A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload
by Cal Newport
Rating: 4.0 / 5 · Read · Finished 2025-06-19
Argues against the “hyperactive hive mind”, which is not necessarily just email, but the way of working where everybody works through their inbox the whole day. It’s a reactive way to work.
He argues that it’s better to do proactive, deep work. Replace hyperactive hive mind with office hours, pair programming, in-person focused meetings, kanban boards, etc. Keep large stretches of time isolated from async communication.
Random notes
- text communication is terrible for conveying and detecting sarcasm and tone
- We feel social obligation to respond to email
- On average we check email or IM at work every 6 minutes