Overview
Does work really happen at the office? How damaging are all of the interruptions we experience throughout the day?
In this TED Talk, Software Entrepreneur Jason Fried shreds the notion of the typical workplace being the best place to get work done and presents three forward-thinking tactics to help employees achieve more, deeper, and better work.
What You’ll Learn
After completing the work on this page, you will be able to:
- Recall where people prefer to get work done
- Recognize the importance of long uninterrupted stretches of time in the context of achieving deep work
- Know what M&Ms are and how they damage productivity
- Name three suggestions to make the office a better place for people to work
Watch the Video
Dig Deeper
After watching the video, reflect on the following questions. Jot down your thoughts. Consider sharing this video with a colleague or a work group for an insightful discussion.
- Where do you get real work done? How do M&M’s affect your productivity? What changes can you make to this model to improve your productivity and that of those around you?
- Employ one of the three suggested techniques and try it out for a week. Reflect on the results.
Still Hungry?
Here’s more to spark your thinking on this topic:
- Do you want to feel more accomplished at the end of the day? A good place to start is understanding what prevents you from focusing on and completing meaningful work as explained in the Harvard Business Review Article “5 Mental Mistakes That Kill Your Productivity” by Alice Boyes. Along these lines, also check out “Productivity Tips for People Who Hate Productivity Tips” by Monique Valcour.
- Perhaps your lack of productivity is related to lack of focus? Find out more about whether this might be true in the following three Harvard Business Review articles:
- “Your Brain Can Only Take So Much Focus” by Srini Pillay
- “The Two Things Killing your Ability to Focus” by William Treseder
- “Your Team’s Time Management Problem Might Be a Focus Problem” by Maura Thomas
- In this Lifehack article, learn “21 Ways to Add More Time to Your Day” by Scott H. Young
NOTE: There is a limit of viewing 4 online articles per month at Harvard Business Review without a paid subscription. If you click on the link to this article, it will count toward your limit.