NPR: Clive on "Interruption Science"
Submitted by Merlin on October 19, 2005 - 7:16am.
NPR : ‘Interruption Science’: Costly Distractions at Work
Good recap of Clive’s article in which he expands on a couple important points.
Technology forces us to juggle competing demands on our attention over the course of our workdays. Alex Chadwick speaks with New York Times Magazine contributor Clive Thompson about “interruption science,” the study of the effect of disruptions on job performance.
I really like that Clive stresses the distinction between actual productivity (which so often refers obliquely to the number of widgets you can generate) vs. happiness, or even just the absence of non-stop stress.
Personally? I don’t do this stuff so that I can make more;I do it so I can freak out less.
[ via Jon Udell ]
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I really enjoyed Allen's book...
I really enjoyed Allen’s book as well. You make a great point that often people do not consider the reasons for being productive. There is more and more talk about the need to create better working conditions but I loved the observation made by one study that compared the top 10 companies in every field to mediocre companies in that same field. They discovered that the difference between a top performing company and a medicocre company is a cult like dedication to your company. Some corporations are masters at getting people motivated to build the company and they are not only more productive but far more creative. So often the importatn thing is to work smarter NOT harder (or more productively).