QA How being a digital minimalist can help you do deep work

QA How being a digital minimalist can help you do deep workQA How being a digital minimalist can help you do deep workConsider Georgetown computer science professor Cal Newport the Marie Kondo for your digital life. The author of the new book Digital Minimalism Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World takes stock of the damage of using our phones as our constant companions, and basing our social lives around our social media feeds has done to our attention spans and quality of life. His book proposes a 30-day digital declutter, in which readers chuck most of the technology in their lives, then bring it back slowly, paying attention to whats really useful.Ladders asked Newport how to apply digital minimalism to our work lives, and about the idea of deep work, the subject of Newports previous book.How can we apply the idea of being a digital minimalist to work?Newport The digital declutter welches originally focused on technologies that are not work-required, so instead of email wed focus on things like social media, things we use outside of work. But what Ive found getting feedback from people whove tried this process is that the impact on their work lives have been surprisingly profound because theres been this overlap between the things you let have access to your time and attention, and it has a real effect on how your time and attention functions throughout your whole day, including the work day. Digital minimalists, even though they might be starting from the standpoint of say, Let me clean up my digital personal life, theyll all get this big boost to their professional performance as a side effect from it. Theres a couple of things that happen. So if you go through a minimalist declutter and get rid of most of the things that are pulling your time and attention, and then put rules around the things that remain so they give you more value than they do cost, one of the things you get out of this is a much calmer, much less frenetic mind. So then, when you re at the office, and youre working on something thats important, something thats hard, you dont have the same twitch of I need to look at something, I need a browser tab open, I need to look at my phone. Is that frenetic way of thinking related to how a lot of employees have trouble disconnecting at the end of the day?Yeah, I think theres an interesting influence coming from the personal to the professional here. In particular, one of the changes that started in the personal realm and had a big impact on those types of professional behaviors was when the major social media platforms, in particular, Facebook, significantly re-engineered their user experience, around the time that they were shifting to mobile, and around the time they were preparing the IPO and they needed to get their revenue numbers up. They changed the user experience from a more static I post stuff about myself and then I go landsee what you posted about you, into this more slot-machine model where every time you click the app there might be a new pile of social approval indicators sitting there for you likes, or comments, or photo tags. These things did not exist in the original Facebook experience, but gave you reason to keep compulsively checking back on the app, and so, the social media platforms transformed our relationships with phones from something like making a phone call, or putting on a song into this constant companion model because it generates more revenue. Once we were used to that, I think it carried over to the workplace, and I think and this is just a conjecture if Facebook hadnt done this reengineering of their experience towards compulsive use, we probably wouldnt find ourselves compulsively checking email as much as we do outside of the office, or looking at Slack when we dont need to, because that helped transform out brain into this mode of I need constant information.It was engineered, not natural. It was engineered for a very specific purpose, but now it has very general consequences. Can decluttering and rahmen rules around digital use lead to more productivity for things people want to get done in their personal lives?Yes, and I think Ive observed this. When people minimize their digital life they find it much easier to stay focused on what theyre working on, and they sort of also have more cognitive energy to put toward important projects, versus the trivial. I think digital minimalists in their professional lives get a lot more done. With this explosion of the phones as our constant companion, do you think it hampers productivity in the workplace? Well, in some sense my last book, Deep Work is one really long argument for why sustained concentration with no context shifting, no inbox-checking, and no phone-looking, produces substantially more value than more fractured attention, and so that whole book was basically making the argument that were severely undervaluing concentration and severely overvaluing convenience and flexibility of c ommunication. I cite a lot of research. I think probably the most relevant strands of research for this particular topic is the psychology research on attention residue, which essentially says and we can measure this pretty clearly in the lab that if youre working on something hard youre writing an article lets say and you briefly switch your attention to something else, like your inbox or some social media feed, and then