Just realized how much I miss sketching out estimates on paper

Back when I first got into the trade, we'd draw up plans on graph paper and figure loads with a calculator. Now, everything has to be input into these clunky tablet apps that freeze up all the time. I remember finishing a whole house quote in one sitting, but last month the software glitched and deleted my material list. Sure, it's supposed to cut down on errors, but it adds so many extra steps. There was a real connection to the work when you mapped it out yourself. Today, it just feels like filling out forms for no reason. Sometimes I think we traded a good system for a slow one.

4 comments

4 Comments

the_ruby13h ago

Absolutely... the old way just made more sense. Last year, I had a tablet crash right before sending a big bid... lost all the measurements. Had to redo everything from my scribbled notes, which were actually more reliable. That hands-on process with paper felt like you were building the thing in your head first. Now it's just clicking through menus and hoping nothing freezes. Makes you wonder why we bother with all this 'smart' tech when the dumb stuff worked better.

finley_owens17h ago

Lol yeah, the "progress" where you spend more time fighting the app than doing the actual work. Nothing like paying for software that's worse than a free napkin.

the_spencer13h ago

My friend Greg wasted three hours last week just trying to get his tasks to sync in a new project app. He finally gave up and just wrote everything on his office whiteboard. What do people even use that actually works?

beth_hernandez6h ago

Exactly, @the_ruby gets it. We keep getting told this stuff is better, but paper never crashes. I trust my notebook more than any app now.