№2 The Systems Don’t Talk to Each Other

THERE IS NO OVERLAP. That's the mental exclamation as I wrestle the thought of systems, specifically those in home + work.

None of them speak to each other.

Skylight was a giddy discovery a few birthdays ago to announce to me & Alin where we needed to be. A realization that the mental vault approach was bound to fail and launch a snapping turtle rap battle of "but did you tell me?"

Google Calendar knows a bit more, but differently.

ClassDojo knows what our school wants us to know, so we can be present and informed parents.

MyChart knows a bit too much and I know to never casually venture into clinician notes, lest I want to feel utterly insulted into the next century. Or 11.47pm audits of "objection! I did tell you about chest pain and you said I didn't."

And then there is the mental calendar, which I can't seem to unload at all or consistently.

Every system is, individually, useful.

Together, they have formed a small administrative state.

The strange part is that work looks almost exactly the same.

Different tools. Different logins. Different sources of truth. Different places where one tiny, consequential piece of information might be hiding. Or, the intel lives in human vaults. "Go ask _____." No paper trail, just mind bubbles to find, tag and give shape + a viable copy link.

We keep building systems to reduce the cognitive load.

And then, quietly assign a human being the job of remembering how all the systems fit together.

Uhhhh, guys?