Handled The Right Way, Meetings And Email Can Enhance — Not Hinder — “Deep Work”

I’ve always taken it for granted that, despite the fact that members of work teams spend most of the day working with others — in group meetings, phone calls, reading and responding to email and on-the-spot requests from the people they report to and those who report to them — they’d have to set aside a certain amount of time every day to work alone.

I didn’t have a special name for it, nor did I anticipate that this solitary, focused part of the day would be singled out for special mention and labeled in a book by Cal Newport, “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.”

It’s probably a good thing to call attention to the importance of scheduling time to work by yourself, making decisions and doing staff work in support of projects for which you’re responsible. In highlighting this private-time part of the day, it’s probably natural to view the things that might keep you from doing this, like meetings and email, in a negative light — as potential distractions and encroachments.

That’s too bad because these pursuits are meant to work together with and enhance “deep work.” You can’t have one without the others.

When Ted Williams wrote his book, The Science Of Hitting, first published in 1968, he wanted to focus on just one of several important skills necessary to play baseball. But I don’t think he or anyone else thought it should be interpreted to mean fielding and throwing should be seen as “distractions.”

Similarly, a book about “deep” or “alone” or “concentration” work, should not be interpreted to mean that it can or should be done without reference to the handling of emails and going to meetings

If I were writing a book called The Science of Emails, I’d probably say that, while the wonders of technology have enabled us to communicate quickly with each other, or with many others at the same time, the convenience of the medium can lead to overuse, misuse and misunderstandings, and that you should apply a few simple steps every time:

1. Think and draft. What are you asking? Of whom? If I’m attaching a memo or other work product that’s the result of “deep work,” what can I say about it to summarize its content and make it easy for recipients to get the gist of it before they open it. What “deep work” are you trying to precipitate and by whom? Save it as a draft and, if possible, set it aside, even for a few minutes.
2. Read. Go back and read it from the point of view of the person receiving it. Does your message come through? Is there any way it can be misinterpreted? Who should be copied and why?
3. Think again and redraft.  Does your original purpose still hold? Is this still the right person to do what you’re asking? Do the words express what you mean? What unintended meanings could be taken from what you’ve written? Can it be expressed better? With fewer words?
4. Finalize and send. Look at it one more time to make sure. Then hit Send.

Similarly, it’s been pretty much acknowledged we need to do a better job with meetings.  And the fact that people nowadays often don’t share the same physical space makes meetings more difficult. Some companies have even cut back on working remotely, citing the importance of teams being physically closer for better communications.

If I were to write a book on The Science Of Meetings, I’d say that whether or not we share the same physical location, we still need to come together regularly, whether in person or by conference call, to discuss the results of “deep work,” brainstorm, share status updates, and plan next steps. I’d also acknowledge that meetings can be big time wasters, taking up valuable work time sharing information that can better be done in written form or not at all. I’d set forth a few tips for how to make meetings more productive:

1. Ask “Why?” It’s now well known that while Lennon and McCartney agreed to take joint composing credits on all their songs, each song was written primarily by one or the other. Then whoever wrote it would play it for the other. That was, in essence, a “meeting.” The Why? was that he wanted the other’s opinion on it. What stays? What must go? What can be added to make it better? They trusted each other’s opinion. They regarded these get-togethers as important steps in their creative process and not as a “distraction” from or an “encroachment” upon the private, solo “deep work” of writing the song. Meeting with others is a chance to share the results of “deep work” and provide the launch pad for the next round of it — by you and by others. For every meeting, ask why it’s necessary: to educate, inform, persuade, assign, get feedback? Set that purpose right up front for all to see.
2. Have an agenda. This is not just a recitation of what’s going to be discussed and in what order. Describe the desired outcomes. What will a successful meeting look like at the end and what do you expect the attendees to have done in preparation for making it successful?
3. Set a time certain. Make certain to start promptly as scheduled and budget time along the way to be sure to end on time.
4. Take notes and follow up.  Somehow this important step has been relegated to the status of an “administrative” assignment. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a critical part of the management of the work of any business unit.

Whether or not the interest in moving back to co-location of teams catches on, communicating in writing and in verbal discussion will remain a critical part of getting work done. It’s important to keep in mind that “deep work” will continue to be informed by meetings and email as critical tools of collaboration.