37Signals honcho and Rework author Jason Fried explains why his company, and perhaps yours, benefits mightily from making passive tools like web chat, IM, and even email a default communication tool, rather than calling meetings, yelling names, and knocking on doors.


We've previously pointed to Fried's thoughts on how proximity kills productivity, which pairs up with our own thoughts on firewalling your attention at the office, through such means as keeping unplugged earphones in your ears. Fried makes a strong argument for the non-emergency nature of most workplace interruptions, though—in almost every case, a ping in a web chat or IM would have sufficed, and not answering it until you were done focusing on what you had to focus on would be fine.

Why Proximity Kills Productivity Entrepreneur Jason Fried found that working in the same office with his long distance co-workers… Read more


Then again, Fried manages a company full of programmers that make minimalist web software, and admits that there's (intentionally) not much of a hierarchy at his firm. You may not be able to just shut the door or give mean stares from your desk—and many BoingBoing commenters promote the subtle values of coworker distractions. Still, Fried's video chat is a good reminder that we can all probably benefit from directing our coworker to our inboxes.

G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe and Get Your First Bag Free Promo Code AtlasCoffeeDay20

Why You Can't Work at Work [The Big Think via BoingBoing]