Working From Home With a Cat Who Thinks He’s Management

Working from home with a cat who has no job title, no deliverables and total authority. Notes from an employee of Syntax.

Working from home with a cat who has no job title, no deliverables and total authority. Notes from an employee of Syntax.

"You good?" is a hard question when the answer is "not really." Twelve honest things to say to coworkers, friends, family and yourself.

Why my cat knocks things off my desk while making eye contact: a field guide to the slow push, the 3 a.m. sprint, the loaf, and the rest of his crimes.

Eight gifts for the burned-out creative in your life: funny mugs, tees and notebooks that say “I see you” without making them talk about it.

Carl, deep in calendar denial.Still convinced he can quantum bend time to fit a 4-hour meeting into a 3-hour block. Syntax, meanwhile, has reviewed your agenda.And your life choices.He is… displeased. Syntax has questions.None of them polite.All of them ending…

“Then I’ll circle back on that…” Famous last words. Because while you’re rehearsing your corporate deflections, Syntax is rehearsing his uppercut. Timing? Impeccable. Target? Your ego. And maybe your jawline. Consider this your mid-year review.Feedback is swift. And delivered via…

Carl, seven minutes late to a meeting he didn’t remember agreeing to.Syntax, already briefed and operating on pure instinct. Because nothing says “professional presence” like a stolen granola bar and a tactical feline extraction. Welcome to hybrid work, where your…

Carl, two hours past his deadline, chanting the sacred coder’s mantra:“Almost done… just five more minutes.” Meanwhile, Syntax waits. Unimpressed. Unfed. Unfiltered. Because while you spiral into a caffeine-fueled bug fix and existential despair, your feline project manager has three…

What creative burnout looks like, why it happens and what actually helps, from someone who’s been there.