Work increasingly feels busy without feeling complete. Tasks move faster, drafts appear sooner, and activity fills the day, yet progress often feels unsettled. Automation accelerates motion but complicates closure. The friction does not appear at the beginning of work or at its final delivery. It emerges in the spaces between steps, where momentum once carried … Read more
AI tools promised to make everyday work smoother, faster, and more focused. In practice, many workflows became more complex, as planning turned into negotiation, decisions into evaluations, and automation into ongoing oversight. This article examines where AI added friction instead of efficiency in daily workflows—and why those trade-offs emerged.
An analytical look at how productivity tools performed in 2025, examining real usage patterns, practical outcomes, and the design choices that shaped adoption.