you come right back to the article, theres a cost to that shift and creates an effect called context residue. It reduces your cognitive performance and it takes a while for it to clear out. Workers today think theyre single-tasking because for the most part they only have one thing open, theyre not doing three windows open at the same time, but because theyre doing these quick checks every 10 or 15 minutes they keep themselves in this constant state of attention residue so while most workers dont realize it, theyre working at this reduced cognitive ability. So we place ourselves into a cognitive state in which were much worse at working and we dont think were doing it, we dont even realize its going on. Do you have any advice for getting starting in doing deep work?Well, in the workplace, its key to make a clear distinction between activities, one being deep and one being shallow work. So, deep work is when youre trying to concentrate on something hard and produce new value with your brain. Shallow work is everything else, its the logistical stuff, you know, its the train running on time. Shallow work is important, but if you dont do deep work youre not moving the needle, youre not producing value, so deep work really makes a difference. Once you make this distinction, your attitude towards both starts to be very different. In particular, when youre doing deep work, it has of be 100% on the track, because as we talked about, even a glance at a phone or an inbox gives you this attention residue, it completely reduces your cognitive perform ance, and youre no longer doing deep work. And so I advocate for a hard distinction between those two modes. When youre in a deep work mode there is no phone, there is no inbox, there is no browser tab all you are doing is one thing with intense concentration. And when youre in shallow work mode, you can do that. Just keep those two things separate, dont blend those things out. Do you think people have to be able to control their environment? Yeah, so if you have an office shut the door. If you have an open office put on the headphones so people know not to bother you, whatever it is you need to do. Some people have to do it first thing in the morning when its easier not to get bothered. In some places, when it comes to doing deep work, people will sit with their boss and figure out, Lets agree on what the ratio of deep to shallow work hours I should be doing each week. Once youve agreed on it you can work with the boss to figure out what changes do we have to make so we can hit tha t number that we agreed on. And this a simple way to actually lead to large cultural changes pretty quickly. If you separate depth from shallowness and go all in when youre doing depth, youre gonna start producing massively more value if youre in a knowledge work job. Its almost like a superpower when you start separating those two modes.

How Successful Companies Attract and Retain Employees

How Successful Companies Attract and Retain EmployeesHow Successful Companies Attract and Retain EmployeesHow Successful Companies Attract and Retain Employees Blaszczyk, Managing Editor, Resource CenterGiven the depth and magnitude of the current economic recession, itd be easy to assume that todays recruiting environment favors the employer. Nothing could be further from the truth, says David Russo, author of 17 Rules Successful Companies Use to Attract and Keep Top Talent(FT Press.)Russo sees a perfect storm brewing between workers and employers, one that has been cultivated by a lack of honesty. The reality is that todays most talented workers are more independent than ever before and willing to push back when push comes to shove. Its these workers, and their level of employee loyality, that will impact the future success of companies, particularly as the economy starts to recover.Monster In your book,you say that despite the economic downturn, this is an employee market. How can that be?David Russo Many people say that idea is ridiculous. Of course, many people who have and who will lose jobs have been negatively affected by the recession. Yet people with tremendous abilities and talents are mucksmuschenstill in high demand. This group is larger than a cadre. And companies who deny that these folks have lots of choices are fooling themselves.These choice employees are typically younger than boomers. In fact, they learned from their parents and grandparents that companies are leid to be trusted to control their lives, whether its financially, socially or psychologically.Keep in mind the skillsets that used to be parsed by industry, market segments and education have blurred. Basic business skills enable people to be entrepreneurial, leaders and/or contributors. Of course, there are anomolies in specialized fields, like mathematics, science and medicine. But, by and large, skill sets are transferrable from one market and industry to abedrngnisher. That mean s great employees are not trapped or pigeon- holed if theyre good, bright and educated their skills allow them to move anywhere and everywhere.The other part of this issue is that companies have decided and even announced that life-long employment is no longer achievable or desirable. What they say now is that that employees will be prepared for life-long employment. That means we have is the perfect storm for individuals who feel that its foolish to be loyal to one organization.Monster How do you see this dynamic playing