Ten Things People Tend To Do Because Of Historical Inertia
Was wondering about this, as I love the term 'historical inertia' but don't like the effect, especially at work. Asked ChatGPT to give me a list. Not 100% with these choices, but a pretty good list. Think the boss will let me change up #1?
1. Work a 5-Day, 40-Hour Week
A relic of early 20th-century industrial labor laws, still standard despite modern technology allowing flexibility.
2. Sit in Rows at School
Modeled after factory layouts to train compliance and routine rather than creativity or collaboration.
3. Use QWERTY Keyboards
Designed to slow typists on typewriters, yet still the global default.
4. Drive Gas-Powered Cars
Long after viable electric and hybrid options became mainstream.
5. Base Academic Calendars on Farming Seasons
A holdover from when children were needed for summer harvests.
6. Write Checks
A fading tradition continued mainly out of habit and institutional lag.
7. Use Paper Forms for Bureaucracy
Many systems still require printing and signing instead of full digital workflows.
8. Measure with Imperial Units (in the U.S.)
A historical quirk stubbornly resistant to metric conversion.
9. Celebrate Certain Holidays with Obsolete Meanings
We still honor events whose original context is largely forgotten.
10. Design Cities Around Cars Instead of People
Urban layouts shaped by mid-century car culture persist despite environmental and social downsides.
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