Three months for button pixels? Sounds like a you problem honestly lol.

Wait are you me? I did the exact same thing after a client straight up told me my proposal was boring. They literally said "I fell asleep reading it" which hurt but they were right. I was trying to show off everything I knew instead of just solving their problem. Now my formula is basically problem, solution, price and that's it. I even started putting a one sentence summary at the very top that says exactly what they'll get. My close rate jumped too and I spend way less time writing them now.

You mentioned it felt "like a scene from 10 years ago," but I think that undersells what libraries have become. Libraries actually adapted pretty well to the remote work shift. Most of them offer free WiFi, quiet study rooms, and printing services now. They arent relics of the past. Theyre one of the last public spaces where you can work without spending money on coffee or dealing with loud coworking crowds. I think youre right about the quiet focus being missing from coffee shops. Libraries still have that. Maybe youre just noticing something that was always there but you hadnt needed it for work in the same way before.

The real problem is nobody asked who keeps approving those 9 rounds.

Gotta start documenting everything they tell you in person and get names. It's the only way to keep them from adding new hoops every time you show up.