Being uncomfortable with discomfort

I am currently building my own productivity tool using Lovable. One of the main features I wanted was a passcode gate, that only allowed me access to my tasks and projects tracker. While it might seem like overkill for mundane daily tasks, there could be some sensitive information incorporated and so the gate was crucial in providing me confidence to make the most of it.

However, the key downside of having a gate is having to log in constantly, and the process was a 4-step dance each time when logging in via mobile:

1. Open the page and click on the input field.
2. Tap the saved password prompt (iOS Passwords).
3. Scan my Face ID.
4. Press the login button.

Honestly, this process often takes less than a minute each time, but doing it repeatedly via mobile was quite irritating and frustrating. The additional few seconds broke my mental workflows and deterred me from going in quickly to process my work.

Am I able to live with doing this cha-cha? Possibly, as it wasn’t a huge stakes game. Could I have found compromises like intentionally not logging out? Maybe — I did at first but the concern of fat fingers and editing or deleting something by accident was still inherent.

And so I spent a few minutes and got Lovable to recode the login segment again, and add automatic login via Face ID. Now, when I navigate to the website, the Face ID prompt appears. I click it and scan, and the login would just happen seamlessly. The time savings actually were negligible compared with other more major developments, but the friction it removed was significant.

Being able to log in immediately and update my work without being distracted and disrupted really helped with my mental state when work calls.

The Angle

Don’t get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Applying this to different areas of life and work, I believe we can afford to spend just a little while to change things that are stuck or not really working for us, improve our workflows and processes, and reduce things that are obsolete and unnecessary. Oftentimes we get so frustrated with the fact things don’t work, but we just complain and then continue living with it.

One of the biggest issues at work on an ongoing basis is that there are many tracking lists, and they are setup in Excel for simplicity and convenience. All information is then manually maintained, possibly duplicated from yet another list, then reminders and prompts are manually added via calendars or lists to remember to do the work. This is a huge pain point, as Excel has vulnerabilities where data can be deleted or manipulated unintentionally by others while just browsing through or checking the tracking lists. Locking the Excel is simple, but it causes more disruption as filtering and sifting data becomes a nightmare.

Excel is an ongoing problem for many organisations and teams but it feels like an insurmountable obstacle as developing new tools and systems often takes too long.

I’ve always been an advocate for using systems and processes more effectively and efficiently, as opposed to manual methods. I will continue to be the voice and advocate for improvements as it is not so much about the time saving only, but more critically, reducing errors and mistakes from having a huge vulnerability from Excel.

While I don’t blame anyone necessarily for using Excel, as it’s supposedly the most common spreadsheet tool available to everyone and it works well to format and manage data, I do want to help others break free from the mentality that this is something too complex to change. I have emphasised many times that a tracker should have information automatically populated from other lists to have one source of truth only, and the data management system has to be both rigid in security and flexible enough for different purposes.

Therefore, rather than wait and see what others will do or for IT to help come out with a different tool, I tried using vibe coding to create an app that incorporates tracking with accountability and flexibility. I am currently road-testing it on a smaller scale so it can reduce the errors and time spent on my end, which in turn can be spent on the actual work and people instead of firefighting.

Adopting new technologies and methodologies is always an uphill battle as people are often resistant to changes due to the fear of losing their jobs and livelihoods. However, in this day and age, we have to adapt quickly and effectively or be disqualified.

I hope my little project will be the catalyst for change and spark a revolution. I will continue to be uncomfortable with the discomfort and push forward with change. Change is for the better and it’s part and parcel of life. If we don’t change, we will be changed. I want to be ahead of the curve and be in the game. Here’s to more friction reduction.