To summarize, we often overestimate the rational nature of our workloads. If a task is on our plate, we believe, it’s because it’s important—part of the job. But as I’ve just argued, both the type and quantity of the efforts that make up our day can be strongly influenced by less rational factors, such as the relative cost of asks for someone else’s time and attention. When we made communication free, we accidentally triggered a massive increase in our relative workloads. There’s nothing fundamental about these newly increased workloads; they’re instead an unintended side effect—a source of
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