Unpopular Opinion: 10 Ways Asana Lowers your Productivity

Abhor online project management tools? They are an unrelenting aspect of remote work. Meet Slack, Asana, and WhatsApp, the three horsemen of the WFHpocalypse.

This Slogging thread by Justin Roberti, Arielle Shnaidman, Linh Smooke, Akasha Rose and David Smooke occurred in Hacker Noon's Slogging community #unpopular-opinion channel, and has been edited for readability.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 5:59 PM

Unpopular Opinion: 10 Ways Asana Lowers your Productivity

Arielle ShnaidmanJun 10, 2021, 6:17 PM

👍 1

You can’t toggle between two different emails/logins.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 6:36 PM

🔥 3

In the amount of time that it takes me to find the project and add a task, I can write 10 tasks on a notepad AND draw a decent cartoon cat.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 6:58 PM

👍 2

The emphasis on deadline and date at the expense of expansion of ideas (card style) like Notion or trello.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:23 PM

Subtasks are an excellent way to outline key steps in a task, so everyone knows who needs to do what and by what deadline. And like the one true ring, subtasks are invisible to all but the most powerful observer, meaning your subtasks protected in solitude where no assignee will ever find them.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:24 PM

The price point.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:25 PM

👍 1

(I tried to use asana as a team for a year, nobody got much done with the system, then at the end of it got charged a hefty sum. Good thing they were able to refund!)

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:26 PM

True - remember basecamp in the early days? I never made that one work right either, but it was free.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:27 PM

OMG basecamp. lol. we did discuss at length their no politics policy in this podcast //gzht888.com/this-week-on-planet-internet-big-dictator-energy-nn943437.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:30 PM

In general I'm not opposed to freemium though if I see that they do provide value. Unfortunately, asana ain’t it.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:31 PM

:rolling_on_the_floor_laughing: 4

hahaha i have to say, this episode has 65% more dunking on Limarc Ambalina than other leading podcasts.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:31 PM

😀 2

He did sympathize with dictators….

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:35 PM

👀 1

💚 1

Slack, Asana, WhatsApp (and/or Telegram) - the three horsemen of the WFHpocalypse.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:38 PM

😂 2

Freemium... where ASPs go to get friendzoned.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:40 PM

We LOVE (maybe too much) notion here at HN. Natasha Nel is basically their sales rep (not really… 😃 ) but like I’m so glad she intro-ed us to the awesomeness that’s notion.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:41 PM

I've not used it. Is it free(mium)?

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:44 PM

ha yeah. It’s like Trello meets Asana meets google doc (ok i’m not a notion sales rep though).

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:44 PM

Wondering if we just have to temper the notion love down if this thread gets published on HN or get a cut from them first. :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing:

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:46 PM

:rolling_on_the_floor_laughing: 2

"Linh Dao Smooke shills for Notion"

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:46 PM

For real.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:47 PM

I do not work like any PM software I have found. that doesn't mean I'm right - it means I'm ADHD but it also means the notepad is my best bet.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:49 PM

Speaking of ADHD, I learned this thing (maybe I’m just ignorant) very recently. That ADHD doesn’t mean the ability to not focus on things. On the contrary, it means you either focus exclusively on 1 thing, or a million things at once. it blew my effing mind.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:50 PM

David Smooke is a total ADHD btw lol

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:52 PM

💚 2

That's why I immediately liked David. I don't know if this should ever be an article because now it's slightly confessional but yes, one nice thing about writing, blockchain, and writing about blockchain is that I can intentionally work with other people i relate to... and I think that often means the hyperfocus/wide focus thing.

Linh SmookeJun 10, 2021, 8:55 PM

Also that means you prob can’t work “for” anybody but yourself, and crave that independence + freedom…not a bad thing at all in my opinion.

Justin RobertiJun 10, 2021, 8:59 PM

💚 1

True. I think its part of the neuro-divergent picture and it was just seen as "Bad" in the 1980-90s.

Akasha RoseJun 10, 2021, 11:30 PM

What happens if you plug Asana into Notion.... would people still hate it?

David SmookeJun 11, 2021, 5:20 AM

😂 1

😀 1

ADHD is not binary, it is granular. My attention moves fast, and that can be a deficit to my proclaimed activity and the activity of those around me, which I’d argue is not a disorder. My therapist describes it differently. Honestly my therapist is disordered, and the evidence for this is Dark Air with Terry Carnation:

Linh SmookeJun 11, 2021, 1:33 PM

#classic