#automation and delegation

[billa-billa007]

Under resourced ? How We Can Use Automation and Delegation

In this video Neha talks about " Under Resourced" being a big issue and how we can use automation and delegation to resolve this.

[technologyequality]

Train Your First AI Chatbot in 6 Steps: Delegate Tasks, Reclaim Your Time

Train Your First AI Chatbot in 6 Steps Delegate Tasks, Reclaim Your Time Let AI Handle the Busywork So You Can Lead the Big Vision! No seriously, if you’re still stuck answering the same 5 questions in your inbox, or manually booking calls at 11 PM (even though you swore you’d set boundaries)… this is your sign to stop. Because automation isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about leadership. And…

[bodyofbrilliance]

Why We Overcomplicate Life: Why Less Truly is More for a Fulfilling Life

[voittoinsights]

Why Working Hard is Overrated: The Modern Entrepreneur’s Guide to Smart Success!

In the age of digital transformation and constant innovation, the old-school “grind mentality” doesn’t guarantee success. To achieve high-impact results, smart work has overtaken the traditional grind, pushing efficiency, creativity, and strategic thinking to the forefront. The most successful entrepreneurs, from Silicon Valley to global startups, have realized this shift. They are ditching…

[arpita0321]

Task Management Techniques for Project Managers: Streamlining Workflow and Meeting Deadlines

Task management lies at the core of successful project management. For project managers, efficiently handling tasks, deadlines, and resources can mean the difference between project success and failure. In this article, we'll explore various task management techniques that project managers can employ to streamline workflow, enhance productivity, and meet project deadlines effectively.

Understanding Task Management

Task management encompasses the processes, tools, and techniques used to plan, organize, assign, and track tasks within a project. It involves prioritizing tasks, allocating resources, and ensuring that deadlines are met. Effective task management is essential for keeping projects on track and achieving desired outcomes.

Challenges Faced by Project Managers

Project managers often encounter various challenges in task management, including unclear priorities, resource constraints, and communication breakdowns. Poor task management can lead to missed deadlines, budget overruns, and compromised project quality. It's crucial for project managers to address these challenges proactively to ensure project success.

Key Components of Effective Task Management

Effective task management involves several key components, including prioritization techniques, time management strategies, and communication tools. By mastering these components, project managers can streamline workflow and optimize project outcomes.

Streamlining Workflow

Streamlining workflow begins with setting clear goals and objectives for the project. Project managers should break down tasks into smaller, manageable components and assign them to the appropriate team members based on skills and availability. By dividing work effectively, project managers can ensure that tasks are completed on time and within budget.

Utilizing Technology for Task Management

Technology plays a vital role in modern task management. Project managers can leverage task management software to create, assign, and track tasks efficiently. When choosing task management tools, project managers should look for features such as task prioritization, deadline reminders, and collaboration capabilities to enhance team productivity.

Effective Time Management Strategies

Time management is critical for project success. Project managers can employ various time management strategies, such as time blocking and the Pomodoro Technique, to improve focus and productivity. Setting realistic deadlines and regularly reviewing progress are also essential for managing time effectively.

Communication and Collaboration

Communication forms the foundation of effective task management. Project managers should establish clear channels of communication and utilize project management platforms to facilitate collaboration among team members.Consistent check-ins and updates ensure everyone stays on the same page.

Tracking and Monitoring Progress

Tracking progress is essential for identifying potential bottlenecks and addressing issues promptly. Project managers can use progress tracking tools to monitor task status, identify dependencies, and allocate resources effectively. Regular check-ins with team members provide opportunities to discuss progress and address any concerns.

Delegating Tasks

Delegating tasks allows project managers to leverage the skills and expertise of team members effectively. By identifying tasks suitable for delegation and empowering team members to take ownership, project managers can distribute workload evenly and maximize efficiency.

Handling Project Delays

Despite careful planning, project delays can occur due to unforeseen circumstances or unexpected challenges. Project managers should be proactive in identifying the causes of delays and implementing corrective actions to minimize their impact on project timelines.

