Editorial
How can we do more with less? What operational efficiencies can we drive? How can we improve employee productivity? These are all questions CEOs are wrestling with in 2024. Many executives, however, overlook a critical phenomenon that is affecting workers globally – diminishing attention spans.
In a world where two thirds of the population is online, most Americans are exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day, the average person checks their inbox 74 times a day, and smartphone notifications are incessant. Workers today spend an average of 47 seconds per task before shifting focus, and it takes them approximately 25 minutes to regain focus on the original task.
Enter the attention economy. In the age of unlimited information, human attention continues to be a limited resource. No wonder, then, attention is the new currency, and likes, follows and impressions are the new source of value creation. For example, when using YouTube, one can either pay for the ad-free version of the app or pay with their attention by watching ads. As a result, employers now compete for employee attention; this is where deep work comes in.
What Is Deep Work?
Deep work is the act of focusing without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Professor Cal Newport distinguishes between shallow work and deep work based on the cognitive engagement and focus required.
Shallow work refers to tasks that are relatively easy to automate or replicate and do not require intense cognitive capability — think ordering office supplies or submitting expense reports.
This type of work, while important, does not typically generate value for clients and shareholders. Deep work, on the other hand, consists of the tasks that are critical to achieving organizational goals, like working on a client pitch in a consulting firm or developing a new product in a consumer goods company.
Why Does Deep Work Matter?
The benefits of deep work are supported by scientific evidence:
Improved productivity and quality of work: Deep work allows individuals to concentrate on tasks without interruptions, leading to higher productivity levels, better quality work product and better problem-solving. Studies demonstrate that multi-tasking can take up to 30% longer and lead to twice as many errors compared to completing tasks sequentially.
Enhanced creativity: Multi-tasking and fragmented work hinder creativity while deep work leads to a state of flow whereby one can fully engage with tasks while creating space for reflection and iteration to refine ideas over time.
Derek Dean and Caroline Webb of McKinsey note, “Creative problem solving typically requires us to hold several thoughts at once ‘in memory,’ so we can sense connections we hadn’t seen previously and forge new ideas. When we bounce around quickly from thought to thought, we’re less likely to make those crucial connections.”
Greater job satisfaction and reduced stress: If you’ve ever worked incredibly hard only to feel like you accomplished nothing meaningful at the end of the workday, you’re not alone. Research demonstrates that 60% of knowledge workers’ time is spent on “work about work,” i.e., tasks such as responding to emails or Slack messages and scheduling meetings. Making progress toward goals and feeling a sense of achievement are critical factors in driving employee engagement and combating work-related stress.
Related Article: How Do We Balance Focus and Connection in the Digital Workplace?
Designing Deep Work-Friendly Organizations
For executives concerned about the attention crisis, the following is a practical guide on designing workplaces that are conducive to deep work:
Relentlessly Prioritize
Role clarity, a fundamental driver of engagement and productivity, has suffered recently. Employees say they lose between one to four productive hours each day due to a lack of clear priorities and set deadlines. When employees lack role clarity and are unsure about the work they should and should not take on, they risk becoming stretched too thinly.
This lack of prioritization leads to overloaded employees in survival mode, perennially trying to “stay above water” instead of diving deep into the most critical business priorities. The best leaders engage in continuous dialogue with employees about prioritization; as Steve Jobs once said, “deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”
Rethink Meetings
The research on meetings is clear — 70% of meetings decimate productivity, and unnecessary meetings can cost companies up to $100 million annually. To tackle this, some companies have opted to use asynchronous meetings to disseminate information, in which employees watch video recordings and can respond once they’re ready in a follow-up meeting.
Other companies like Shopify and Asana have instituted meeting-free days. Shopify even went so far as deleting 322,000 hours of recurring meetings from employees’ calendars, and the capacity that freed up was the equivalent of adding 150 new employees. Whether it’s through an asynchronous-first philosophy or canceling unnecessary meetings, organizations that are deliberate and thoughtful about meeting effectiveness are most likely to reap the benefits of the deep work movement.
Reassess Office Design
While many leaders tout open offices as grounds for collaboration, ideation and problem-solving, research suggests that they reduce attention spans and productivity (in addition to negatively impacting mood and leading to faster spread of diseases). Companies that are serious about enhancing productivity should consider a “hub and spoke” office model with sufficient quiet working spaces in addition to open areas for collaboration and socialization. “To do creative work, most people need periods of solitude when they are gestating their ideas, then they need periods of sociability when they are testing their ideas and then they need more periods of solitude when they are refining their ideas,” notes columnist and author David Brooks.
Embed Well-Being Into the Culture
Deep work is simply not possible without sufficient rest and recovery. Research on the effects of sleep deficit demonstrates that sleep-deprived employees are more likely to make mistakes and exhibit hostility and be less engaged and creative. Moreover, the average person can only maintain about 4-5 hours of intense focus per day, and experts recommend working in 45-minute increments with 15-20-minute breaks.
In people-centric cultures, leaders encourage workers to take the much-needed breaks which are necessary for optimum performance. For example, one of Slack’s mottos is “work hard and go home,” and not only is it displayed in the company’s cafeteria in the form of a large neon sign, most of its employees use the “do not disturb” feature to protect their non-working hours.
Leverage AI
Artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionize the modern workplace, and we’re just getting started. AI offers a myriad of tools to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks, ultimately empowering employees to delve into deep work more effectively. For example, a HubSpot survey found that sales professionals are saving 2.25 hours per day by using AI to automate tasks like scheduling, note-taking, employee onboarding and data entry.
Related Article: Perplexed About Productivity? You’re Not Alone
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Attention Is the New Superpower
Information overload and constant connectivity pose one of the largest threats to productivity and value creation in today’s economy. Attention is now an invaluable currency, and consciously directing energy to things that matter to us will be the superpower of our century. As we continue to navigate a hyperconnected world, businesses that prioritize deep work stand to reap the rewards of creativity and innovation.
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