So, yeah. I finally did it. I guess you could say I joined the rebellion, or whatever you wanna call it.
It wasn’t like some big planned thing, you know? More like getting slowly boiled. We were drowning in tools. Seriously. One tool for chat, another for tasks, a third for documents, a fourth for tracking time, then emails, endless meetings about which tool to use for the next meeting… it was nuts.
Everything felt slow. Like wading through mud just to get a simple thing done. Ask a question? Check three different platforms. Update a task? Sync it across two places, then message someone to tell them you updated it. Felt like more time was spent managing the work than actually doing the work.
I remember this one project. Simple stuff, really. Should’ve taken maybe two weeks. It dragged on for over a month. Why? Endless sync-up meetings, confusion about where the latest files were, tasks getting lost in the digital shuffle. That was kind of the last straw for me.
My Little Experiment
I started small, on my own tasks first. Ditched the fancy task manager we were all supposed to use. Just started using a plain text file on my machine. Simple checklist. Done, not done. Added notes right there.
Then, for communication with a couple of colleagues I trusted on a smaller side task? We just talked. Or used basic, direct chat. No creating channels, no tagging projects, no formal announcements. Just quick, direct communication. Like humans.
It felt weirdly freeing. Like I’d been holding my breath and finally let it out.
- Things got done faster. Way faster.
- Less confusion about what needed doing next.
- My own stress levels dropped quite a bit.
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Sometimes I had to update the ‘official’ systems just to keep up appearances. Copy-pasting from my text file into the bloated task manager. Felt stupid, but hey, gotta play the game sometimes, right?
And explaining it? Nah. Didn’t bother trying to convert the whole company. Too much hassle. Just focused on my own corner, my own work. Found a few others who felt the same way. We formed a sort of unofficial ‘keep it simple’ club.
So, that’s my rebellion. Not very dramatic. No storming the barricades. Just quietly opting out of the complexity cult. Using simpler tools, more direct communication. It works for me. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but man, it saved my sanity.
Still here, still doing it. The company’s still piling on new tools, having meetings about synergy and integration. I just nod, keep my text file open, and get my work done.
