Doing things in a list which allows reorder, choosing which items in that list will get done per time period, and communicating that in short time periods. That is a methodology of management which embraces change, not micromanagement. Scrum doesn't micromanage, managers do. If you are being micromanaged, quantify the overhead of meetings and planning vs. the amount of time being derailed or working on things that wouldn't have been prioritized. You may get more done without management, but is what you are getting done what needs to be done? That is what Scrum is about.

I think XP's original stories and tasks on note cards in planning meetings were a better way to shorten tasks than Scrum leaving that open though- time estimation can be a problem in Scrum without proper planning.