A World Without Email
Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $26.22
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Kevin R. Free
-
Written by:
-
Cal Newport
About this listen
New York Times best seller!
From New York Times best-selling author Cal Newport comes a bold vision for liberating workers from the tyranny of the inbox - and unleashing a new era of productivity.
Modern knowledge workers communicate constantly. Their days are defined by a relentless barrage of incoming messages and back-and-forth digital conversations - a state of constant, anxious chatter in which nobody can disconnect, and so nobody has the cognitive bandwidth to perform substantive work. There was a time when tools like email felt cutting edge, but a thorough review of current evidence reveals that the "hyperactive hive mind" workflow they helped create has become a productivity disaster, reducing profitability and perhaps even slowing overall economic growth. Equally worrisome, it makes us miserable. Humans are simply not wired for constant digital communication.
We have become so used to an inbox-driven workday that it's hard to imagine alternatives. But they do exist. Drawing on years of investigative reporting, author and computer science professor Cal Newport makes the case that our current approach to work is broken, then lays out a series of principles and concrete instructions for fixing it. In A World without Email, he argues for a workplace in which clear processes - not haphazard messaging - define how tasks are identified, assigned and reviewed. Each person works on fewer things (but does them better), and aggressive investment in support reduces the ever-increasing burden of administrative tasks. Above all else, important communication is streamlined, and inboxes and chat channels are no longer central to how work unfolds.
The knowledge sector's evolution beyond the hyperactive hive mind is inevitable. The question is not whether a world without email is coming (it is), but whether you'll be ahead of this trend. If you're a CEO seeking a competitive edge, an entrepreneur convinced your productivity could be higher, or an employee exhausted by your inbox, A World Without Email will convince you that the time has come for bold changes, and will walk you through exactly how to make them happen.
©2021 Cal Newport (P)2021 Penguin AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
Digital Minimalism
- Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Will Damron, Cal Newport
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Minimalism is the art of knowing how much is just enough. Digital minimalism applies this idea to our personal technology. It's the key to living a focused life in an increasingly noisy world. In this timely and enlightening book, the best-selling author of Deep Work introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives.
-
-
Live with intention
- By Luiz on 2019-05-05
Written by: Cal Newport
-
Slow Productivity
- The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Cal Newport
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our current definition of “productivity” is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices?
-
-
Mehh
- By G on 2024-06-27
Written by: Cal Newport
-
So Good They Can't Ignore You
- Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Dave Mallow
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice. Not only is the cliché flawed - preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work - but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do.
-
-
Really?
- By Lopsster on 2020-06-30
Written by: Cal Newport
-
Deep Work
- Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Jeff Bottoms
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Master one of our economy’s most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this “exciting” audiobook (Daniel H. Pink) from an “exceptional” author (New York Times Book Review). Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep Work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship.
-
-
So good. An essential read.
- By Bradly Helm on 2018-08-02
Written by: Cal Newport
-
The Antidote
- Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
- Written by: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Antidote is a series of journeys among people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. What they have in common is a hunch about human psychology: that it’s our constant effort to eliminate the negative that causes us to feel so anxious, insecure, and unhappy. And that there is an alternative "negative path" to happiness and success that involves embracing the things we spend our lives trying to avoid.
-
-
A limited perspective on positivity
- By Ryan C. on 2020-09-24
Written by: Oliver Burkeman
-
The Data Detective
- Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics
- Written by: Tim Harford
- Narrated by: Tim Harford
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today we think statistics are the enemy, numbers used to mislead and confuse us. That’s a mistake, Tim Harford says in The Data Detective. We shouldn’t be suspicious of statistics - we need to understand what they mean and how they can improve our lives: they are, at heart, human behavior seen through the prism of numbers and are often “the only way of grasping much of what is going on around us”.
-
-
Nice liste
- By M. Stork on 2021-02-27
Written by: Tim Harford
-
Digital Minimalism
- Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Will Damron, Cal Newport
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Minimalism is the art of knowing how much is just enough. Digital minimalism applies this idea to our personal technology. It's the key to living a focused life in an increasingly noisy world. In this timely and enlightening book, the best-selling author of Deep Work introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives.
-
-
Live with intention
- By Luiz on 2019-05-05
Written by: Cal Newport
-
Slow Productivity
- The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Cal Newport
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our current definition of “productivity” is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices?
-
-
Mehh
- By G on 2024-06-27
Written by: Cal Newport
-
So Good They Can't Ignore You
- Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Dave Mallow
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice. Not only is the cliché flawed - preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work - but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do.
-
-
Really?
- By Lopsster on 2020-06-30
Written by: Cal Newport
-
Deep Work
- Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Jeff Bottoms
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Master one of our economy’s most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this “exciting” audiobook (Daniel H. Pink) from an “exceptional” author (New York Times Book Review). Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep Work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship.
-
-
So good. An essential read.
- By Bradly Helm on 2018-08-02
Written by: Cal Newport
-
The Antidote
- Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
- Written by: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Antidote is a series of journeys among people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. What they have in common is a hunch about human psychology: that it’s our constant effort to eliminate the negative that causes us to feel so anxious, insecure, and unhappy. And that there is an alternative "negative path" to happiness and success that involves embracing the things we spend our lives trying to avoid.
-
-
A limited perspective on positivity
- By Ryan C. on 2020-09-24
Written by: Oliver Burkeman
-
The Data Detective
- Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics
- Written by: Tim Harford
- Narrated by: Tim Harford
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today we think statistics are the enemy, numbers used to mislead and confuse us. That’s a mistake, Tim Harford says in The Data Detective. We shouldn’t be suspicious of statistics - we need to understand what they mean and how they can improve our lives: they are, at heart, human behavior seen through the prism of numbers and are often “the only way of grasping much of what is going on around us”.
