15 May 2026
Let’s document a concept I lean on constantly: the “just” flag.
The phrase “just” flag describes the phenomenon where the word “just” is as a cue that the following task is worth additional attention, and is likely not as trivial as the speaker is indicating. Although the word “just” is a qualifier that implies simplicity, it is often used to gloss over complex and nuanced situations.
Example 1: “The users want a feature that allows them to save their data in a special compressed format. Just add another button at the top of the main UI for it.” (Yes, but…What should the button say? What does the button do, specifically? Is the specialized format already implemented? If it exists as an external library, are we allowed to use that library? Does it have a license that enables us to use it as-is? Does the design team know about this? The marketing team? Etc.)
Example 2: “I’m basically ready to leave, I just need to pack my suitcase.” (…sure, trivially easy, as long as you’ve already thought about the weather, you’ve done your laundry, you know what you want to bring and that it will fit in your bag, etc.)
In addition to describing this phenomenon (and the recognition of its occurrence!), the literal phrase “just flag” can be used facetiously: “My blog post is nearly done ready, I (air quotes) just-flag need to add a couple examples and then it’s good to go.” (Cue a stupid amount of time spent waffling…)
Once you start listening for “just” in your own speech and that of the people around you—especially in working environments1—you’ll realize that its presence rarely adds anything to the meaning of a statement except a subtle presumptuousness.2 I don’t think this presumption is intended on the part of the speaker; I don’t think most people even realize they’re broadcasting it. I’ve noticed, however, that when statements about tasks include “just,” they rarely get pushback on the item following the “just”, except by people of equal-or-higher seniority, authority, or domain expertise.3
I encourage sharing the phenomenon with your colleagues, as it provides a useful shorthand. By throwing air quotes around the word “just”, or otherwise emphasizing it, or giving a knowing look when you use it, the group of you can share in the knowledge that you are currently glossing over a step that is almost certainly complicated but not worth immediate focus. This aids in team communication, mutual understanding, and camaraderie.4
History
I was introduced to the “just”-flag concept by my friend and then-colleague Russell.5 We’d just left a meeting where it had been implied that our team could and should make a number of wildly drastic changes to a complex project we’d been thoughtfully (and publicly) building for months. I remember him saying, in an impressively neutral tone, something to the effect of, “Have you noticed that when someone says the word "just", it nearly always indicates that they have not spent time thinking about the statement that follows it?” 6
Once he’d pointed it out, I started noticing it everywhere—at work, at home, in other people’s speech and my own.
I have yet to encounter the “just”-flag phenomenon elsewhere, so I’m going to continue to credit Russell with its provenance (if not its name).7
FAQ
Q: Should I not use the word “just” in my own speech at all?
A: Keep using it to your heart’s content! “Just” isn’t a bad word, merely a sometimes loaded one. I use it all the time and don’t plan to stop. Just (heh) recognize when you’ve used it, so that you can make sure to clarify your intent and address any unintentional minimization. Be extra aware of your own usage in situations where you are communicating with someone who who might not feel comfortable “bothering” you with minutia, especially when working on a task they might think you think should be trivially easy.
I try to omit “just” from conversations where I’m explaining how I think a task could be accomplished, or when I’m providing instructions.
Q: Is the word “just” always a flag?
A: Nope! I trust you to correctly assess when it is being used as an unintentionally-minimizing qualifier versus when its use is directly operative.
Q: What if I notice other people using the word “just”? Should I say something to them?
A: Uh, probably not, there’s no need to make things weird! The “just” flag is a phenomenon, not a problem.
When you notice other folks using “just” in technical situations, consider asking clarifying questions about the trivialized task, or following up with the task-ee afterwards, especially if you know the task to be far from trivial, and suspect that others in the group do not share the knowledge to know that yet.
That said, I encourage sharing the concept of the “just” flag with your team, so that you can collectively use it to your advantage.
Q: I understand the “just” part, but what does “flag” have to do with anything? I see no flags!
A: Ah, by “flag” I mean “cue” or “qualifier”. When you encounter the word, it is like encountering a warning flag, indicating that it is worth paying extra attention to the statement that follows.
Q: What if I want an emoji to use in my team’s slack/zulip/discord/whatever?
A: You’re in luck! There’s the good old standby “triangular flag emoji”,
🚩, with the label:just-flag:. You can also style it—in text—as “:just: or”:just-flag:“, as in, I :just-flag: need to get the rest of the team to agree with me and then we can move on.
Learning to notice the “just” flag caused a fundamental and ongoing shift in how I interact in technical conversations. It affects both how I listen to others and recognize that I need to be specific in my own statements, in both professional and personal settings. Perhaps it will do the same for you.
Thanks once more to Russell, for sharing his observation with me!
- Created: 2026-05-15
- Type: Musing
- Tags: glossary, communication, just-do-it-wait-no-do-it-without-the-just