Managing Stakeholder Expectations

Managing stakeholder expectations is crucial for project success. Project managers should communicate project progress and potential delays transparently, setting realistic expectations and ensuring stakeholders are informed throughout the project lifecycle.

Measuring Success

Measuring success involves tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) related to task management, such as project completion rate and adherence to deadlines. Celebrating achievements and lessons learned helps reinforce positive outcomes and drive continuous improvement.

Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is essential for evolving task management processes and optimizing project performance. Project managers should seek feedback from team members, stakeholders, and project sponsors to identify areas for improvement and implement iterative changes.

Conclusion

Effective task management is essential for project managers tasked with streamlining workflow and meeting project deadlines. By employing prioritization techniques, time management strategies, and communication tools, project managers can optimize task management processes and drive project success. Continuous improvement and proactive problem-solving are key to overcoming challenges and delivering successful projects.

FAQs

What are some common challenges in task management for project managers? Ans: Common challenges include unclear priorities, resource constraints, and communication breakdowns.

How can project managers streamline workflow effectively? Ans: Project managers can streamline workflow by setting clear goals, breaking down tasks, and assigning them to the right team members.

What role does technology play in task management? Ans: Technology, such as task management software, helps project managers create, assign, and track tasks efficiently.

Which time management techniques work well for project managers? Ans: Time blocking, the Pomodoro Technique, and setting realistic deadlines are effective time management strategies.

How important is communication in task management? Ans: Effective communication is crucial for keeping team members aligned and informed, facilitating collaboration, and addressing challenges proactively.

[michellesanches]

Book Summary - "Feel Good Productivity" by Ali Abdaal

I loved this book! I’m generally a fan of Ali’s in any event. His YouTube Channel offers insightful and helpful guidance without being pushy or preachy. His book, “Feel Good Productivity” redefines the approach to productivity, advocating for FUN being part of the balance equation between efficiency and personal well-being. In the book, Abdaal proposes that true productivity comes from making…

[timothy-kang]

Ideas for Business System

In business, time is a crucial factor. To have more time to focus on your desired work, you must remember three important things: systemization, automation, and delegation.

Why do we need a system? In business, time is a crucial factor. To have more time to focus on your desired work, you must remember three important things: systemization, automation, and delegation. Systemization Systemization is key to reducing costs and time and organizing your business successfully. The four major categories that should be systemized in your business are marketing,…

[puzzlax]

🔮💼 What are the professions of the future?

Right now, Puzzlax can revolutionize your work by replacing an entire team of specialists for you. 🧩✨

Start delegating and working with virtual assistants today before it's too late. Don't miss out on the benefits of automation and efficiency!

⏳💪 We'll help you identify the need for various specialists and provide the support you need to excel in your field. Say goodbye to overwhelming workloads and hello to streamlined productivity. 🚀🌟

Ready to take your business to the next level? Start working with Puzzlax right now and unlock the future of work! 🙌🔥

[rqbossman]

Hello!

As someone who is very busy and has a lot going on, what do you do to stay organised and on top of everything?

I find myself with more and more on my plate these days, between working, studying, looking for more work, and starting a business. It's got me wondering how other people handle doing so much

I bullet Journal thanks to fan suggestions from years ago.

Read 'Atomic Habits' the only practical organisation/ self improvement book I ever saw that was just practical with no wishy washy nonsense.

I try to do a few jobs every day even if only for 10 seconds: file paperwork, clear emails, tidy workspace

I arrange for a "treat" job so when I feel like procrastinating I can treat myself with a job that is more fun/ different to the thing I am escaping from but is still actually productive.

Automate everything you can.

Delegate everything you can.

Constantly focus on reducing your responsibilities as low as possible to just the stuff you care about you will automatically be prioritising better. Once a month, sweep through your responsibilities and ditch everything you possibly can. More will always replace them but it will ease the load.

"One in two out" for all things. Email, clothes, responsibilities, whatever. It has to be two because somehow extra always manages to sneak on.

Batching. It's easier to do multiple iterations of a task in a row so put them in batches.

