LinkedIn satire(?), weird internet gems, and awkward small talk.

What an odd dystopia we are in...

This week’s thoughts are a mix of work gripes, weird internet rabbit holes, and an urgent plea to fix small talk. From LinkedIn posts that feel like satire, but probably aren’t (eww) to the absolute disaster that is opening a phone; my brain has been all over the place (as per usual).

• LinkedIn has gotten so bad, I genuinely can’t tell if some posts are satire or not. I feel like there has to be some word in a non-English language that represents that.

• Remember when you could just run into someone in the hallway and talk about something dumb for a few minutes, or regret saying hello to that one awkward coworker who is a real downer and starts talking about their divorce or how their horse has worms? We need more of that energy in our communication tools (yes even those regretful moments when you poorly timed getting your coffee). Your team has hobbies and so do you (I hope), maybe start with some channels dedicated to just sharing them. Or maybe a #pets channel so that person can share their horse worms in there and you can Giphy the hell out of it. Give people an excuse to be human.

• The internet has gotten to a weird place where everyone is an "expert" providing advice to get more clicks (oh god, am I one of them?). There's even a whole dedicated type of post called rage-bait where people scrounge for clicks by upsetting viewers. What a weird dystopia we live in.

  The internet also has some amazing things though. Stuff that we would have never have been exposed to 30 years ago. Would a cable network ever show me videos of an older couple farming in Azerbaijan? No! and you're missing out if you aren't watching it!

• I hate the 'what do you do for work' question. It's the first thing (men typically) ask when they are together. Are we nothing but our jobs? Here are some fun icebreakers to try instead: "Bought any new tools lately?" "What kind of hobbies do you have?", "What's your favorite Mexican food place around here?", or “look at this weird stick I found!” (it works for kids, why not adults?)

• Does anyone else feel like their home office has some weird mental block attached to it? I swear, I sit at my desk and suddenly I lose motivation to do the thing I sat down to do (or even forget what it was completely). But if I move to the couch, sit outside, or go to a coffee shop? Blammo! +20 productivity.

  
  Maybe I just need to rearrange my setup... or abandon this desk completely.

• If you’re losing great employees, it’s probably not about money (though that could be part of it). I had a conversation with someone recently, and it reminded of how easy it is to blame the person leaving, or that you couldn’t compete with the offer they got. Your best people want to be heard, valued, challenged, and supported. They want recognition from their peers and leaders.

  When was the last time you really checked in with your team? Not just “How’s it going?” but an actual, meaningful conversation about their ambitions and frustrations? If you’re only engaging them when there’s a problem, you are just going to be a problem for them.

• I am so sick of notifications and popups (maybe this is another daily sign that I’m getting old). Oh, let me unlock my phone to add something on our grocery list. Here’s a push notification to ACT FAST to buy the stupid package for this crappy game I haven't played in 7 months but don't delete. Oh, I have four texts from my healthcare provider asking for feedback on my recent visit. Oh, I can’t open the grocery list without clicking through the 'FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, RATE OUR APP' popups.

  It’s exhausting. I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget to buy Toilet Paper, not get bombarded with microtransactions and emotional manipulation.

• How about a tool to end this week’s post? Gigabrain *Not affiliated, just a fan

  We all know the glory days of Google Search are long gone, right? How many of you add “Reddit” to the end of your searches try and get actual useful answers?

  Well, with (booming voice)✨THE POWER OF AI👐, you can cut to the chase and instantly search Reddit threads for human(?) answers using Gigabrain. I use this thing all the time for questions like, “What shoes are good for wide feet that don’t look dumb?”, “How do people feel about Framer as a tool?”, or “how do I get this brown stain off my couch?!”

  Seriously, give it a shot. It’s way better than wading through sponsored ads and top-10 list garbage.

That’s it for this week’s 🧠💩of thoughts. Aren’t I so hip and young by using emojis? Hello fellow kids…

Anything on this byte hit home for you? Or, better yet, what’s the weirdest rabbit hole you've gone down lately?

L8r 🐊s,

Trevor

P.S.: If you’re curious about my consulting business or how I help build people-first workplaces, check it out here: //TREVORFRY.TECH.

Hey, if you found this enlightening or humorous enough to let out some air out through your nostrils, why not let others join in?