Anyone that knows me, or has worked with me knows that I have a hard time unplugging from work. I worked at a company that had 24/7 operations for three years and there was always something happening. I was always in Slack, answering questions and sometimes putting out fires - even when not in the office. Heck, I even answered emails while queueing for a Disney ride. I attributed this to having no family in town, no significant other to be with, and very few friends; therefore, work was the only thing keeping me busy.
Last summer, I read It doesn't have to be crazy at work, written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (the same folks that brought you this wonderful platform!) and it really enlightened me. I was doing everything the book said not to do. I knew I had bad habits, but reading how Basecamp runs a calm company put it into perspective.
Last summer, I read It doesn't have to be crazy at work, written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (the same folks that brought you this wonderful platform!) and it really enlightened me. I was doing everything the book said not to do. I knew I had bad habits, but reading how Basecamp runs a calm company put it into perspective.
In September, I took a new role at a new company. I vowed to change, to not be plugged in to work 24/7. To actually try to embed the principles of the book into my new role. The fact it was not a 24/7 company helped a lot. Slack is actually quiet on weekends now. However, having just opened an office in Sydney means weekday evenings actually do have some activity, and since I am the only one with overlap with them I do work some evenings.
Being helpful is in my DNA, I love helping and answering questions. However, as the book argues, most questions don't need to be answered right away; but real-time chat apps such as Slack make it so easy to ask anyone, at any time, and there is an expectation of a rather real-time reply.
The problem comes when you make it too easy—and always acceptable—to pose any question as soon as it comes to mind. Most questions just aren’t that pressing, but the urge to ask the expert immediately is irresistible. [...] Almost everything can wait. And almost everything should.
FOMO is another topic the book discusses, one that I am very guilty of. It has proven the hardest bad habit to break.
“The fear of missing out. It’s the affliction that drives obsessive checking of Twitter feeds, Facebook updates, Instagram stories, WhatsApp groups, and news apps. It’s not uncommon for people to pick up their phones dozens of times a day when some push notification makes it buzz, because WHAT IF IT WAS SOMETHING SUPER IMPORTANT! (It just about never is.)”
I kept Slack, Twitter and my email open at all times. I wanted to be aware of everything that was happening at all times. That obsession was not healthy. Then they drop a quote that basically felt like a spotlight being pointed at me:
“Because there’s absolutely no reason everyone needs to attempt to know everything that’s going on at our company. And especially not in real time! If it’s important, you’ll find out. And most of it isn’t.”
I have gotten better at not checking my email every 5 minutes (but sometimes still impulse check it) and only check Slack occasionally or when I get tagged in something.
Personally, these are the ones I need to focus on primarily if I want to have a more calm work life:
- I don't need to check every single channel, every single minute. If it's important, someone will tag me.
- If a question is not urgent, or an emergency, it can wait. Conversely, do not expect real-time answers to my questions.
Embracing JOMO (the joy of missing out) is proving to be the most difficult task, due to my ever curious desire to know about everything at all times. I still need to bring myself to conceptualize that the world won't end if I don't keep tabs on everything at all times or if I don't reply that same second.
Overall, I do feel like I lead a much calmer style now than I did before - but there's still lots of room for improvement. As I mentioned before, I still find myself compulsively checking Slack & email for anything that I might've missed or glancing a my watch for any missed notifications.
As with everything Basecamp does, the book is very opinionated on how a calm company should be run; and while not every person and every company can adopt them, you can at least implement a few, even if just personally.