If something is regularly urgent you are doing something wrong and need to figure out what.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Brian Merchant’s “Blood In the Machine”

Tomorrow (September 27), I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine. On October 2, I'll be in Boise to host an event with VE Schwab.

In Blood In the Machine, Brian Merchant delivers the definitive history of the Luddites, and the clearest analysis of the automator's playbook, where "entrepreneurs'" lawless extraction from workers is called "innovation" and "inevitable":

https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/

History is written by the winners, and so you probably think of the Luddites as brainless, terrified, thick-fingered vandals who smashed machines and burned factories because they didn't understand them. Today, "Luddite" is a slur that means "technophobe" – but that's neither fair, nor accurate.

Luddism has been steadily creeping into pro-labor technological criticism, as workers and technology critics reclaim the term and its history, which is a rich and powerful tale of greed versus solidarity, slavery versus freedom.

The true tale of the Luddites starts with workers demanding that the laws be upheld. When factory owners began to buy automation systems for textile production, they did so in violation of laws that required collaboration with existing craft guilds – laws designed to ensure that automation was phased in gradually, with accommodations for displaced workers. These laws also protected the public, with the guilds evaluating the quality of cloth produced on the machine, acting as a proxy for buyers who might otherwise be tricked into buying inferior goods.

Factory owners flouted these laws. Though the machines made cloth that was less durable and of inferior weave, they sold it to consumers as though it were as good as the guild-made textiles. Factory owners made quiet deals with orphanages to send them very young children who were enslaved to work in their factories, where they were routinely maimed and killed by the new machines. Children who balked at the long hours or attempted escape were viciously beaten (the memoir of one former child slave became a bestseller and inspired Oliver Twist).

The craft guilds begged Parliament to act. They sent delegations, wrote petitions, even got Members of Parliament to draft legislation ordering enforcement of existing laws. Instead, Parliament passed laws criminalizing labor organizing.

The stakes were high. Economic malaise and war had driven up the price of life's essentials. Workers displaced by illegal machines faced starvation – as did their children. Communities were shattered. Workers who had apprenticed for years found themselves graduating into a market that had no jobs for them.

This is the context in which the Luddite uprisings began. Secret cells of workers, working with discipline and tight organization, warned factory owners to uphold the law. They sent letters and posted handbills in which they styled themselves as the army of "King Ludd" or "General Ludd" – Ned Ludd being a mythical figure who had fought back against an abusive boss.

When factory owners ignored these warnings, the Luddites smashed their machines, breaking into factories or intercepting machines en route from the blacksmith shops where they'd been created. They won key victories, with many factory owners backing off from automation plans, but the owners were deep-pocketed and determined.

The ruling Tories had no sympathy for the workers and no interest in upholding the law or punishing the factory owners for violating it. Instead, they dispatched troops to the factory towns, escalating the use of force until England's industrial centers were occupied by literal armies of soldiers. Soldiers who balked at turning their guns on Luddites were publicly flogged to death.

I got very interested in the Luddites in late 2021, when it became clear that everything I thought I knew about the Luddites was wrong. The Luddites weren't anti-technology – rather, they were doing the same thing a science fiction writer does: asking not just what a new technology does, but also who it does it for and who it does it to:

https://locusmag.com/2022/01/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature/

Unsurprisingly, ever since I started publishing on this subject, I've run into people who have no sympathy for the Luddite cause and who slide into my replies to replicate the 19th Century automation debate. One such person accused the Luddites of using "state violence" to suppress progress.

You couldn't ask for a more perfect example of how the history of the Luddites has been forgotten and replaced with a deliberately misleading account. The "state violence" of the Luddite uprising was entirely on one side. Parliament, under the lackadaisical leadership of "Mad King George," imposed the death penalty on the Luddites. It wasn't just machine-breaking that became a capital crime – "oath taking" (swearing loyalty to the Luddites) also carried the death penalties.

