We Got Really Good at Looking Like We’re Working

We Got Really Good at Looking Like We’re Working

Have you ever had a day where you were busy the entire time… and at the end of it… nothing actually moved forward? I’ve been thinking about that lately. Because I don’t think it’s accidental. In this episode, I talk through a shift I’ve been noticing in how we work: * how work has started to feel more like performance than progress * why meetings, updates, and dashboards can slowly replace the work itself * how activity starts to feel like productivity * and why being “busy” has quietly become part of our identity I get into the subtle trade-offs: * the time spent explaining work instead of doing it * the pressure to be visible vs actually creating value * and how even well-organized systems can still be… uncertainty underneath This isn’t about blaming anything. It’s more about noticing the difference between: a day that looks productive… and a day that actually is. Lately, I’ve been trying something simple: Asking myself— “What would actually move something forward today?” And trying to protect time for that… even if it’s just one thing.

Why Do Simple Things Feel Better Now?

Lately, I’ve been noticing something… The things I look forward to are getting… smaller. Not in a bad way—just… simpler. A good cup of coffee. A quiet walk. Cooking something decent. Sitting outside when it’s just… still. And what’s strange is… I don’t miss the bigger things the way I thought I would. In this episode, I sit with that shift a bit: * why ordinary days are starting to feel… kind of perfect * whether this is age… or just awareness * how simple things start to feel better—and what that changes * the quiet trade-off when big moments don’t hit the same anymore * and how the idea of “enough” starts to shift over time There’s some humor in it… a little self-awareness… and maybe a small realization underneath it all. Maybe nothing actually got smaller. Maybe I just stopped needing everything to be loud.

The Number… and When It Takes Over

Everything at work eventually becomes… a number. Forecast. Pipeline. Targets. Growth. And there’s something comforting about that. Numbers feel clean. Objective. Definitive. But the more time I spend around them… the more I realize they’re sitting on top of a lot of judgment. In this episode, I talk through: * where numbers actually come from (and what goes into them) * how two people can look at the same situation and land on different outcomes * the moment when a forecast quietly stops being a reflection… and becomes the goal * how small, reasonable adjustments start to drift away from reality over time * why performance metrics can reshape behavior in ways we don’t always notice * and the pattern behind all of it—what’s known as Goodhart’s Law This isn’t about numbers being wrong. It’s about how easily we start managing the representation of reality… instead of reality itself. Lately, I’ve been trying to look past the number— and pay more attention to how it got there. Because that’s usually where the truth is.

Why Everything Feels… Off Lately

There’s nothing obviously wrong… but something feels off. Lately, I’ve had this feeling I can’t really explain. Nothing’s broken. Nothing dramatic. Just… off. In this episode, I’m trying to sit with that a little longer. I talk through: * why everything feels important… but nothing really lands * how my attention has changed—and how hard it is to stay with a thought * why thinking something all the way through now feels like a luxury * whether this is just age… or something else * how AI might be changing how I think, not just what I know * and why even stable things can feel a little… fragile underneath I don’t have an answer here. Just something I’ve been noticing… and trying not to rush past.

How’s the new job?

This week I’m talking about the question everyone asks: “How’s the new job?” But instead of the usual answer… I went somewhere else with it. How we evaluate jobs (and maybe get it wrong), Why identity gets tied up in what we do, And why in places like Europe… people don’t even start with that question. Maybe we’ve been measuring this whole thing the wrong way.