‘Work has fully invaded our personal lives.’ Here are 8 ways we can work smarter in 2020 – NBC News
Posted: January 3, 2020 at 10:49 am
Jan. 2, 2020, 3:46 PM UTC
Virtual meetings and instant-messaging apps like Slack mean we have the ability to communicate more easily than ever. We can share files nearly instantly. We can be in communication with our teams in transit from trains and airplanes. If we need to stay home with a sick child or because we're sneezing ourselves, deadlines can still be met.
But experts say that these changes that seemingly make work easier than ever before are making work more challenging in some ways, too.
Work has fully invaded our personal lives in that we can work 24/7, but the reverse is not necessarily true, explains Christine Carter, Ph.D,, a sociologist and senior fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at University of California, Berkeley. We dont take our personal lives to work in the same ways that we are taking our work into our personal lives. (Carter is also author of the book, "The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less," a guide to balancing the busyness of modern life.)
There are a few changes Carter and others hope to see in the next decade to get smarter about how we use the technology we have and refocus on the metrics about work that matter. Here are a few.
Employees have been very flexible towards letting their work responsibilities come home with them. Punching out (and staying offline and away from work) when the clock strikes 5 p.m. is a thing of the past. We stay those extra 15, 30 or 90 minutes to send those last few emails or wait for that client to call. We log onto our email after weve put the kids to bed to check if any other urgent emails have come in we need to address before heading into the office the next morning. We get a jump on things over weekend days were not scheduled to work.
In the 2020s, that flexibility needs to be allowed to work in the other direction, Carter says. It means workers need to be able to take their kids to the dentist during the work day or work from home because the plumber needs to fix a leak, she says (because we know were going to spend the time later on to get our work done). Human beings want to do their best work, she says. When you set them up to do well by not creating so much conflict between their families and their personal lives and their work, we do better.
Doing more than one task at the same time (or switching very quickly between tasks) makes us less, not more efficient. Psychology research dating back to the 1990s suggests its because theres a mental cost to the type of mental juggling required to switch back and forth between multiple tasks.
Its basically the opposite of productivity, Carter says. It makes us feel productive, but it fries our brains to the point where we cant get anything done.
We get real, deep work done when we single-task and focus, but we need to allow ourselves to do that, Carter says. And to do that
We need to get rid of the antiquated notion that value in the workplace is tied to time spent on the job. Its an outdated idea thats a holdover from the first Industrial Revolution from when people worked in factories and the more time spent on the line really did mean more output, Carter says. People who take breaks are actually able to focus more and do more deep work (the type of work that puts our education and multiple degrees to use), she explains.
Get the better newsletter.
We are on the completely wrong track valuing busyness, and looking up to the people who are constantly rushing around and crossing stuff off their to-do lists, says Brigid Schulte, author of the book "Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love & Play When No One Has the Time." Were learning from behavioral scientists (whove researched and written books on the topic) that that kind of rushing around and feeling out-of-time creates tunnel vision where we are only able to focus on the things that feel most urgent (even if theyre not the most important tasks), she explains. Experiments, for example, have suggested that when peoples resources are very limited they are less able to take into account bigger-picture considerations. Working this way makes us feel productive, but it stops us from tackling those bigger projects on our list that require more complex strategizing and long-term planning.
While there is a lot that individuals can do, there is also a lot that needs to be done on the parts of our managers and leaders to change the expectations for the people who work for them. The people with more power in organizations need to show that what they value is high-quality, focused work over busyness, Carter adds.
There are a couple of ways that technology (over the past decade) has infringed on our time off from work, says Jeffrey Pfeffer, Ph.D., the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Just-in-time scheduling (algorithms that are constantly being updated to make the most efficient employee schedules for companies bottom lines) mean a lot of hourly workers dont know their work schedules until a few days or a few hours before they need to be at work. Theres an increased pressure on companies to reduce labor costs, Pfeffer says and its really hurting employees and their wellbeing. (Pfeffer is also author of the book "Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance and What We Can Do About It.")
It means that people do not know when or how much they will be working. That reality makes it difficult (or near impossible) to schedule child care or elder care help; and for hourly-paid workers, the variation in week-to-week schedules creates economic insecurity because they dont necessarily know what their income will be, Pfeffer says.
And as Carter explained, for a lot of people technology has made it possible for some workers to always be reachable and made it possible so that we can nearly literally be working or potentially working all the time. For a lot of us, we no longer take time off when we actually disconnect from work. (And there is a plethora of research that suggests real, disconnected time off improves not only mental and physical health and well-being, but it also improves our productivity and performance at work, too.)
