They told us things would go back to normal.
Workplaces reopened. Traffic came back. Deadlines picked up like nothing happened.
But nothing about me went back. I didn’t bounce. I didn’t “thrive.” I adapted.
Not because I wanted to, but because I had to.
📅 When “Back to Normal” Didn’t Make Sense Anymore
The pandemic exposed a lot of systems for what they were:
- Overengineered processes held together by meetings
- Tools stacked on top of tools nobody actually used
- Routines that worked better in theory than in life
Remote work didn’t free me. It cornered me.
It forced me to look at what mattered, what worked, and what was just noise.
So I rewired everything.
🥉 Tools I Dropped Without Regret
- Todo apps with 15 features: Replaced with a plain-text list and time blocks.
- Slack overload: Muted everything but core team threads.
- Habit trackers: Deleted. I know if I’m doing the work or not.
- Productivity blogs: I stopped reading content that guilt-tripped me into routines that never fit my life.
Less software. More situational awareness.
🔨 Gear I Upgraded to Actually Survive
- 43″ 4K display: No dual-monitor juggling. Quadrant layouts made everything click.
- A mechanical keyboard: Clicky enough to feel real. Durable enough to not die in a year. Brings me back to my IBM Model M days of no fluff, just plain typing.
- Quality mouse: Reliable. No RGB hype. Just works. It’s not about the brand, it’s the use case — a Logitech G102 is perfect for me.
- Standing desk: Switched after testing different setups. This one helped with posture and long hours without needing extra gadgets.
- Ergonomic chair: Gaming chairs look great in photos, but for 6–10 hour workdays? Ergonomic wins.
- Clean desk, single lamp: No Nanoleaf. No LED strips. Just visibility.
If it didn’t help me work or rest better, it got tossed.
For more, I also broke down my value-driven picks here: Essential Gadgets for Remote Work Success.
🔧 The Workflow That Actually Stuck
I stopped copying systems designed for people with zero chaos in their lives. Here’s what stayed because it worked, not because it looked good on a template:
- Quadrant layout: One screen. Four work zones. No more alt-tabbing into madness.
- Time-boxing: Set the block. Do the thing. Log off.
- Hard cutoffs: I work eight hours. Not nine. Not “just one more thing.”
- Theme days: Plan, execute, wrap. Repeat. No more open loops all week.
It’s not pretty. It’s not trendy. But it works without breaking me.
❌ What I Let Die (With No Funeral)
- Workspaces designed for Instagram likes
- Hustle-porn podcasts telling me 4 AM is sacred
- Apps that tracked my moods but not my deliverables
- Notion dashboards that looked impressive and did nothing
- The pressure to “optimize” every second of my day
I didn’t need a better workflow. I needed less bullshit.
🌐 If You’re Still Piecing Things Together
You don’t need to “catch up.” There’s no race. No leaderboard. Just you — figuring it out while the world keeps shifting.
Don’t rebuild the old. Rewire it.
Strip it down. Test it. Own it.
CTRL+ALT+SURVIVE.**