I was not in the workplace in the 1950’s so I can not remember the classic 1950s open office. But I have seen ghosts of approach over the years, ranging from cube farms to agile team rooms. The most startling was an office with 12 small standing desks around the perimeter and a four-person table in the middle (two chairs were missing because they did not fit). This horror story was presented as an agile team room that fostered collaboration and serendipity. The two times I walked by the room, at least half the team was somewhere else and the rest had noise-canceling headphones on and a little sign that said: “Do not disturb”. This is not apocryphal. Chapter 2 of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport, Deep Work Is Rare, describes a work environment where deep work is difficult.
As part of my exploration of this book and the experiment I committed to during our re-reading of Chapter 1 (carving out 3 – 4 hours of focus time each morning), I began an inventory of time-sink/distractors in my environment. Starting with a bit of context, my office has a door to separate it from the rest of the house which reduces some interruptions. My dog hates closed doors and regularly opens the door if it is only loosely closed – I am not sure this is a total wash so score one for focus. The computer-based time sinks are a different matter. The inventory in no particular order of things that sometimes aggressively vie for attention include.
- X (formerly Twitter)
- Threads
- Teams
- Slack
- Zoom
- Two iPhones (enabler)
- IPad (enabler)
- Laptop (enabler)
- Alexa
- Email (4 accounts)
- Company Website
- Blog
- Podcast site
- Text Messages
During my initial listen/read of this book I deleted Discord. I felt elated, but there is a long way to go.
These apps ping, ding, just start talking (Alexa is the worst) or just sullenly post the number of unread messages at the bottom of my screen. Every notification generates a bit of fear of missing out (FOMO) which in turn creates a bit of anxiety, reducing focus. Interruptions often at the worst possible time – when you are struggling with crafting the perfect sentence and wham, you are notified of a text message. As part of this week’s experiment, I have learned that just turning everything off for several hours is not an easy job, and with aging and infirm parents, not practical. I shudder to think of how much more complicated sitting in an open office or team room would make carving out time to focus would be. Newport’s proposition that deep work is rare fits my reality. We have lost our minds…literally.
Three other concepts in this Chapter that I would like to highlight are intertwined. The first is the Principle of Least Resistance defined as:
“The Principle of Least Resistance: In a business setting, without clear feedback on the impact of various behaviors to the bottom line, we will tend toward behaviors that are easiest in the moment.”
— Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
The principle is based on the idea that entities within a system will naturally gravitate towards options that offer the most straightforward route to achieve their objectives. If everyone is using open offices or continuous collaboration tools the principle suggests that following rather than rocking the boat expends the least effort, resources, or risk to accomplish a given task or goal. My late mother used to ask me whether all my friends would jump off the roof, would I? Given the Principle of Least Resistance, the answer is yes.
The second concept is the metrics Black Hole interacts and empowers the Principle of Least Resistance. Newport points out that the impact of the always-on, interactive, and anti-focus workplace is very difficult to measure. Proponents of this type of workplace provide anecdotal evidence of serendipity which rationalizes hyperconnectivity. Without measures that show the impact, positive or negative the easiest course of action, as my mother would say, is to leap off the roof with my friends.
A final and related concept is the conflation of busyness and productivity. It is easy to confuse being busy with being productive. I read and disposed of over 100 emails yesterday, when I realized I had passed the century mark I briefly felt accomplished until I realized I had created very little value. I have spent a large portion of my career assessing software development productivity. At some point, I recognized that an alternate narrative was circulating. Productivity was equated to the number of hours people spend physically at work. Similarly, I have heard leaders suggest that appearing busy (counting and monitoring keystrokes) equates to being productive. God forbid someone takes time to deeply consider an issue.
Experimental update: I have been able to isolate two hours fairly consistently. I would like to add at least another hour. This week I am going to explore apps that cut off notifications to see whether they can reduce the number of interruptions.
Remember to buy a copy of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World and read along.
Week 1: Logistics and Introduction – https://bit.ly/43fGAMX
Week 2: Deep Work Is Valuable – https://bit.ly/3TznAVd