As the Luddites fought on against increasingly well-armed factory owners (one owner bought a cannon to use on workers who threatened his machines), they were subjected to spectacular acts of true state violence. Occupying soldiers rounded up Luddites and suspected Luddites and staged public mass executions, hanging them by the dozen, creating scores widows and fatherless children.

The sf writer Steven Brust says that the test to tell whether someone is on the right or the left is simple: ask whether property rights are more important than human rights. If the person says "property rights are human rights," they are on the right.

The state response to the Luddites crisply illustrates this distinction. The Luddites wanted an orderly and lawful transition to automation, one that brought workers along and created shared prosperity and quality goods. The craft guilds took pride in their products, and saw themselves as guardians of their industry. They were accustomed to enjoying a high degree of bargaining power and autonomy, working from small craft workshops in their homes, which allowed them to set their own work pace, eat with their families, and enjoy modest amounts of leisure.

The factory owners' cause wasn't just increased production – it was increased power. They wanted a workforce that would dance to their tune, work longer hours for less pay. They wanted unilateral control over which products they made and what corners they cut in making those products. They wanted to enrich themselves, even if that meant that thousands starved and their factory floors ran red with the blood of dismembered children.

The Luddites destroyed machines. The factory owners killed Luddites, shooting them at the factory gates, or rounding them up for mass executions. Parliament deputized owners to act as extensions of law enforcement, allowing them to drag suspected Luddites to their own private cells for questioning.

The Luddites viewed property rights as just one instrument for achieving human rights – freedom from hunger and cold – and when property rights conflicted with human rights, they didn't hesitate to smash the machines. For them, human rights trumped property rights.

Their bosses – and their bosses' modern defenders – saw the demands to uphold the laws on automation as demands to bring "state violence" to bear on the wholly private matter of how a rich man should organize his business. On the other hand, literal killing – both on the factory floor and at the gallows – was not "state violence" but rather, a defense of the most important of all the human rights: the rights of property owners.

19th century textile factories were the original Big Tech, and the rhetoric of the factory owners echoes down the ages. When tech barons like Peter Thiel say that "freedom is incompatible with democracy," he means that letting people who work for a living vote will eventually lead to limitations on people who own things for a living, like him.

Then, as now, resistance to Big Tech enjoyed widespread support. The Luddites couldn't have organized in their thousands if their neighbors didn't have their backs. Shelley and Byron wrote widely reproduced paeans to worker uprisings (Byron also defended the Luddites in the House of Lords). The Brontes wrote Luddite novels. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was a Luddite novel, in which the monster was a sensitive, intelligent creature who merely demanded a say in the technology that created him.

The erasure of the true history of the Luddites was a deliberate act. Despite the popular and elite support the Luddites enjoyed, the owners and their allies in Parliament were able to crush the uprising, using mass murder and imprisonment to force workers to accept immiseration.

The entire supply chain of the textile revolution was soaked in blood. Merchant devotes multiple chapters to the lives of African slaves in America who produced the cotton that the machines in England wove into cloth. Then – as now – automation served to obscure the violence latent in production of finished goods.

But, as Merchant writes, the Luddites didn't lose outright. Historians who study the uprisings record that the places where the Luddites fought most fiercely were the places where automation came most slowly and workers enjoyed the longest shared prosperity.

The motto of Magpie Killjoy's seminal Steampunk Magazine was: "Love the machine, hate the factory." The workers of the Luddite uprising were skilled technologists themselves.

They performed highly technical tasks to produce extremely high-quality goods. They served in craft workshops and controlled their own time.

The factory increased production, but at the cost of autonomy. Factories and their progeny, like assembly lines, made it possible to make more goods (even goods that eventually rose the quality of the craft goods they replaced), but at the cost of human autonomy. Taylorism and other efficiency cults ended up scripting the motions of workers down to the fingertips, and workers were and are subject to increasing surveillance and discipline from their bosses if they deviate. Take too many pee breaks at the Amazon warehouse and you will be marked down for "time off-task."