out between employers and employees?David Russo I see it in large companies politics and organization stratifications wear on a persons ability to contribute. They find themselves limited to performing in a restricted space. When the latitude to be creative or to innovate, even in small and personal ways, is gone, employees often opt for smaller organizations where they can stretch and grow. And to free themselves from the binds of politically chargedinfrastru cture, employees will often go into business for themselves.I also see young contributors with lots to offer pushing back on leadership. Theyre willing to say, What have you done for me lately? without fear of reprisal. They see push coming to shove, and no promise or prospects for the long term. So employees say, Why not be prepared for the inevitable with eyes wide open? Thus, loyalty to an organization is not relegated to business history.This trend had been in place before the downturn. It started when the Gen X workforce began to mature, and remembered how their parents were treated under re-engineering and re-structuring, and looked around and said, Is this all there is?In my generation as well as with Boomers, the feeling was that company was family. When we got our paychecks we were thankful for the opportunity and the shared loyalty. When todays younger workers (those who deliver their part of the bargain to employers) get their paycheck, they say, Were even.Monster What ca n employers do to change this dynamic and be more competitive in their hiring practices?David Russo Some companies know how to do this Southwest Airlines, Johnson Johnson and the Mens Warehouse are great examples. These companies offer their employees a work environment that allows them to do exceptional work while acknowledging the companys dependence on them to succeed.These companies tell employees that they value them as persons, not just when they deliver the goods. But theyre also clear that they must deliver the goods in order to be recognized.They show recognition and respect for their people via the behavior of their managers. Theres no pecking order the leadership is all qualitative. It gives people an opportunity to have high respect for their leaders gained by listening and taking risks. Its about leadership that delivers as a resource, not as an overseer, and is willing to act as a coalesceing agent to guide and encourage and to create an environment for motivation. Behaviors of employees are always somewhat self-centered. But when they want to deliver valuable contributions and help the company advance and compete, then everyone goes forward. AND this enlightened self-interest works for employee and employer alike.Monster You talk about creating a preferred self environment in the workplace as a means of generating innovation. How can companies that are pushed to the brink of survival find room for innovation?David Russo Some people presume that preferred self means putting individual behavior above the team. Its not.A preferred self is simply a person who has all of the shackles of politics and mistrust and self-preservation modes of behavior lifted from their shoulders so their skills can be focused and applied to achieving the outcomes necessary to propel both the project and company forward.So many organizations fail to see that the noise that surrounds a workers ability to perform affects results, not just for the individual, but for the company. This is true for middle managers in particular. The parameters theyre often given are a millstone.In the book, I say were holding middle managers to these tremendous pressures to produce results without allowing them to interact with employees in the ways tuned to generate those results. Theyre required to be scorekeepers instead of coaches. Middle managers are the glue in larger companies.Monster How can companies, particularly larger companies, improve their employee relations?David Russo Its almost humorous. Nothing were talking about is any great shakes. Organizations have to learn to tell the truth. Large companies lie to employees every day. Nothing is more insulting and disrespctful, particularly to smart people.Remember if you start treating employees as if theyre stupid, theyll start acting stupid. Theyll act against your best interests. Watch how I can take a 3-week project and make it last 3 months. Watch how I can act politically to cover myself rather than co llaborating with others. Treat me like I dont count and I promise you, I wont count.The bottom line is that when this recession is over and the economic backsliding is done, great companies will have the majority of great employees, which will allow them to bury their competitors.Author BioDavid Russo is Principal and CEO of Eno River Associates, Inc, aconsulting practice that helps executive teams build high-performing organizations by developing win-win relationships with the workforce. Russo is perhaps best known as the architect of the famously engaged culture that has made SAS Institute the most successful privately held software company in the world. In the 19 years he was the Vice President for HR of SAS, and since, that companys extraordinary culture attracts accolades from even such places as CBS 60 Minutes. Even today, with all of Russos original programs and philosophies still very much in place at SAS, this great place achieved the coveted Number 1 spot on Fortunes annu al list of Best companies to Work For.

