover, some influencers and celebrities have been known to engage in deceptive practices, such as using filters or editing their images to create an illusion of perfection. This further aggravates the disconnect between the reality of the human body and the unrealistic images presented on social media.\n\n### When followers realize that the photos they've been aspiring to are not authentic, it can lead to a deep sense of betrayal and a further erosion of their self-esteem\n\nThe link between social media use and body dissatisfaction is well-documented. Studies have consistently shown that increased time spent on social media is associated with higher levels of body image concerns, disordered eating behaviors, and overall dissatisfaction with one's physical appearance.\n\nThis phenomenon is particularly prevalent among young people, who are especially vulnerable to social media's negative impacts. Constant exposure to idealized images and the pressure to conform to a certain standard of beauty can lead to a heightened sense of self-consciousness and a preoccupation with physical appearance. According to internal [Meta research](https:\u002F\u002Fabout.fb.com\u002Fnews\u002F2021\u002F09\u002Fresearch-teen-well-being-and-instagram\u002F), for one in three teenage girls who were already struggling with body image issues, the Instagram app made them feel worse.\n\nFurthermore, social media's interactive nature, where users can engage with content, leave comments, and receive feedback, can worsen these issues. The desire for likes, shares, and positive reinforcement can drive individuals to seek validation through their physical appearance, leading to a cycle of insecurity and unhealthy behaviors.\n\nThe pervasive nature of social media has also led to a culture of constant comparison, where individuals constantly evaluate their own bodies and appearance against those of their peers and the influencers they follow. This comparison can have a devastating impact on self-esteem and overall body image.\n\nWhen we see the seemingly perfect bodies and lives of others on social media, it's natural to feel a sense of inadequacy. We may find ourselves scrutinizing our own flaws and shortcomings, feeling as if we fall short of the standards set by these curated images. This can lead to a downward spiral of low self-worth, anxiety, and a **distorted perception** of our own bodies.\n\nThe impact of this comparison culture extends beyond just physical appearance. It can also affect our sense of self-worth, our confidence, and our overall well-being. The constant need to measure up to unrealistic standards can be emotionally draining and can lead to a range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and disordered eating.\n\n#### Instead of being motivated to live a balanced life where we eat wholesomely, work out regularly, and take care of ourselves and our health, we are constantly trying to achieve a “photoshopped” image\n\n# Can Social Media Be Healthy?\n\nYes, they can. It all depends on our perspective. The solution is not to cut social media out of our lives, especially given their popularity. What matters is to develop strategies for using social media to our benefit and in a healthy and empowering way. To do so, the first step is to watch who we follow and what we are trying to achieve via navigating through social media platforms.\n![social media and body image.webp](https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsocial_media_and_body_image_6a925611e1.webp)\n\nIt's essential to be selective and intentional about the social media accounts we engage with, ensuring that they promote body positivity, inclusivity, and realistic representations of the human form. Unfollowing accounts that make us feel inadequate or perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards is a powerful act of self-care.\n\nAdditionally, it's essential to cultivate a social media feed that reflects the diversity of human bodies and celebrates different shapes, sizes, and appearances. Seeking out accounts that showcase a range of body types, skin tones, and physical abilities can challenge the narrow beauty ideals often presented on these platforms.\n\nWhat we also do is take proactive steps to promote positive body image and challenge the dominant narratives around beauty and worth by sharing body-positive content.\n\nThis can involve sharing our own unfiltered, authentic images and celebrating our bodies as they are. It can also include engaging with and amplifying the voices of body-positive influencers, activists, and content creators who challenge the status quo and promote self-love and acceptance.\n\nAnother strategy is to be mindful of the [language we use](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.workingal.com\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-language-is-affected-by-our-gender) when discussing our bodies and the bodies of others. Avoiding negative self-talk and replacing it with affirmations and positive self-reflection can shift our mindset and cultivate a more compassionate relationship with our physical selves.\n\n****\n\nWhile individuals can take steps to use social media healthily, the responsibility for promoting body positivity and challenging unrealistic beauty standards also lies with the platforms themselves. Social media companies have a significant influence over the content and narratives that are amplified and disseminated, and they have a moral obligation to use this power to support the well-being and self-esteem of their users. Already, many of the most popular social media platforms have implemented stricter policies around the content posted as well as product promotions. However, the road is long, and more consistent measures are needed to eliminate unrealistic and potentially dangerous content.","do-social-media-and-influencers-damage-our-body-image","social media and body image, social media filters and body image, social media causing body image issues,social media and women's body image, ","Social media and influencers can harm our body image and cause negative body perceptions. Read how in this article.",{"id":417,"name":418,"alternativeText":52,"caption":419,"width":148,"height":149,"formats":420,"hash":445,"ext":152,"mime":155,"size":446,"url":447,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":448,"updatedAt":448},423,"social media and body image.webp","social media and body image",{"large":421,"small":427,"medium":433,"thumbnail":439},{"ext":152,"url":422,"hash":423,"mime":155,"name":424,"path":52,"size":425,"width":55,"height":158,"sizeInBytes":426},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Flarge_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142.webp","large_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142","large_social media and body image.webp",31.18,31180,{"ext":152,"url":428,"hash":429,"mime":155,"name":430,"path":52,"size":431,"width":71,"height":165,"sizeInBytes":432},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsmall_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142.webp","small_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142","small_social media and body image.webp",12.11,12114,{"ext":152,"url":434,"hash":435,"mime":155,"name":436,"path":52,"size":437,"width":79,"height":172,"sizeInBytes":438},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fmedium_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142.webp","medium_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142","medium_social media and body image.webp",21.12,21118,{"ext":152,"url":440,"hash":441,"mime":155,"name":442,"path":52,"size":443,"width":179,"height":180,"sizeInBytes":444},"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fthumbnail_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142.webp","thumbnail_social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142","thumbnail_social media and body image.webp",4.39,4390,"social_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142",68.25,"https:\u002F\u002Fworkingal.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\u002Fsocial_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142.webp","2024-08-16T20:50:54.952Z",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24,"createdAt":96,"updatedAt":97,"publishedAt":98},{"id":6,"name":100,"slug":101,"instagram":102,"facebook":103,"bio":104,"createdAt":105,"updatedAt":106,"publishedAt":107,"linkedIn":108,"avatar":451},{"id":110,"name":111,"alternativeText":112,"caption":113,"width":114,"height":114,"formats":452,"hash":124,"ext":117,"mime":120,"size":125,"url":126,"previewUrl":52,"provider":92,"provider_metadata":52,"createdAt":127,"updatedAt":127},{"thumbnail":453},{"ext":117,"url":118,"hash":119,"mime":120,"name":121,"path":52,"size":122,"width":87,"height":87,"sizeInBytes":123},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.workingal.com\u002Fsocial_media_and_body_image_6a2bbe3142.webp",{"pagination":456},{"start":457,"limit":458,"total":459},0,5,141]