Fascinating Discussion on Productivity

A couple of days ago (March 5) in the New York Times, there was a discussion between Ezra Klein and Cal Newport, an author and academic whose field is research into productivity (and lack thereof) in the digital age.

The podcast is paywalled, so I’ll provide a précis here:

Newport's research (and others') shows that tools like Slack and e-mail, which were supposed to improve our productivity, have in fact made it much worse. Why? Because we’re distracted constantly in the workplace, needing to provide immediate answers to questions that arise in real-time.

The human brain is not wired to “network switch” from concentrating on one task (your work) to concentrating on another (a question coming via a Slack channel) and then back again. By doing this, huge amounts of cognitive momentum are lost, leaving us drained and even depressed by the end of the day.

Newport calls this the “Hyperactive Hive Mind.”

Increasing numbers of studies show that cutting out low-friction communication actually helps productivity. Newport restates the problem:

"What the research is discovering is that, as the e-mail and Slack load increases, managers retreat into a task-oriented productivity mode...if all you’re doing is just trying to keep up with a 'hyperactive hive mind', the real important stuff doesn’t happen.”

What to Do About It?

One response comes from software development companies practicing “Extreme Programming”: coders work in pairs, in rooms, with intense collaboration. No e-mail, no Slack, no distractions, except for rare and tightly scheduled meetings.

While this is intense and exhausting at first, the coders' workday ends at 4 PM, eliminating work bleeding into home and family time. Once adjusted, coders report feeling refreshed, satisfied, and more productive.

Newport predicts a revolution: companies employing knowledge workers will realize the modern workplace isn't set up to optimize how we work best. He likens this to Henry Ford’s re-conceptualization of factory production lines—the “figuring out” phase for knowledge work is happening now, and the status quo is dysfunctional.

In five years, many companies will focus on prescriptive processes that limit back-and-forth communications during development (less e-mail, fewer Slack channels), allowing for better work and higher happiness levels.

Interestingly, this requires a more “top-down” management approach: “This is how we do things here.” The benefits will outweigh the reduction in autonomy.

A Literary Tangent

The conversation reminded me of what W.B. Yeats referred to as “the chief temptation of the artist”—“creation without toil.” Yeats discussed his own political activity, where he began to feel satisfied with less traditional efforts—similar to how much of what we do on Slack can appear to be work. However, that deeply focused and effortful work is necessary for true creativity and insights. Slack may masquerade as a productive tool, but it can be counterproductive.