A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload

by Cal Newport

The task boards discussed in the process principle chapter also provide a powerful tool for implementing workload budgets. Using a task board to organize work offers two benefits in this context: it makes it easy to determine how much work each person is currently doing, and it has a structured system for how these work assignments are updated, usually in the form of a status meeting attended by everyone. Imagine you’re working on a team that uses task boards. If you’re already tackling a heavy workload, this will be immediately clear on the board—making it much harder for your team leader to overload you, especially if other people have lighter loads. In the situation where overloading you is necessary, the magnitude of what you’re being asked to do is unambiguous, meaning you’ll receive the credit due for your efforts. In a hyperactive hive mind workplace, on the other hand, where these tasks are distributed in an ad hoc manner through emails, you could easily find yourself not only overloaded, but unrecognized for this sacrifice.