Hybrid Creep: A Timeline of the Office Slowly Repossessing My Week
Nobody said 'return to the office'. They added optional lunches, core days and a dashboard. Hybrid creep, week by week, until there was no week left.
MAKE THIS WORSE →THE MAGAZINE · ISSUE 44 · NOVEMBER 2026
THE MAGAZINE
Long-form disappointment about life, work, money, love and technology.
The Official Scale of Being Tired, Levels 1 to 7 (You Live at Level 4)
Level 1 is "a bit sleepy." Level 7 is milk in the cupboard, cereal in the fridge. Find your level on the official tiredness scale. It's…
MAKE THIS WORSE →The Developer Estimate Conversion Table: What ‘A Couple of Hours’ Really Costs
'Should take a couple of hours' converts to roughly one fiscal quarter and a missed birthday. A reference table for PMs, clients and developers.
MAKE THIS WORSE →Obituary: Side Project, Dead at Three Weekends
Born on a Saturday with a domain name and a delusion. Died on the third Sunday, just after the login page. Nobody came to the funeral.
MAKE THIS WORSE →Job Descriptions, Translated: What Job Adverts Really Mean
'Fast-paced.' 'Self-starter.' 'Competitive salary.' Job advert phrases translated into plain English, so you know exactly what's eating you alive.
MAKE THIS WORSE →In Loving Memory of the Group Chat, Dead at Four Years
The group chat died alone, beside a single unanswered meme. A cold eulogy for the chat that used to be everything and is now just birthdays.
MAKE THIS WORSE →Holiday Family Dinner, Minute by Minute, Until Someone Asks About Your Career
2:00pm: dinner is at 3. 4:47pm: dinner is nearly ready. A live, minute-by-minute log of the family holiday meal and everything it costs you.
MAKE THIS WORSE →Your Performance Review: Frequently Asked Questions (Brutally Answered)
Will my review be fair? Why am I 'meeting expectations'? Is there a pay rise? The performance review FAQ HR deleted, answered honestly.
MAKE THIS WORSE →Things You Say When You Don’t Want to Go Out (They Stopped Believing You in 2021)
"I'd love to, but..." A ranked list of excuses for staying in, plus a transcript of the committee in your head that always votes for the…
MAKE THIS WORSE →Transcript: ‘It’s Just a Small Change’ (It Was Not a Small Change)
Client: 'It's just a small change.' Developer: opens LinkedIn. The full transcript of the most expensive sentence in software.
MAKE THIS WORSE →Welcome to the Museum of My Childhood: Please Do Not Touch the Exhibits, Including Me
Exhibit 4: the landline, curly cord, zero privacy. A guided tour of a childhood that is now officially retro, led by a guide who is also…
MAKE THIS WORSE →The Complete Guide to Avoiding Your Potential Until It Expires
Your potential came pre-installed. This manual explains how to keep it in the box, unused, until the box is buried with you.
MAKE THIS WORSE →Newsletter / Issue No. 444
THE WEEKLY DISAPPOINTMENT
One email a week. Advice you didn't ask for, statistics about your decline, and observations that will quietly ruin your Sunday.
No spam. Just disappointment. Unsubscribe whenever you regain hope.