Steampunk is a dream of craft production at factory scale: in steampunk fantasies, the worker is a solitary genius who can produce high-tech finished goods in their own laboratory. Steampunk has no "dark, satanic mills," no blood in the factory. It's no coincidence that steampunk gained popularity at the same time as the maker movement, in which individual workers use form digital communities. Makers networked together to provide advice and support in craft projects that turn out the kind of technologically sophisticated goods that we associate with vast, heavily-capitalized assembly lines.

But workers are losing autonomy, not gaining it. The steampunk dream is of a world where we get the benefits of factory production with the life of a craft producer. The gig economy has delivered its opposite: craft workers – Uber drivers, casualized doctors and dog-walkers – who are as surveilled and controlled as factory workers.

Gig workers are dispatched by apps, their faces closely studied by cameras for unauthorized eye-movements, their pay changed from moment to moment by an algorithm that docks them for any infraction. They are "reverse centaurs": workers fused to machines where the machine provides the intelligence and the human does its bidding:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/17/reverse-centaur/#reverse-centaur

Craft workers in home workshops are told that they're their own bosses, but in reality they are constantly monitored by bossware that watches out of their computers' cameras and listens through its mic. They have to pay for the privilege of working for their bosses, and pay to quit. If their children make so much as a peep, they can lose their jobs. They don't work from home – they live at work:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/22/paperback-writer/#toothless

Merchant is a master storyteller and a dedicated researcher. The story he weaves in Blood In the Machine is as gripping as any Propublica deep-dive into the miserable working conditions of today's gig economy. Drawing on primary sources and scholarship, Blood is a kind of Nomadland for Luddites.

Today, Merchant is the technology critic for the LA Times. The final chapters of Blood brings the Luddites into the present day, finding parallels in the labor organizing of the Amazon warehouse workers led by Chris Smalls. The liberal reformers who offered patronizing support to the Luddites – but didn't imagine that they could be masters of their own destiny – are echoed in the rhetoric of Andrew Yang.

And of course, the factory owners' rhetoric is easily transposed to the modern tech baron. Then, as now, we're told that all automation is "progress," that regulatory evasion (Uber's unlicensed taxis, Airbnb's unlicensed hotel rooms, Ring's unregulated surveillance, Tesla's unregulated autopilot) is "innovation." Most of all, we're told that every one of these innovations must exist, that there is no way to stop it, because technology is an autonomous force that is independent of human agency. "There is no alternative" – the rallying cry of Margaret Thatcher – has become our inevitablist catechism.

Squeezing the workers' wages conditions and weakening workers' bargaining power isn't "innovation." It's an old, old story, as old as the factory owners who replaced skilled workers with terrified orphans, sending out for more when a child fell into a machine. Then, as now, this was called "job creation."

Then, as now, there was no way to progress as a worker: no matter how skilled and diligent an Uber driver is, they can't buy their medallion and truly become their own boss, getting a say in their working conditions. They certainly can't hope to rise from a blue-collar job on the streets to a white-collar job in the Uber offices.

Then, as now, a worker was hired by the day, not by the year, and might find themselves with no work the next day, depending on the whim of a factory owner or an algorithm.

As Merchant writes: robots aren't coming for your job; bosses are. The dream of a "dark factory," a "fully automated" Tesla production line, is the dream of a boss who doesn't have to answer to workers, who can press a button and manifest their will, without negotiating with mere workers. The point isn't just to reduce the wage-bill for a finished good – it's to reduce the "friction" of having to care about others and take their needs into account.

Luddites are not – and have never been – anti-technology. Rather, they are pro-human, and see production as a means to an end: broadly shared prosperity. The automation project says it's about replacing humans with machines, but over and over again – in machine learning, in "contactless" delivery, in on-demand workforces – the goal is to turn humans into machines.

There is blood in the machine, Merchant tells us, whether its humans being torn apart by a machine, or humans being transformed into machines.

