Calm is key: A guide to a happier, more productive workplace

Video: https://www.droidcon.com/media-detail?video=362739078

Many of today's work environments are crazy — they run at a frenetic pace, full of interruptions and distractions. They leave us drained, overworked, and frustrated. And yet we do our best work in the opposite environment — when we're focused, clear headed, and have time to think. So let's try to shift the balance by talking about a better, calmer way.

We'll talk about a variety of ways we can all encourage greater calm at work. How do we maintain focus and prevent interruptions? What are some strategies to manage our time and responsibilities? What can we do both at work and home to keep me sharp mentally? And how do maintain real balance and boundaries between work and home?

By the end of the talk, I hope you'll have some new ideas and inspiration to work toward a calmer, more productive work environment for you and your team.

Transcript

1. Calm is key A guide to a happier, more productive workplace @dankim
2. Working in a calm environment
3. A little background
4. ⏰ We have no time to do our actual work at work
5. Constant, unrelenting interruptions and distractions
6. No such thing as a work DAY
7. We're working too much
8. Overwork is glamorized
9. “Could you work 130 hours in a week?” The answer is yes, if you’re strategic about when you sleep, when you shower, and how often you go to the bathroom. The nap rooms at Google were there because it was safer to stay in the office than walk to your car at 3 a.m. For my first five years, I did at least one all-nighter a week, except when I was on vacation—and the vacations were few and far between. — Marissa Mayer
10. My husband runs a co-working office in San Francisco. He runs his company out of there and other startups cycle through. And if you go in on a Saturday afternoon, I can tell you which startups will succeed, without even knowing what they do. Being there on the weekend is a huge indicator of success, mostly because these companies just don’t happen. They happen because of really hard work. — Marissa Mayer
11. The results are pretty clear
12. It's a vicious cycle
13. Change is possible!
14. Why is it so important?
15. Work is a big part of our lives
16. - Work is NOT our lives
17. . How do we fix this?
18. / Be able to actually do work at work
19. - Prevent overworking
20. 1 Practical tactics and strategies
21. Who am I talking to?
22. Let's do this!
23. / Be able to actually do work at work
24. Avoid small interruptions!
25. Most interruptions are because of synchronous communication
26. 6 I need something right now
27. Their flow (and work) is a goner
28. ⏳ The reality: It can wait
29. // FIXME
30. 6 There should be no such thing as ASAP
31. Work like you're all remote
32. Committing to asynchronous communications
33. No more shoulder tapping
34. ✍ Write everything down
35. ✍ It's self-documenting
36. It enables the more thoughtful, quiet voices
37. ❤ Write heartbeats and kickoffs
38. > Avoid major interruptions!
39. > Avoid meetings!
40. Guaranteed to have too many people involved
41. https://app.getpocket.com/read/2364823473
42. ☝ There's no such thing as a one hour meeting
43. A 10 person meeting is a 10 hour meeting
44. Information imbalance
45. They spawn more of themselves
46. They're scheduled interruptions
47. // FIXME
48. Crazy idea: try not having one
49. Do we really NEED this meeting?
50. J Apply the three* person rule * The number that works best for your company
51. K Plan your escape
52. https://hbr.org/2018/06/the-most-productive-meetings-have-fewer-than-8-people
53. L Try a new way
54. https://open.buffer.com/asynchronous-meetings/
55. Avoid chat!
56. ‼ Chat is treated like required reading
57. Let's all stand around the water cooler all day for eight hours
58. // FIXME
59. Remove any expectation that chat is required reading
60. ⚙ Use a slower gear
61. - Preventing overwork
64. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/revolut-trade-unions-labour-fintech-politics-storonsky
65. https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/workers-play-and-players-work-at-unusual-st-louis-tech/ article_1e153713-5fd3-5830-be93-f549def163f6.html
66. https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/workers-play-and-players-work-at-unusual-st-louis-tech/ article_1e153713-5fd3-5830-be93-f549def163f6.htmls
67. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/05/business/stinging-office-memo-boomerangs-chief-executive-criticized-after- upbraiding.html
68. https://mobile.twitter.com/dankim/status/1135627135576629248
70. It's critically important to take time away from work
71. Your brain needs it
72. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-be-more-productive-by-working-less
73. W Balance makes you better at your job
74. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/29/opinion/work-relationships.html
75. ❤ Empathy is built away from work
76. // FIXME
77. XY ✊ Recognize that 40 hours a week is PLENTY
78. Half your waking hours are at work
79. Hours != productivity
80. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-be-more-productive-by-working-less
81. You're actually worse after 40
82. Confine work to work hours
83. ⚾ Establish ground rules
84. Establish a channel for true emergencies
85. Coach the rule breakers
86. Take actual vacations
87. Forget the bullshit myth that you must always be learning
88. Shape up your projects
89. https://basecamp.com/shapeup
90. ➕☝ Work in six* week cycles * The number that works best for your company
91. Learn to manage the tension between time, quality, and scope
92. Good is relative
93. Trust and autonomy
94. No backlogs
95. Some things to keep in mind
96. Is any of this even possible?
97. Also, shit happens
99. We're glad you love this job because we all do too, but at the end of the day it's a job. Do your best work, collaborate with your team, write, read, learn, and then turn off your computer and play with your dog. We'll all be better for it. — The Basecamp Handbook
100. Thank you! @dankim