What Would A World Without Email Look Like?
Can you imagine what your job would be like if you weren’t constantly checking your inbox?
Probably not.
For most modern knowledge workers, the idea of getting rid of email is unfathomable. According to data compiled by Microsoft, the average worker spends around 16 hours a week — or two full work days — responding to emails and sitting in meetings.
If you think about it, how else would you fill your time if you didn’t have an inbox to tend to?
Today’s knowledge workers are so busy talking about work that they lose track of the work they were originally hired to do in the first place.
In his book A World Without Email, Cal Newport looks at the way modern knowledge work is structured. He argues that the point of knowledge work isn’t to check your email or sit in pointless meetings- it’s to deploy your time and attention in such a way that you add value to the economy around you.
This article will review the key themes of the book. It will identify some of the central issues plaguing knowledge workers and what you need to know to stay relevant as the future of work evolves around you.
