The New Cutesy Term Is "Productivity Theater."
With remote work, a confusing economy, and the rise of productivity-tracking software, this age-old practice has taken on a new level of complexity. As tech has enabled employers to track work down to the level of a mouse click, employees have responded by prioritizing visible work over important tasks or even deploying their own tech to fool the system. It’s a zero-sum game that nobody wins. Here’s why productivity theater is growing and what to do about it.
Youngins' Let Us Know When We Are Old

• Sorry to break it to you, but you’re officially “old” when you hit 49, according to a new survey of children.
• As if that’s not bad enough, 20% of the youngsters think people stop having fun at age 30.
• The kids think the worst parts about getting old are the aches and pains (56%), wrinkles (52%) and grey hair (49%).⠀
  

A Listener Asks For Help Because Someone Is Stealing Her Lunch At Work
Carla in San Jose writes:  I’ve been noticing that the meals I bring from home keep disappearing from the office fridge. I spend hours cooking big batches of food so I can pack healthy lunches for the week, and more than once, my labeled container has just vanished. I’m pretty sure I know who’s doing it, but I don’t want to stir up office drama or make things weird with our small team. Still, this is happening over and over, and I’m sick of it. Do I confront the person directly, leave a note, or bring it up with my boss?
 
Second Date Update
Mark said he met Vanessa online and their coffee date felt relaxed and easy. They sipped lattes, talked about work, and even walked the pier. He thought it was the start of something. She ghosted, and he wanted to know why.