The Quick Question

There goes my afternoon.

Ah yes, the infamous “Quick Question.” It sounds so innocent, doesn’t it? Like a tiny, harmless kitten looking at you from inside the window of a pet store. Pet food wouldn’t melt in its mouth. But the moment you say, “Sure, what’s up?”, you’ve opened the gates to Narnia. Suddenly, you’re knee-deep in a saga involving three spreadsheets, a system no one understands, and a philosophical debate about why the printer hates everyone. That so-called quick question? It’s now a full-blown TED Talk with you as the unwilling keynote speaker.

Before you know it, you’re on the phone for an hour, your coffee’s gone cold, and your soul has left your body to go live somewhere quieter in a realm where quick questions are not asked. You started the day thinking you’d tick off your to-do list; now you’re Googling obscure acronyms and wondering if you should just change career…