8 outdated habits boomers mistake for “common sense” that truly simply annoy everybody else – VegOut

We all decide up habits from the generations earlier than us. Some are timeless, like writing thank-you notes or holding the door open. But others? Not a lot.

Boomers, specifically, have just a few “common sense” behaviors that made excellent sense a long time in the past however really feel painfully out of contact at present.

They grew up in a world that rewarded toughness and custom, however the world has shifted lots since then.

I’m not right here to bash a whole technology. I’ve discovered a lot from boomers, particularly about work ethic and resilience.

But a few of their habits haven’t aged nicely, and clinging to them solely alienates the youthful generations they typically label as “entitled” or “too sensitive.”

Let’s unpack just a few. Here are eight outdated habits that many boomers nonetheless deal with as gospel, though they largely simply drive everybody else loopy.

1) Equating busyness with productiveness

You know that one that brags about working 60-hour weeks as if exhaustion is a medal of honor? That’s peak boomer power.

For a long time, “the grind” was seen as proof of dedication. The longer you stayed within the workplace, the extra profitable you have to have been.

But lately, we’ve realized that being busy doesn’t imply being efficient. It typically simply means being burnt out.

I as soon as labored for a supervisor who used to say, “If you’re not slammed, you’re not working hard enough.”

Ironically, he was consistently placing out fires that existed solely as a result of everybody was overworked and unfocused.

Modern professionals worth output, not hours. Working smarter, not longer, is the brand new flex.

If something, bragging about being too busy now reads as a scarcity of boundaries, not a badge of dedication.

2) Treating youthful coworkers like interns endlessly

There’s one thing about some boomers that makes them assume they’re all the time probably the most skilled individual within the room, even once they’re not.

You can have a decade of experience, however if you happen to’re youthful, some nonetheless deal with you want a rookie who wants “guidance.”

It’s not simply patronizing, it’s inefficient.

A good friend of mine, a software program engineer in his 30s, as soon as advised me his boomer boss would ask him to “print out the code” so they might overview it collectively. Yes, print it out.

In an age the place info modifications by the hour, respect for information ought to move each methods.

Younger generations have their very own experience in tech, communication, and tradition that deserves to be acknowledged.

Experience issues, certain. But so does staying present.

3) Oversharing private opinions at inappropriate instances

Boomers typically delight themselves on “telling it like it is.” They see blunt honesty as a advantage, and generally it’s.

But not each thought must be spoken aloud, particularly in skilled or blended firm.

Whether it’s politics, faith, or unsolicited way of life commentary, some boomers wrestle to learn the room.

I as soon as attended a dinner the place an older visitor determined to share his robust views on “kids these days” and the way no one needs to work. You might really feel the collective eye-roll.

Honesty is essential, however empathy and timing matter extra. Saying “that’s just common sense” doesn’t give anybody a free go to be insensitive.

In at present’s world, emotional intelligence counts for lots greater than unfiltered opinions.

4) Refusing to adapt to new expertise

We all know that one boomer who insists that “real conversations don’t happen over text” or who nonetheless prints emails “just in case.”

Look, I get it. Tech modifications quick. But sooner or later, refusing to adapt stops being a choice and begins being a barrier.

I labored in a restaurant group as soon as the place the proprietor, a person in his late 60s, refused to make use of the brand new digital scheduling system.

Instead, he’d handwrite everybody’s shifts and tape them to the wall. Any time somebody wanted a swap, it turned a logistical nightmare.

Meanwhile, the remainder of us have been syncing shifts via our telephones in seconds.

The fact is, tech isn’t changing human connection, it’s simply altering how we preserve it. Adapting doesn’t imply abandoning your values.

It means staying practical in the actual world.

5) Confusing “respect” with “obedience”

This one exhibits up all over the place, in households, workplaces, and even eating places.

Many boomers grew up believing that “respect” meant not questioning authority.

But for youthful generations, respect goes each methods. It’s not one thing you demand; it’s one thing you earn.

I’ve seen this play out at work loads of instances. Ask a clarifying query or recommend a greater methodology, and instantly you’re being “disrespectful.”

But collaboration isn’t rise up. It’s evolution.

Respecting somebody doesn’t imply it’s a must to agree with them. It means you worth their perspective, even when it’s completely different from yours.

Clinging to outdated hierarchies doesn’t construct stronger groups. It simply silences the individuals who may need your subsequent nice thought.

6) Dismissing psychological well being struggles as “weakness”

This is among the hardest generational gaps to bridge.

For many boomers, psychological well being wasn’t one thing folks talked about. You simply “pushed through.” Therapy was for individuals who couldn’t deal with life.

Thankfully, that stigma is fading. But loads of boomers nonetheless roll their eyes at youthful people who take psychological well being days or discuss overtly about nervousness.

What they miss is that acknowledging psychological well being doesn’t make you fragile. It makes you self-aware.

I bear in mind a chef I labored with years in the past, a boomer who’d say issues like, “We didn’t have burnout in my day, we just worked.”

He later had a well being scare introduced on by chronic stress.

We don’t speak about psychological well being to hunt sympathy. We do it to keep away from breaking down. The objective isn’t to complain. It’s to remain sustainable.

7) Believing loyalty to an organization ensures safety

For boomers, loyalty used to imply one thing. You labored laborious, stayed loyal, and the corporate took care of you in return. That social contract doesn’t exist anymore.

You can provide an organization ten years, they usually’ll lay you off over a spreadsheet resolution made in a foreign country. That’s simply the fact.

Younger professionals aren’t disloyal. They’re practical. They know their profession is their accountability, not their employer’s.

When boomers scoff at job-hopping or name it “flaky,” they overlook that almost all millennials and Gen Z staff grew up watching their dad and mom lose jobs after a long time of service.

We’re not chasing titles. We’re chasing autonomy, goal, and stability in an unstable world. That’s not entitlement. That’s adaptation.

8) Making enjoyable of recent social norms

Finally, and possibly most frustratingly, many boomers love mocking new cultural shifts.

Whether it’s gender pronouns, sustainability, or altering attitudes round weight-reduction plan, there’s all the time a sarcastic remark prepared. “Back in my day, we just ate meat and didn’t overthink it.”

But right here’s the factor. Awareness evolves. What we as soon as ignored, like mental health, the setting, or illustration, now issues deeply, and for good cause.

Dismissing all of it as “woke nonsense” simply alerts resistance to progress.

I as soon as overheard an older diner make enjoyable of a plant-based menu, saying, “What’s next, air burgers?”

Funny factor is, that very same restaurant now has a months-long waitlist, and their vegan tasting menu is the most well-liked. Times change, and that’s the purpose.

If progress makes you uncomfortable, that’s tremendous. But making enjoyable of people that care about making issues higher doesn’t make you sensible. It makes you cussed.

The backside line

Here’s the reality. Every technology has blind spots. We’ll in all probability have our personal at some point too.

But clinging to outdated concepts beneath the banner of “common sense” doesn’t make anybody extra grounded. It simply retains them caught in time.

Boomers taught us lots about resilience, independence, and laborious work. But it’s okay to query the elements of that legacy that don’t match anymore.

Adaptability is the brand new widespread sense. The individuals who thrive at present aren’t those shouting, “That’s how we’ve always done it.” They’re those asking, “How can we do it better?”

Because on the finish of the day, progress all the time begins with curiosity and the braveness to evolve.