Distracting software engineers is more harmful than most managers think
8 hours ago
- #Meeting Culture
- #Productivity
- #Deep Work
- Post-COVID work culture saw a 13.5% increase in meetings per employee, creating a gap between managers' and engineers' views on meetings.
- Deep work, coined by Cal Newport, is critical for software engineers to achieve flow state, reduce mistakes, and improve skills, but is increasingly harder to attain due to distractions.
- Remote work led to a 60% increase in remote meetings, with 92% of people multitasking during them, further fragmenting deep work time.
- Managers mistakenly assume AI tools reduce the need for deep work, but distractions lead to poorer quality work and more meetings.
- Engineers need 4-5 hours of uninterrupted time daily to reach peak productivity, but current meeting culture and multitasking prevent this.
- Improving meeting culture involves making meetings effective, setting fixed meeting times, and inviting only necessary participants.
- Some teams, like Pylon, operate with minimal meetings and no mandatory code reviews, trusting engineers to manage their workflow.
- Setting an example by respecting deep work time and minimizing interruptions is crucial for fostering a productive work environment.
- As AI tools evolve, the ability to enter a flow state with AI will become increasingly important for productivity and success.