AI Recursion, Spicy Air, and the Chaos of Solo Parenting

Coughing, citations, and stop taking advantage of job applicants

My wife’s been out of town all week and OH MY GOD HOW DO SINGLE PARENTS DO THIS FULL TIME? I’m outnumbered, outmaneuvered, there is shredded cheese in places cheese should never be, and everything is sticky. So yeah, this one’s got some heavier parenting flavor crystals for you, and maybe less practical advice. I'm tired, deal with it.

Stop Asking for 150% in Job Descriptions

If your job post says you're looking for someone who can “give 150%,” (I literally saw this today) you should be legally required to offer 150% of a paycheck. Otherwise, just admit you are just trying to take advantage of people who need a job and have mismanaged the workload.. Work smarter, set realistic expectations, and for the love of all that is good, stop making burnout sound like a personality trait.

My House Is a Landfill

You know that scene in Anchorman where they casually toss their burritos and trash behind them in the park? That, but it’s my kids, and instead of a park, it’s every room in this house. And instead of suits and ties, it’s inside-out pajamas (if they are even wearing clothes). Also, eff single serve plastic wrapping...

Generational Dress Codes Evolve

Not complaining, but it is kinda wild to see how quickly “dressing up” has morphed from business suits to business sweats. Back in my day, pajama Day used to be a special and rare day, but now they are normal school attire. If this trajectory continues, we’ll be showing up to interviews in bathrobes and a good attitude. The dude abides.

AI Is Just Feeding Itself Now

We’ve officially reached peak meta ouroboros: AI feeding AI. Chatbots responding to bot-generated posts, content built on recycled content, and SEO articles about SEO articles. What is the point of social media when most of the content is regurgitated AI-driven posts? Hell, what's the point when it's not?

Kids Have No Chill

I inhaled spice. Not like Muad'dib, but one of those extra pepper kernels that get stuck in your teeth, then break loose and shoot right down your windpipe when you least suspect it. I’m bent over hacking up my soul, while one of my kids is repeatedly asking me for a treat while the other two are busy using the couch as a trampoline (there's a real trampoline RIGHT THERE). Eventually, he did ask if I was OK and as soon as I could cough out a, "yes", he then continued to ask about his treat. Kids are great.

Cite Your Sources

You can find someone with a “Dr.” in front of their name to support just about anything these days (hell, I can legally put "Dr." in front of my name, which should give you pause). Just because someone is spouting some statistic and making it sound sciencey doesn’t mean it’s credible. I am saying this as someone who loathed citing sources in school, but sources matter. Play the "5 whys" and “who benefits?” game when you hear some new fact. Look for actual research, and just because they are a doctor in your feed, doesn't mean they have your best interest in mind. Skepticism is healthy.

Stack Ranking Kills Good Teams

Nothing like pitting your team against each other to see who’s “the best.” Stack ranking assumes you have to have someone at the bottom. But what if you’ve been a good leader and actually built a solid, collaborative team full of different strengths and roles? Now you’re just forcing them into competition, and killing morale in the process. Not everyone has to be clambering for 'the top'; you need those rock steady people in your team who are great right at what they do and are OK doing it.

MVP ≠ “Must (be) Very Polished"

If you can validate your theory on what customers actually want with a cocktail napkin and lipstick, you're doing it right. MVP is NOT a full-featured and polished product. It's the minimum viable product to see if you are going in the right direction.

If you want to get from Los Angeles to New York, don't start by building a plane. Start by making the simplest mode of transportation, maybe it's a skateboard. See how that does for a bit (a sprint), analyze the shortcomings (a review), and come up with new ideas to improve it (planning). You might not even be going to New York by the time the project has finished, or maybe you'll still end up building a jet in the end, but I guarantee you that jet would be the best damn jet you've ever been on.

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Ok, back to scrubbing down ALL THE THINGS. Got a spicy cough story or a job post that made you scream into a pillow? Tell me I’m not alone out here.

Currently waiting for the vacuum to charge to get more shredded cheese off the floor,

//Trevor

P.S.: Curious about my consulting work? I help build people-first workplaces that actually function. More here: //TREVORFRY.TECH