With The Lights Out, It’s Less Dangerous
On Tuesdays, we work with the lights out.
It started a month ago. Someone got into the office early and didn’t turn them on. Then the second person to the office ignored the switch as well. By 9 am, the whole team was sitting there in the dark.

Something got disrupted in our circadian patterns that Tuesday, and we liked it. In the dark, the team was a lot goofier in between extended spells of silence (everyone works with headphones on).
Maybe we work harder in the dark. Maybe we take more risks. After that first #lightsouttuesday, I was surprised to find lots of discussion online regarding the impact of artificial lighting — and office temperatures — on productivity.
At the end of the day, we agreed that it should be a weekly tradition. #lightsouttuesday was born.
Traditions are the core of culture. Culture makes and breaks companies.
You can’t force culture or inside jokes or traditions. I’ve tried.
I’ve learned that beer kegs and ping pong tables don’t replace organic culture. Silly rituals like #lightsouttuesdays happen because of the team, the core values, the happenstance.

And it turns out there’s something magical about lights out. After lights out at sleepaway camp, everyone sneaks out of their bunks to find the real fun. Boxers who get their lights knocked out report out-of-body experiences that change their lives. Nirvana tells us it’s “less dangerous” with the lights out.
Who knows what opportunity we might find there in the dark?
At Quantifi, we work lights out on Tuesdays. Sound like fun? Join us. We’re hiring.
