Wrike-Up Wednesday: Unpopular Opinion - Work Edition! 🔥💼

My unpopular work opinion:

“Multitasking isn’t the enemy — context switching is.”

I know the standard wisdom says “focus on one task at a time,” but honestly, light multitasking (like listening to background music, or drafting a doc while waiting for a file upload) helps me stay energized and avoid burnout. 

The real killer? Constant context switching between unrelated tasks — like jumping from a brainstorm to budget numbers to bug fixes. That’s when my brain fries. So I multitask within the same context, and batch the rest.

Unpopular opinion: Brainstorms should be banned before 11 AM.
Why it works for me: No one’s creative while half-asleep and clutching their third coffee. Let the brains boot up first, then bring the storm ☕⚡
Agree? Or are you one of those mysterious morning geniuses?

I work in Design and when I'm working on a creative brief, I work best when I have a film on in the background. Something I've already seen before, or one that I'm not fully invested in so I don't have to actively watch it. It's better than an audiobook because you don't have to feel you need to pay attention all the time in case you miss an important detail. It keeps the brain from wandering, prevents time wasting trying to find a song to listen to, and encourages you to stay focused during the film.

One of my most productive sessions was a big creative brief that I needed to focus on to finish before the end of the day. So I shoved on Titanic - my all time favourite movie - and got the project finished in time :)

Everybody has their own way of working. What might seem impossible for one person is perfect for another!

Unlike a lot of people horrified at the transition from List view to Table view, I like it! Change takes time and giving it a chance to work itself out.

I am a firm believer in the more you know the better you can accomplish tasks. Lack of transparency, Inclusion just makes peoples jobs harder & creates a difficult environment. So yes meetings are good when its helping the team with new and updated information when everyone who could benefit is in them. 

I'd rather my meetings be scheduled in the morning then leave me alone after lunch for the rest of the day to actually work on my tasks.

Unpopular Opinion: Meeting invites should never be sent w/o an agenda or an explanation as to why you need to meet. That is the only way you can understand ahead of time if you are the best person to be on the meeting or if someone else on your team should go instead! Without any context you can't prepare for it!

Working sessions are underrated. In some cases, a standard meeting isn't needed. Just schedule a working session with the person who can help solve the problem and fix it in real time. Need me to build you an awesome Wrike dashboard? Don't just send me some requirements, book a working sesh with me so I can build it live and make sure you get what you need - PLUS you get to learn along the way! My working sessions are always fun and full of smiles and laughter. It's a great way to bond with teammates/coworkers remotely.

A small group of introverts benefit from working from home - everyone else is kidding themselves that they are more productive - they just want to avoid traffic and pat their dog...

Most professional meetings don't need a PowerPoint deck, and even are diminished by their use. Too many words distracts and makes conversation unnecessary. Leave it off and just talk!

Unpopular opinion: If your meeting could’ve been an email, you’re not collaborating — you’re just wasting everyone’s time.

I can’t count how many times I’ve left a meeting more confused than when I joined. Rambling, vague goals, zero direction. Want real productivity? Sit down, write a clear, thoughtful message with your questions and expectations, and send it. Then — and this is the magic — hold people accountable to actually responding. If they can’t do that, a meeting won’t fix it.

Time is a resource. Stop setting it on fire with calendar invites.

Unpopular opinion : I'm not that productive in the morning.  I know this is the most productive time for a lot people but I find I get into more of a work groove in the afternoon.  Morning time in the office can be disruptive with people coming and going and catching up etc.

I refuse to be part of any project that is not managed by Wrike 

Lunch meetings are a drag. When possible, I like to enjoy my meal break (it's a break!) mindfully alone or just in casual conversation. If someone suggests working over lunch, I politely respond as to why I am not for it.

Anything requiring manual updating (looking at you, PowerPoint reports) is going to fall apart. The moment it's published, it's out of date. 

Meetings at the start of the day are not a good idea.

Good documentation is worth extending deadlines for.

Taking time to write clear, thorough documentation isn't just a nice-to-have — it's an investment in quality and long-term reliability. We’ve found that when we build in time for docs, handoffs are smoother, bugs are fewer, and future updates are faster. It might slow down delivery in the short term, but it pays off every time.  People say just move on to the next stage and come back to the documentation but that time seems to never come.

Workplace coffee is generally terrible!

Also, Creative teams need to stop being so independent in there file structure and naming conventions and need to get onboard so that a person picking up a 30 layer photoshop document doesn't have 27 of the layers named Layer 1-27, and one that says "Type" that doesn't have any typography on it! I find myself constantly cracking the whip on organization for artists...a tough row to hoe.

Meetings that last more than 45 minutes are pointless and unproductive.
Also, being invited to a video call when you are not needed, but at least "so you are informed of the facts", is crazy.

Daily standup meetings are much more impactful than emails. I know we are all busy but it's always nice to see everyone and know they are engaged. I hear from our team to send an email in place of meetings sometimes but stand ups are quicker and confirm we all are on the same page at the same time. We all hear the same information and we all can support. Emails can't accomplish this at the same speed. 

I'd definitely have to say excessive meetings are overrated. I am betting that is not really an unpopular opinion. Working remotely, I find meetings are a great way to check in and have a quick update, but some meetings can get off track and often invite too many people, which clogs the conversation flow and end with meetings running long. 

Meetings prior to coffee intake ... not productive.