Brian and I are having a joint book-launch tomorrow night (Sept 27) at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-internet-con-by-cory-doctorow-blood-in-the-machine-by-brian-merchant-tickets-696349940417

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/26/enochs-hammer/#thats-fronkonsteen

[deusetco]

and its damning sequel: too horny to sleep, but too sleepy to take care of that

i'm too hungry to sleep, but too sleepy to make food... what kind of sick curse is this

[carionto]

It'll be "awesome", the Human said

(Continuation/conclusion to this)

____________________________

After the Coalition delegates had been mindblown enough, it was time for them to finally leave and have a nap. But Captain Knoslark had one more thing he desperately wanted to show them.

"So, like, we're a science vessel and we have three of the biggest reactors, right? Right. So, I wanna show you what we recently figured out we can do. C'mon, it'll be awesome."

Awesome - a word the rest of the Galaxy will soon learn to both admire and run for cover whenever a Human uses it.

With trepidation in their steps, and worry in their breaths, they followed the all too eager Captain, who was almost skipping and humming down the halls, dramatically pointing the way. His crew continued to not give him the satisfaction of ever acknowledging his theatrics.

"Once the reactors are in good enough sync, we'll reconfigure the Radiant Dusk to a circular shape and begin!"

Oh. Yeah. Of course their ships can also transform. Why not. The delegates have given up thinking there are things Human engineering can't accomplish. Also, good enough?

"Eh, don't worry about it, we overbuild everything, so a 1 or 2 percent margin of error is fine, most of the time."

They could not imagine themselves to be more worried. At least not until a few minutes from now.

"Captain, she's ready," Chief Engineer Tameki's tone changed to a total blank deadpan for the next words, "to transform. and. roll. out."

With childlike glee, Captain Knoslark tapped the big red button, specifically designed for his pad only, to begin the sequence.

Distant creaking of metal, anguish at the prospect of bending in ways nature never intended, and the unmistakable jolt of mechanical movement, despite the artificial gravity maintaining the same down throughout, once more instilled primal anxiety for the delegates.

The reactors wound up, turning the almost-buzz like feeling beneath their feet to a true all encompassing sense of absolute power. Three small stars at equidistant points along the now 4km in diameter vessel created a singular feeling of something imminent that should never have been possible. The Universe itself wanted to reject this possibility.

"We tried copying your mass field generators from way back when you did the barrier thing. Wanted to see if we could get close to Black Hole levels, there were some theories that time travels was possible with that kinda pull."

I don't think anyone would be surprised if they had succeeded, but, for once during their entire visit, the Humans said they couldn't get time travel to work. Celebration! Then the Captain kept talking.

"So what happened instead is we accidentally tore a hole in time-space, creating a sort of warp gate." He said with both joy and disappointment.

Then the Universe shrieked. A massive distortion in reality now struggled and failed to restore normality between the ring-shaped ship. Swirling coils of matter flickered in and out, ghostly visages of detonations on a solar scale. A sight never intended to be witnessed.

"Still gotta figure out how to set a destination to anywhere. Right now the only stable connection we can get is with massive gravity wells, so any celestial body with enough mass, smallest one is a red dwarf. Problem is the connection steers towards the center, so not really practical right now."

"If we try to point at empty space the gate just kinda wiggles and you end up getting spaghetti-fied on the other end. Still, once we get enough ships like this one around the galaxy, we'll solve that whole trips taking more than a few hours thing we got with the hyper drives."

At this point the delegates decided to be escorted away, as most had became a crying mess. One stumbled onto a automated cleaning unit and at this the Captain, whose mood had soured a bit now that his time as tour guide was over, rose back to heights unseen before. With his most official sounding, yet at the same time most joy filled tone ever, he declared:

"Sergeant Ying Zhao, issue an official notice. Today at 20:30 ship time there will be a grand ceremony for the promotion of Captain Stabicus to Special Envoy of the Galactic Coalition. Ready all relevant paperwork, and his new badge, and inform the chef to prepare a feast. We have done much today for the sake of Human-Coalition relationships, and so much more for the Radiant Dusk at Everest and her crew and staff. Tonight, we celebrate!"

