4. If you see bikeshedding, say “bikeshedding.”

Try to gently stop or prevent unproductive discussions before they spiral out of control. Our time on company property is almost as valuable as the 3 to 8 hours we spend unconscious every night - which is to say, it’s mighty important! Large meetings, in the eyes of the company, had better have significant ROI since a dev’s hourly pay multiplied by 20-500 devs in one room/dance hall/etc. has the potential to be an eye-watering sum, especially in sunny California. Time is money! And we work for that pay - twisting our minds around the tentacled monsters that lurk behind every code base, lying in wait to dash innocent expectations with cruel bugs and crashes.

But we’re not always wandering forgotten code catacombs with a faltering torch and a sweaty brow. Sometimes we are in meetings, or discussing things intently while not formally in a meeting, but unable to do anything else. Slack is famous for its role in increasing connectivity between team members, but, at what cost (aside from the monthly fee)? In my experience, Slack dramatically increases your brain’s “nonsense time” - time spent filtering yet another constant stream of (often irrelevant) buzzes and beeps while trying to get going on the thing the company actually pays you to do; that is, to build and repair useful things. And folks tend to slide into unnecessary disputes rather easily.

It’s okay to ask for a discussion to end if it’s taking too much time. The kids these days like to say that “real recognize real”: the people who are at work to work, to make valuable things that help clients, users, and the world - they’ll thank you for tabling the question of whether the new fridge should come in black or chrome. “Flip a coin for all I care… we have real problems to solve.” And many of the people who are sure to notice will be those in management.