[byte]sized: Post #6

Cool sticks, plastic crap, and my lonely Android life

Well, shit. This is my first post after publicly announcing this thing. No pressure, right? Don’t screw it up, Trevor.

This week, I’ve been on the road again (this time traveling to the opposite corner of California), trying to stop more plastic crap from invading my house, and realizing that making friends was way easier when all it took was excitedly talking about what you enjoy. Also, onboarding matters, self-checkout sucks (but I still use it), and apparently, I’m the last person on earth with an Android phone. Let’s get into it.

• Spending time with people who share your values is so refreshing. Last week I talked about the value of being around people with wildly different perspectives, and I stand by that. But sometimes? You just need to be around your people. No debates. No friction. Just vibin' ya know?

• The plastic waste from kids' presents is absurd. Half these toys get played with for five minutes before they sink to the bottom of the toy bin (dark Toy Story vibes), forgotten until they’re eventually donated or trashed (even darker Toy Story vibes). Get a book instead. Give them something that won’t become part of landfill history in six months. Or, better yet, give experiences; museums, climbing gyms, whatever. Your gift doesn’t need to make noise to be fun (though I do have fond memories of those annoying laser guns growing up).

• Making friends as a kid was so simple. Look at this cool stick I found! Instant friendship. No awkward small talk, no LinkedIn requests, no “we should grab coffee sometime” that never actually happens (I swear I mean to do it; I just forget in the chaos that is my world). Just pure, unfiltered connection over a badass stick. I think we need to bring this back. What if we started a campaign to talk to a stranger about something so primitively cool like a stick, or rocket ships, or anything but politics and work?

• Onboarding isn’t some corporate buzzword; it’s the most important part of hiring. People remember their first day, for better or worse. Make Day 1 a Great One sounds like a cheesy HR slogan (and it is), but first impressions matter, and the way you bring someone onto a team sets the tone for everything that follows. Fuck it up, and you’ll be hiring for that position again sooner than you’d like.

• Get outdoors. I know most of this country is dealing with sad winter weather, but even if you’re buried in snow, strap on some damn boots or snowshoes and get outside. And leave your phone in your pocket for a while and just listen. Even silence is amazing.

• We keep automating away jobs while isolating ourselves even more. Self-checkout is convenient, sure, but it’s also one less human interaction in a world that’s already feeling increasingly disconnected. Even those small, awkward moments with a cashier who talks too much about TikTok dances and/or has had their soul beat out of them by their manager who is 25 years younger than them remind us that we’re still people, sharing space and time.

• Am I the last person on Android? It feels like everyone I know has migrated to iPhones while I’m still rocking my five-generation-old Pixel (which, by the way, still works mostly fine). I just don't see the need to get the latest and greatest phone; it's just a bunch of fluffy features that don't seem to justify the cost.

• Which brings me to my recommendation this week: Before Launcher (probably Android-only, 'cause… you know… Apple). Not affiliated, just something I actually use. I’ve tried so many launchers and always ended up back on stock Android—until this one. It’s ultra-minimalist, keeps your home screen clean, and the notification filters are choice 🤌. It’s the first one that I’ve used that just felt… right. If you constantly forget why you even picked up your phone because a notification hijacked your brain, or just want to be less encouraged to use your phone more, this might help.
  

That’s all I got. Found any cool sticks lately?

Later, nerds.

Trevor

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