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Hubris before the fall

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

A decade ago there was a powerful world by the name of Oma that was the crown jewel of the Omak Domain. Rich with natural resources and rare metals, it was able to establish a powerful trade network that generated billions of credits monthly leading to the people of Oma to grow fat with decadence. This led to a rapid degradation of their societal values to such an extent that they believed that they and only they were truly worthy of running galactic trade and began pressuring their neighboring governments to relinquish trade control of their domains to them.

When they finally approached the humans they sent forth a trade delegation to their parliament. This delegation did not present a sympathetic view of their stewardship, nor a presentation outlining the benefits of their management skills in intergalactic trade. No; this delegation strode into the terran parliament and denounced human trade standards as inferior and unworthy implementation between galactic powers.

No strangers to prideful boasting, the humans naturally took great offense to the grand standing of the delegation and cast them out without even hearing their full proposal. In response, the Oma began sanctioning the terran domain; isolating its trade routes and starving it off much needed resources.

For months the human diplomats tried to reach out to the Oma to find a political solution, but each attempt was met with the repeated message “Submit”.

As time passed and riots began to break out across human worlds from the lack of materials, the terran government finally had enough and dispatched a war fleet to Oma. The fleet was comprised of nearly three fifths of their entire naval power and was spear headed by the latest Herald class battleship “Saladin” with the equally famous Admiral Timmins in command.

Being comprised of mainly trade ships; the Omak Domain navy was primarily built around fast moving frigates, destroyers, and smaller patrol craft capable of catching pirates that preyed upon their shipping lanes. They were little more than a speed bump to the well-disciplined prowess of terran armada and was swept aside easily as the human ships made for orbit directly above Oma. Yet even with this encroaching ring of steel the Oma public did not panic.

Unlike their navy, the Omak Domain’s ground forces were substantially better in comparison. They had fought many ground wars to secure trade outposts, mining operations, and subjugation camps and were thusly made up of a hardened collective of veteran soldiers and automated war machines that were capable to five terran soldiers. So when the human fleet finally did position itself in orbit above Oma, the Omak military was confident they would repel any invasion attempts made by the humans; even going so far as to openly mock Admiral Timmins in a direct communique that not one human soldier would live to set foot on their world.

To their surprise Admiral Timmins agreed to those terms and began the battle.

From the launch bays of every terran ship came hundreds of heavily armed fighters, bombers, drones, and reconnaissance craft that swarmed through Oma’s atmosphere. Not a single lander or ground soldier was deployed as the Admiral coordinated a planet wide devastating air campaign of destruction.

The Omak air force was overwhelmed in a matter of hours by the constant waves of enemy aircraft and found itself further crippled as their launch sites were surgically struck from orbit by human warships. When the last of the Omak air power was expended the human air power had complete control over the skies of the planet.

Civilian targets such as cities and towns were ignored; but the precious foundries, factories, and mining complexes that had given the Omak people such wealth were reduced to little more than burnt pieces of metal and ash. The Omak rulers watched as their life blood of commerce was taken from them one continent at a time and sent countless messages to the human fleet for peace. Their reply was always a single word that none of the Omak would agree to.

“Submit.”

By a month’s end the world of Oma was little more than a smoldering crater. Gleaming cities now stood as silent watchers over miles of burnt landscapes and wasted industrial complexes. The people who had only known wealth and power were now left to wander the ruins of their former trade empire as the human fleet still held orbit over the world. Fragments of the Omak Domain attempted to bypass the human fleet to deliver supplies but each attempt was met with the humans either seizing the ship and the valuable cargo or destroying it just as it was about to land.

It didn’t take long for the previously subjugated peoples that had relinquished control to the Omak to begin rising up once more and regaining their sovereignty. Some the newly freed powers sent their own delegations to the human fleet and kneeled before Admiral Timmins; thanking the humans for bringing their oppressors low. Each time the Admiral would thank the aliens and invite them to the viewing decks so they could look down at the burnt world that had once held them so firmly under its thumb.

In a way it was both a gesture of friendship and a warning to all those that would come after; that the realms of man would never take kindly to the hubris of fools.

