Systems are breaking. Humans shouldn't.

🧠 HEADLINE STORY

Do the Systems We Build Still Serve Us?

Hey friends,

For years, I’ve built systems.

Dashboards. Feedback loops. Automations. Workflows.

If there’s a way to make something more efficient, I’ve likely tried it.

But here’s what I’ve been feeling lately—and maybe you have too:

And somewhere along the way, rest became a risk.

Curiosity, an indulgence.

And joy… a postscript.

So I’ve been revisiting how I define alignment—not just for the business, but for myself.

Not just what we optimize for, but who.

The clearest signals didn’t come from dashboards or briefs.

They came from the cast of characters in my actual life.

This wasn’t a productivity hack. It was a reset.

It reminded me: alignment doesn’t always come from tech.

Sometimes it comes from holding space. Or letting go. Or logging off.

Yes, I still believe in AI. In automation. In systems that scale.

But I also believe in people who can breathe.

This week, as we all optimize toward the next thing, ask yourself:

Because it’s not just about scaling systems.

It’s about designing ones that don’t break the humans inside them.

⚡ QUICK HITS

• 🧠 Organizational misalignment is now one of the top three burnout triggers, per Gartner’s 2024 Work Trends report.

• 🛑 “Always-on” cultures decrease cognitive clarity and increase error rates by 24%.

• 🔁 Internal process audits are becoming a must-have, not a nice-to-have. Alignment ≠ speed.

🛠️ TOOL / WORKFLOW OF THE WEEK

“Calendar Permissioning”

Each Friday, I’m trying a new approach:

1. I audit the next week’s calendar.

2. I highlight anything that doesn’t feel like it serves the current season.

3. I delete one thing. Every week. Without fail.

It’s a micro-habit that’s doing macro work.

🧠 PROMPT

What’s one system—personal or professional—that you’re complicit in, but no longer believe in?

Start there. Name it. Pause it. Reframe it.

📡 SIGNAL STACK

• “The Case Against Busyness as a Proxy for Impact” – First Round Review

• “Why We Need to Redesign the Calendar, Not Just Manage It” – Harvard Business Review

• “Tech Doesn’t Burn People Out—Expectations Do” – Protocol

🧭 TAKEAWAY

Alignment is not a status update. It’s a practice.

And the systems we leave untouched are the ones we’re silently endorsing.

This week, do something small that makes the system yours again.

– Alejandro

p.s. No OKRs were harmed in the making of this reflection. But one calendar block did get deleted.