Read the original post:
'Work has fully invaded our personal lives.' Here are 8 ways we can work smarter in 2020 - NBC News
- Getting Things Done: Personal Productivity and Team Effectiveness - CU Boulder Today - February 20th, 2021
- Duluth bodybuilder talks heavyweight win, his go-to cheat meal and performance alter-ego | INFORUM - INFORUM - February 20th, 2021
- 3 Stocks That Could Double Your Money - Statesville Record & Landmark - February 20th, 2021
- Android 12 developer beta is here, with updates to make your phone run smoother - CNET - February 20th, 2021
- Ford cars will go all electric, all the time in Europe by 2030 - CNET - February 17th, 2021
- Teslas next business: Turning your solar roof and EV into Bitcoin mines - ZDNet - February 17th, 2021
- $10,000 Invested in This ETF Could Send Your Kids to College - Tulsa World - December 26th, 2020
- It's Time to Rethink Employee Performance Management - GovExec.com - December 26th, 2020
- New Years Eve Will Still Rock In Times Square, Even Without A Live Audience - Deadline - December 26th, 2020
- With his sudden U-turn over Christmas, Boris Johnson caps a year of debacles - The Guardian - December 26th, 2020
- Best gas grills of 2021: Weber, Char-Broil and more - CNET - December 26th, 2020
- Perigee Raises Pre-Seed to Bring Security and Performance to HVAC and Environmental Controls - PRNewswire - December 19th, 2020
- Apple M1 tested: Performance benchmarks and thermal throttling - Android Authority - December 19th, 2020
- Chadwick Boseman should win the Oscar for this scene in Netflix's 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' - Fast Company - December 19th, 2020
- Personal loan: Small-ticket disbursements up five times in 2 years - Moneycontrol.com - December 19th, 2020
- Microsoft Is Working On Arm-Based Chips For Azure, Surface PCs: Report - CRN - December 19th, 2020
- Sony X900H 4K LED TV Review: sleek design and a great picture - Reviewed - December 19th, 2020
- Calphalon Cool Touch Convection Toaster Oven is just $210, almost its all-time low price - CNET - December 19th, 2020
- Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Tesla, FedEx, Airbnb, Winnebago & more - CNBC - December 19th, 2020
- These are 20 of the 18,000 people who died of COVID-19 in the US this week - Business Insider - Business Insider - December 19th, 2020
- COVID-19 vaccine is flying high and on dry ice to reach you - CNET - December 19th, 2020
- The carrier battle over 5G will only escalate in 2021 - CNET - December 19th, 2020
- From turboprops to third force: Rexs bold move to shake up Australian aviation - Sydney Morning Herald - December 19th, 2020
- The MSI Prestige 14 Evo Review: Testing The Waters Of Tiger Lake - AnandTech - December 19th, 2020
- Australia vs India: Don`t have any personal goals, says the talented Shubman Gill - Zee News - November 24th, 2020
- The Personal History Of David Copperfield Review: Dev Patels Performance As The Title Character Of Dickens' Classic Is Very Enthusiastic - SpotboyE - November 24th, 2020
- How to choose the right hybrid fund based on your investment horizon - Moneycontrol.com - November 24th, 2020
- Astronauts on a Mars mission will need to be 'conscientious' to work well together - CNN - November 24th, 2020
- WISeKey's Cybersecurity AI technology creates a platform that helps connected devices to become intelligent devices, organize themselves into trusted... - November 24th, 2020
- 4 Reasons You Can't Afford to Invest Like the Wealthy - Mooresville Tribune - September 21st, 2020
- University Theatre to open season with virtual performance of Glass Menagerie - Mahoning Matters - September 21st, 2020
- Here's Why Municipal Bonds Belong in Every Investor's Portfolio - Mooresville Tribune - September 21st, 2020
- Graduates of Elite Universities Get Paid More. Do They Perform Better? - Harvard Business Review - September 8th, 2020
- Johnson back to No. 1 with performance that looked the part - Chattanooga Times Free Press - August 25th, 2020
- Mill Creek mayor resigns mid-term, citing personal reasons - The Daily Herald - August 25th, 2020
- Global Silicone For Personal Care Market 2020 Industry Outlook Dow Corning Corporation, Momentive Performance Materials, BASF SE - Scientect - August 25th, 2020
- Personal Mobility Devices Market is Booming Worldwide 2020-2027 | NOVA Medical Products, Performance Health, Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare, Medline... - August 25th, 2020
- RNC 2020: Republicans open convention with rising stars, dark warnings - AL.com - August 25th, 2020
- Personal Protective Textile Market (Impact of COVID-19) Top Growing Companies: Royal Ten Cate NV,DuPont,WL Gore and Associates,Kusumgar... - July 5th, 2020