[kneedeepincynade]

I might have come up with what the state withering away might actually look like. With the development of AI and extreme automation of most job, we could begin to look into ai assisted governance and, in maybe a thousand years into AI governance into itself, with the state entirely delegated to inhuman but sentient hands, the state would no longer exist as we immagine it, as it would simply turn into a complex system of invisible supply lines and burocracy as humans are made to enjoy the world and the universe to its fullest extent. Of course, this is just a theory, and it will have to stand the test of time

[generic-internet-name]

your commitment to The Bit is admirable. every addition makes me giggle <3

thank you for the menstruation crustacean automation foundation damnation frustration delegation creation aberration relation celebration nation altercation fascination cooperation admiration <3

[coolcatteacher]

11 Simple Hacks for Teachers to Save Time | Dr. Desiree Alexander

Are you a teacher feeling overwhelmed by endless tasks and struggling to find time for what truly matters—your students? In this episode of The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast, Dr. Desiree Alexander, an award-winning educator and consultant, shares 11 practical time management hacks every teacher can use to reclaim their time and reduce stress.

📋 Show Notes: Access the full show notes and links mentioned in this episode at coolcatteacher.com/e879.

🎓 About Dr. Desiree Alexander: Dr. Desiree Alexander is the Founder and CEO of Educator Alexander Consulting, LLC, and the Deputy Director for the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana. With over two decades of experience in education, she is an award-winning speaker, consultant, and advocate for teachers. Her work focuses on empowering educators with practical strategies and tools to thrive in their profession.

📧 Subscribe to the Cool Cat Teacher Newsletter: Stay up-to-date with inspiring teaching tips and resources by subscribing to our newsletter at coolcatteacher.com/newsletter.

📺 Watch on YouTube: Want to see more engaging content? Watch this episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/coolcatteacher.

🎧 Where to Listen: Subscribe and listen to The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast on your favorite platforms.

  Classroom Organization Tips:

01:24 ⏳ 1. Get Organized  Declutter your workspace and avoid the dreaded “stack of death.” Set up a simple and functional filing system to make paperwork more manageable.

01:45 📂 2. Use a Simple Filing System  Whether digital or paper, having an easy-to-use system will keep your materials accessible and prevent last-minute scrambling.

02:15 📝 3. Empower Students to File Their Own Work  Save time by letting students take responsibility for filing their assignments. This simple step fosters organization skills and lightens your workload.

Personal Productivity Hacks:

03:02 📅 4. Plan Lessons Early to Reduce Last-Minute Stress Gather resources ahead of time—copies, books, manipulatives—to avoid scrambling when the copier inevitably breaks right before class.

05:03 👥 5. Have Multitasking Moments to Socialize and Get Work Done  Balance productivity with connection! Grade papers or file documents while chatting with colleagues, so you don’t have to take as much work home.

05:54 🚪 6. Close the Door and Minimize Distractions  Find a quiet space to focus during planning periods, so you can get work done efficiently without unnecessary interruptions.

06:10 🏡 7. Protect Your Peace and Work-Life Balance  Your well-being matters. Set limits on how much work you bring home, and make time for family, rest, and hobbies.

Technology and Task Management Tips

06:50 ✅ 8. Use the Answer, File, Delete (AFD) or Three D’s (Delegate, Dump, Do) Method  Prioritize your tasks by immediately answering, filing, or deleting emails. If it doesn’t need your attention, delegate or dump it!

08:03 📧 9. Use Email Tools Like Sweep to Stay Organized  Leverage email automation tools like Sweep to clear out old emails, filter messages, and keep your inbox manageable.

Important principles to remember as you manage your time

09:30💡 10. Put People First When Prioritizing Tasks  Before diving into your to-do list, check in with students and colleagues. Prioritizing people builds stronger relationships and improves your day.

10:21 🚧 11. Set Boundaries and Say No  Educators are natural people-pleasers, but overcommitting leads to burnout. Practice saying “no” and protect your time.

  Thank you for listening to the show! Subscribe to my newsletter at coolcatteacher.com/newsletter and let's connect on social @coolcatteacher wherever you connect! See you later educator!

New 10 Minute Teacher Podcast episode