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A World Without Email

Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload

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A World Without Email

Written by: Cal Newport
Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
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A New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller

From New York Times bestselling 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. Business Communication Entrepreneurship Management & Leadership Personal Success Small Business & Entrepreneurship Workplace & Organizational Behaviour Business Technology Software Development Management Career Project Management Computer Science

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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.

Forward thinking to root problems we all ignore.

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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

Game changing

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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 😊

Love the narrator!

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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!

Another Essential Book to Improve your Work Life!

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if you have no experience with Agile or other forms of intentional work design, this might be useful to you. Otherwise, skip it. Got through about 75% before realizing it wasn't going anywhere.

As expected from an academic journalist, the book has all the hallmarks of 'could have been a blog post':
- clickbait title
- cherry-picked references
- over use of anecdotes
- over generalizations

From now on, I'll stick to authors who have direct experience with their subject matter, as opposed to just having read about it.

For beginner managers

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