My coworker has an idea for everything.

Hey, do you have a minute? I just… I really need to talk to someone about work. Thankfully you are all here.

Okay, so at first I was so excited about this new role. Yeah, well, that feeling is officially gone. It’s like I walked into a circus, but I’m the only one who didn’t get the clown memo.

First of all, the communication. It’s a black hole. My manager, Lisa, will give me a task on Monday, and by Wednesday, she’s asking for a completely different thing, acting like the first conversation never happened. I’ve started sending follow-up emails after every chat just to have a paper trail. It feels so defensive, but I have to do it!

Then there’s my coworker, Dave. Dave is an “idea guy.” He has an idea for everything. But he never, ever follows through. He’ll swoop into a project, suggest we completely change direction with some vague, half-baked thought, and then vanish when it’s time to do the work. And guess who gets left holding the bag, trying to make “Dave’s Vision” a reality? Me. It’s infuriating.

The worst part? The passive-aggressive positivity. We can’t just say something is a problem. You have to phrase it as a “challenge” or an “opportunity for growth.” So instead of saying, “This system is broken and wasting five hours of my week,” I have to say, “I’m excited to explore synergies for optimizing this workflow!” I feel like I’m speaking a different language.

I just feel so… stuck. I’m not learning, I’m just putting out fires and navigating weird office politics. I come home so mentally drained that I just stare at the wall. I used to have hobbies!

Sorry, I know that was a lot. I just needed to get it all out. Thanks for just… listening. It helps just to say it out loud to normal human being.