How to Be a Global Citizen at Work - The Muse

How to Be a Global Citizen at Work - The MuseHow to Be a Global Citizen at WorkA weltweit citizen is someone who identifies with being part of an emerging world community and whose actions contribute to building this communitys values and practices.The Global Citizens aktionYou may have heard the terms global citizenship or citizen of the world in your companys mission statement, during work meetings, or in ad campaigns. Global citizenship is an increasingly common idea Universities use the term to promote global awareness and international education, and geschftliches miteinanderes use it to highlight their commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability around the world. Its also a movement that uses online activism and social media worldwide to work toward ending global poverty. Specifically, as a professional, global citizenship can benefit your personal and company brand, increase the growth and scope of your work, and help you connect with colleagues and build partnerships around the world. But, how do you take such a complex concept and implement it in your daily 9-to-5 life?Ive learned that the essence of global citizenship is about finding global solutions to major social issues and developing a greater understanding of the world. But since thats still a pretty broad task, here are four ways you can work toward global citizenship on a daily basis- and get ahead in your career at the same time.1. Discover a Cause You Care AboutPart of the reason that companies adopt the idea of global citizenship is because it allows them- and their employees- to support a variety issues, make an impact, and understand their greater role in the world. But to do that as an employee, you must become knowledgeable about the issues that matter to you.If youre not already aware of a social cause that you care about, start by learning more about whats going on in the world and getting familiar with a few causes or issues that resonate with you. To do that, yo u can use social media to follow a variety of organizations, volunteer with local nonprofits to learn about the issues firsthand, or join meetups or social groups that take part in local causes. Once you know what you support, you dont have to wear your cause on your sleeve- there are plenty of ways to participate in and talk about the cause without being overbearing. For example, its easy to work into a conversation with a co-worker that youre supporting a particular crowdfunding campaign, running in a charity 5K, or going to a happy hour that benefits your chosen cause after work. This is a great way to both be a global citizen and build relationships at work. Related 5 Ways to Get Involved in a Cause You Care About 2. Be a Social EntrepreneurSocial entrepreneurship- developing innovative solutions to social problems- is one of the pillars of global citizenship. Many companies have launched initiatives with the intention of both making an impact and growing their international b rands. The idea behind TOMS, for example, is that the company will help a person in need for every product sold. Once youre knowledgeable about the issues that matter to you or your company, think about how you might start something new to contribute to those issues- whether its a short-term project, like a fundraising event or an employee workshop, or something bigger, like launching a startup, a nonprofit, or a new socially conscious product line. You can also get involved in smaller ways, too. As an individual, you can be a part of something just as impactful by getting civically engaged with an existing project or taking on a leadership role with a local organization. Anything that allows you to have an impact on world issues you care about. Related How to Have a Real Impact in Your Career or Life 3. Network on a Global ScaleNetworking is one of the key ideas of global citizenship. But networking in the United States is completely different than networking in Japan or Norway. W ould you have the knowledge to navigate the cultural and professional differences if such a foreign networking opportunity came up? The good news is, you dont necessarily have to go abroad to practice this skill. Its about building relationships, striving toward common goals, navigating conflict, understanding differences, being able to work with others, and occasionally putting yourself out there when others wont.So, consider every cocktail reception, conference, or work dinner as a chance to bring out your global citizenship A-game. For example, if you recognize your clients may not feel comfortable conducting business in a bar because they come from a country where alcohol is prohibited (or maybe they just dont partake in it as a personal choice), find an environment that is comfortable for everyone. In other cases, international colleagues may expect to have a coffee break every hour, so its important to build in room and flexibility for that. Its all about being able to make pe ople from all over the world (including your own local colleagues) comfortable. Related From Mexico to Korea What its Like to Work Around the World 4. Develop Sustainable SolutionsGlobal citizenship requires that people stay engaged and committed to their goals over the long term. That means even if it takes years to build your organization, pass a law, or raise the money you need, you stick with it. Most movements wont achieve change overnight, but they can still make a huge impact as you work toward that goal. Many of the eight jahrtausend Development goals, for example, have not been met completely, but there have been vast improvements in gender equality, maternal health, and education for girls around the world because of that project- and the progress will continue until all the goals are achieved. Its fairly easy to solve problems in the short term- but can you make those solutions last? Whenever you start a project or implement a solution in your company, think about the c hanging landscape of your field, the flexibility that may need to be factored in, and what the impact over time will be. No matter how big or small the project, consider the how you will see it all the way through to completion. Related 20 Crucial Questions to Ask Before Working for a Social Good Organization Global citizenship is a philosophy that doesnt have to be an out-of-reach goal or some public relations jargon- its an excellent way to advance your skills, build new partnerships and create awesome new opportunities as a citizen of the world.Photo of airplane around world courtesy of Shutterstock.