Archive - Systems & Side-eyes

The Operator's Backroom #002 - Where the Heck does this Live??

A practical guide for getting all of that good company info out of people’s heads, DMs, Slacks, and random docs.

Aug 12 • Katie Barnes

The Systems Person Forgot to Build one for Herself 😳

Who the heck am I this week??

Aug 7 • Katie Barnes

July 2026

To AI or Not to AI?

What a silly question...

Jul 29 • Katie Barnes

The Operator's Back Room #001 - The Startup Operating Rhythm

The communication cadence I install when a 10–30 person company is running from Slack instead of systems.

Jul 21 • Katie Barnes

Two Kinds of People Read This Newsletter

(besides my mom...)

Jul 15 • Katie Barnes

One Year Without a W2: What I Got Wrong, What I'd Say Again

what I actually learned about panic, boundaries, and invisible work. Not the highlight reel version.

Jul 8 • Katie Barnes

AI Didn't Make You Dumber. It Made You Absent.

Keep the strategy and judgment on your plate. It's what got you here.

Jul 2 • Katie Barnes

June 2026

For the "I have way too many meetings..." people

Why cutting your calendar won't fix what's actually broken.

Jun 25 • Katie Barnes

A Brief Field Guide to Startup Culture (Observed in the Wild)

Vol. 2: The Culture Specimen

Jun 17 • Katie Barnes

It's Monday. Your calendar is already a crime scene.

You built something real. You just can't keep running it like this. New post is up, and there are 2 spots open for a Bottleneck Audit at a…

Jun 10 • Katie Barnes

"What Actually Gets in the Way" - Live with Katie Barnes & Shannon Bindler

A recording from Katie Barnes's live video

Jun 4 • Katie Barnes and Shannon Bindler

30:29

You Don’t Need Silicon Valley Cosplay to Build a Real Company

You Didn’t Build a Startup. You Fixed a Problem.

Jun 4 • Katie Barnes

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