- Kalamazoo Growlers win on opening day in front of 100 fans happy to see baseball - MLive.com - July 3rd, 2020
- Failed by the system? Asylum seekers wait to call Scotland home - STV Edinburgh - July 3rd, 2020
- J&J Healthy Workforce Program: Bringing Purpose and Productivity to Life - OrthoSpineNews - June 12th, 2020
- Global Personal Care Polymer Ingredients Market 2020 Key Performance, Top Players, Segmentation, Future Plans and Forecast to 2025 - Cole of Duty - June 12th, 2020
- Andrew Peller Limited Reports Solid Operating Performance in Fiscal 2020 - GlobeNewswire - June 12th, 2020
- BTS Take Over Dear Class Of 2020 With 3-Song Performance And Personal Sentiments From Each Member - ETCanada.com - June 12th, 2020
- Global Enterprise Performance Management Market Expanding Rapidly with Forecast 2025 and Top Players : Adaptive Insights, Anaplan, BOARD... - June 12th, 2020
- How Coronavirus is Impacting Specialty and High Performance Films (Polyester, Nylon, Fluoropolymer, Polycarbonate and Others) Market Reflecting a CAGR... - June 12th, 2020
- COVID-19 impact: Insight on the Growth of Performance Coating Market Growth with Challenges, Standardization, Competitive Market Share and Top Players... - June 12th, 2020
- How Diverse Is Your Board, Really? - Harvard Business Review - June 12th, 2020
- Global Employee Performance Software Market 2020: Classification, Application And Specifications, Industry Overview, Analysis Of The Main Key Regions... - June 12th, 2020
- Potential impact of coronavirus outbreak on High-Performance Nonwovens Market 2020: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends, Growth and Forecast... - June 12th, 2020
- Server Spending Measures Aspiration As Much As Oomph - The Next Platform - June 12th, 2020
- How BTS Became The Undisputed Kings Of K-Pop - British Vogue - June 12th, 2020
- Report finds massive drop in Canadians' willingness to disclose personal information for free online services - GlobeNewswire - May 28th, 2020
- CFOs of FUGAZ and their 3-year performance record - Nairametrics - May 28th, 2020
- Calls to ramp up scrutiny of teacher performance - Sydney Morning Herald - May 28th, 2020
- Valorant Ranked System Explained: How Competitive Ranks And Tiers Work - GameSpot - May 28th, 2020
- Avoid investing in different funds of a single AMC as they perform in unison - Livemint - May 28th, 2020
- Best Chase Business Credit Cards of 2020 Forbes Advisor - Forbes - May 28th, 2020
- The scores are in: America failed the virus test | Moran - NJ.com - May 28th, 2020
- Letter to The Editor: Reopening restaurants with digital handwashing - Food Safety News - May 10th, 2020
- Trump's incompetence makes Andrew Cuomo's performance look better than it is - CNN - May 10th, 2020
- Taylor Swift's Sang "Soon You'll Get Better" Live For the First Time in an Emotional Performance - POPSUGAR - April 21st, 2020
- While the NBA season is on hold, this Bucks' Rim Rocker continues shooting trick shots from his Oak Creek home - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - April 21st, 2020
- Haley Downey Named Big 12 Women's Swimming & Diving Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year - Kansas Jayhawks - April 21st, 2020
- Performance Management: The Emphasis on Accountability - GovExec.com - February 22nd, 2020
- Denison women compete at Kenyon Fast Chance Invite - Big Red Athletics - February 22nd, 2020
- Warren Leads an Onslaught of Attacks, Zeroing In on Bloomberg - The New York Times - February 22nd, 2020
- HPR: Deadly tomatoes led former executive to riveting solo performance - Calgary Herald - January 9th, 2020
- What Russell Wilson Eats in a Day Is Nearly Impossible for 'Regular People' - Sportscasting - January 9th, 2020
- Golden Globes: who will win and who should win the film awards? - The Guardian - January 9th, 2020
- Uiagalelei arrives on campus after solid performance in All-American Game - Clemson Sports Talk - January 9th, 2020
- Satire, podcasts and an Olympian: High Performance Rodeo brings the 'wild' to Calgary - CBC.ca - January 9th, 2020
- The Bafta 2020 nominations prove the industry treats diversity as a fad - British GQ - January 9th, 2020
- Don't fall prey to the stock market's banner year - CNBC - January 3rd, 2020
- Reframing resolutions - The Baxter Bulletin - January 3rd, 2020
- Current Recovery & Performance Thursday Wrestling Scoreboard, 1/2/20 - shoresportsnetwork.com - January 3rd, 2020
- Spectacular multidisciplinary performance journeys through 5000 years of civilization - Seattle Weekly - January 3rd, 2020
- Business-aligned learning: the role of L&D - TrainingZone.co.uk - January 3rd, 2020
- Delta Air Lines is the most on-time airline in North America - The Points Guy - January 3rd, 2020