-
-
Nice liste
- By M. Stork on 2021-02-27
Written by: Tim Harford
-
Smarter Faster Better
- The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business
- Written by: Charles Duhigg
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of The Power of Habit and “master of the life hack” (GQ) explores the fascinating science of productivity and offers real-world takeaways to apply your life, whether you’re chasing peak productivity or simply trying to get back on track.
-
-
Smart book
- By Megan on 2018-09-19
Written by: Charles Duhigg
-
Effortless
- Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most
- Written by: Greg McKeown
- Narrated by: Greg McKeown
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As high achievers, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is paved with relentless work. That if we want to overachieve, we have to overexert, overthink, and overdo. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. But lately, working hard is more exhausting than ever. And the more depleted we get, the more effort it takes to make progress. Stuck in an endless loop of “Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat”, we’re often working twice as hard to achieve half as much.
-
-
will listen again!
- By The Bassett's on 2021-07-28
Written by: Greg McKeown
-
Integrity
- The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality
- Written by: Henry Cloud
- Narrated by: Henry Cloud
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Integrity. It is more than simple honesty. It's the key to success. A person with integrity has the, often rare, ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances.
-
-
Why missing paragraphs?
- By Tom J. on 2023-02-17
Written by: Henry Cloud
-
The Art of Impossible
- A Peak Performance Primer
- Written by: Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author and peak performance expert Steven Kotler decodes the secrets of those elite performers - athletes, artists, scientists, CEOs, and more - who have changed our definition of the possible, teaching us how we too can stretch far beyond our capabilities, making impossible dreams much more attainable for all of us. What does it take to accomplish the impossible? What does it take to shatter our limitations, exceed our expectations, and turn our biggest dreams into our most recent achievements?
-
-
Best book I've listened to on the app yet.
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-02-12
Written by: Steven Kotler
-
The Science of Running
- How to Find Your Limit and Train to Maximize Your Performance
- Written by: Steve Magness
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Science of Running, elite coach and exercise physiologist Steve Magness integrates the latest research with the training processes of the world's best runners, to deliver an in depth look at how to maximize your performance. It is a unique book that conquers both the scientific and practical points of running in two different sections. The first is aimed at identifying what limits running performance from a scientific standpoint. In section two, we turn to the practical application of this information and focus on the process of training to achieve your goals.
-
-
Amazing
- By McJeffries on 2023-01-13
Written by: Steve Magness
-
Nudge: The Final Edition
- Improving Decisions About Money, Health, and the Environment
- Written by: Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the original publication of Nudge more than a decade ago, the title has entered the vocabulary of businesspeople, policy makers, engaged citizens, and consumers everywhere. The book has given rise to more than 200 "nudge units" in governments around the world and countless groups of behavioral scientists in every part of the economy. It has taught us how to use thoughtful "choice architecture" - a concept the authors invented - to help us make better decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society.
-
-
Nudge for Good!
- By Rebecca on 2023-07-23
Written by: Richard H. Thaler, and others
What the critics say
“A World Without Email crystallizes what so many of us feel intuitively but haven’t been able to explain: the way we’re working isn’t working. Cal Newport charts a path back to sanity, offering a variety of road-tested practices to help us escape the tyranny of our inboxes and achieve a calmer, more intentional, and more productive working life.” (Drew Houston, cofounder and CEO of Dropbox)
“The future of work demands new tools of collaboration. Cal Newport is on a quest to uncover better ways for knowledge workers to collaborate. Out of this will come the new work space.” (Kevin Kelly, senior maverick for Wired)
"Ford studied how to improve productivity and organize the factory floor. Now, Newport is doing the same for knowledge work." (Fortune)
What listeners say about A World Without Email
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ola Adebero
- 2021-04-07
Forward thinking to root problems we all ignore.
Fixing the root causes of overwhelming over communicating that the digital age as created. The little actions and steps in this book, in the long run will be massive to your general productivity in life. Well researched forward thinking to the root problems we ignore in our day to day lives. I strong recommend this book. It can change the way we think as humans.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- funkyman33
- 2021-03-10
Another Essential Book to Improve your Work Life!
Cal Newport has done it again! After Deep Work changed my life, I suspect this book accomplish a similar goal, although perhaps not in as extreme a fashion. This book follows a similar format as Deep Work: a) Present the evidence, b) Suggest a solution. Newport postulates that the constant barrage of email has resulted in an "interactive hive mind" that is distracting us from the goal of accomplishing deep, fulfilling work. He presents the theoretical and scientific (neuropsychological) reasons for this argument in a very succinct and understandable way. More important, the second half of the book presents solutions, whether you are a manager at a large company, small business owner, entrepreneur, or employee.
I have some concerns about the solutions suggested in this book. They may not be completely realistic, and they might not always solve the problem. For example, using task cards or task management systems works well for your internal team, but isn't feasible when working with many external collaborators (as Newport admits). In addition, use of these task managers has to be very carefully regulated to ensure they don't turn into another messaging/communication system. Another example is frequent, shorter and more focused in-person (or online) meetings to replace back-and-forth email. A good idea in theory, but Newport admits if they don't remain focus, they can turn into drawn-out meetings that waste further time. However, Newport does an excellent job presenting solutions and warning the reader of pitfalls.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, and I'll likely read it again to get more out of the solution section (as I did with Deep Work). Highly recommended!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vince Enright
- 2021-05-30
Game changing
This book walks through some deliberate ways in which we can escape this “work for email world” that many of us find ourselves and our organizations trapped in.
I’ve added this to my “must read” collection
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A. McDougall
- 2021-03-07
Love the narrator!
Kevin R Free is my favourite narrator and Cal Newport is my favourite author. This was a win win for me in terms of audiobooks 😊
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!