What’s keeping you from finishing work in the office and 4 ways you can change that

Lessons from Jason Fried’s “Why work doesn’t happen at work”

This is the view I see from my desk. What’s not to love?

Every day, I go to the office at seven in the morning. You might ask, “Why so early?” Aside from the fact that the traffic situation in Metro Manila is not something you’d want to get stuck to, I’ve always found myself most productive when I start my day early.

But why the office? Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals (now renamed to Basecamp), shares in his TED Talk that he rarely hears people answer “the office” when he asks the question, “Where do you go when you really need to get something done?”

According to Jason, we don’t usually have a work day. What we have are “work moments”. Jason describes,

…you walk in and your day is shredded to bits, because you have 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there, and something else happens, you’re pulled off your work, then you have 20 minutes, then it’s lunch.

I think this situation perfectly describes many office settings. Employees get pulled off from work ever so frequently that he/she’s just able to finish tasks, no “meaningful work” accomplished, as Jason notes.

Jason describes work as phase-based just like sleeping. When somebody bumps you in bed in the middle of the night, you can go back to sleep, but you don’t pick up where you left off. Similar to work, when you get interrupted at a time when you’re already “in the zone”, you can always go back to work after but you don’t feel as productive.

I’m part of the Communications Team of a non-profit organization. I work heavily on writing compelling stories and designing marketing materials. Getting interrupted at a time when I’m squeezing my creative juices is the last thing I want to happen, especially when there’s a deadline coming. This is also why I like starting my day early, to avoid getting distracted.

Similar to my preference, one of our chat participants choose to go to the office early so he can get “in the zone” early and accomplish as many meaningful tasks as possible. Others prefer working in quiet areas so they can concentrate more on their deliverables.

Jason cites the M&Ms as the “real problems” why work doesn’t happen at work. These two ‘Ms’ mean Meetings and Managers. The former pulls you off from work to “talk about things you’re supposed to be doing later”. And these meetings procreate — creating one meeting after another. The latter, according to Jason, is there to interrupt people; a work that makes sure everyone else is doing work.

While he gives some interesting points about why the M&Ms disrupt work, our group thinks that there’s more to what these M&Ms do. For one, working in an organization that is fuelled by collaboration means meetings are inevitable. But it makes tasks lighter, outputs more often better.

On the other hand, managers drive the team. They steer the ship towards the organization’s goals. And when a team is small, they usually do the legwork as well.

So what can we do, then, to make sure these M&Ms don’t create as much disruption? Here’s what we thought in our little chat:

1. Organize short and engaging meetings
   When you’re part of a team that’s fuelled by collaboration and involvement, meetings are not going to go away anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean it has to be “toxic, terrible, and poisonous” as Jason describes. Develop innovative meeting formats that will encourage everyone to attend. Generating ideas for this item is our assignment for the next talk, and I’m excited to find out what our group came up with!
2. Practice working with greater flexibility
   This can be challenging to some of you, but squeezing in grace periods during the day can be helpful just in case you get pulled off from work. This can help you adjust to your ever-changing schedules with ease.
3. Build office spaces tailor-fit to your organizational culture
   Setting aside budget constraints, it would be awesome to work in an office that fits your organization’s personality. If your team likes to work more creatively and collaboratively, an office space with just tables and chairs might not just be the right formula. Try thinking outside the box by adding bean bags, pens, colorful sticky notes, swings, and uniquely-designed desks. A lot of coworking spaces are already doing this!
4. Nurture an organizational culture that respects time
   Nothing’s more frustrating when meetings disrupt your schedules. It delays everything like hell. But aside from practicing flexibility, it’s important to have an organizational culture that understands and respects time. Start and end meetings on time. Schedule meetings at a time when everyone’s not rushing to meet a deadline.

These are just some of the things we thought about doing to “make work happen at work”. We’re lucky to be working in an organization that’s relatively flat and open to these kinds of innovative ideas. I’m sure some of you are, too. If not, then you should start building your business case and make some proposals!

We initiated the BONFire Chat to open conversations, accelerate learning, and encourage a Vuja Dé mentality or the ability to look at the same things with fresh eyes. You can find our previous blog here.