The most important differentiator for us as a company should be our ability to solve the right hard problems. There are two parts to that statement - identifying the right problems and solving them.

Many people pride themselves on their ability to solve hard problems, and rightly so. A combination of intelligence, hard work, experience, and training / education make many people effective at solving difficult problems for customers (whether that is through services that we sell or products that we offer). Hopefully we can do the same.

Identifying the right problems is a less common goal, but one that is, I believe, equally valuable. It means that, given the finite amount of time that we have, we should make certain that we have identified the right technical problems to solve. Sometimes that might mean reframing a problem, making simplifying assumptions, avoiding shiny new technology in favor of the tried and true, or even deciding that some things don't need a technical solution at all. The point is to think before running off and writing lots of code.

At the heart of both of these activities, though, is what Cal Newport calls Deep Work. That is focused work on the most demanding aspects of our work. That state of deep concentration where you can be the most productive when programming, writing, or designing. That is where we can solve the hard problems and gain the insight that we need to see a problem in the right light.

The enemies of deep work are, of course, all around us. The distractions of the world are everywhere. Ironically, modern workplaces often inflict some of the worst distractions on us in the name of productivity: endless useless meetings, notifications from chat applications, emails, etc., etc. All of this destroys what is most valuable to the company - deep work - in the name of getting things done.

At Big Bad Wolf Security we are going to say no to all of that. We want an environment that allows deep work. To do that requires not just removing distractions. It also requires clear communication and mutual trust. Below are some concrete ideas for how we, as a company, can enable deep work. But ultimately each of us need to reflect on how we can each be most productive, with an eye towards balancing our individual needs and the needs of our co-workers.

Deep Work and Full Engagement

One concept that is helpful when considering deep work is that of full engagement. That is directing your full energy towards the task at hand. Part of what enables this is, of course, a removal of distractions. But equally important is fully disengaging when not working on a task. Constant connection to work, through mobile devices in particular but also just through an expectation that work should be a core part of who you are, leads people to think and worry about work most of their waking hours. They never fully set aside their work to engage in other activities and, therefore, never let their minds rest.

That makes it harder to, when it comes time to actually engage, to engage with their full attention. It means that you are not refreshed and energized about work. It causes undo stress and anxiety, which are the enemies of creativity and concentration.

Tools

At Big Bad Wolf Security we use Slack, Email, and Notion for communication. They each have a purpose and solve a problem that we face doing remote work. But they are not, ultimately, where the most important work happens. They are useful for communication and coordination. Nothing more.

First, some clear guidelines:

1. Slack and email should never be used on mobile devices outside of working hours - you have no obligation to check for messages when you are not working. It's better to be fully engaged with work during work hours and fully away from work when you are not working. The brute force approach to this is to simply not install these apps on your mobile devices. But some find it useful, or even helpful to avoid distraction on their desktops, to use Slack or email on mobile during working hours. They then use mobile OS features to disable them during non-work hours. Adding a work calendar to your phone is fine though - that can reduce stress and is seldom distracting. The goal is to separate work and non-work time and to not allow mobile devices to destroy that separation. Do what works best for you, but don't be afraid to take drastic measures to disengage from work.
2. Notifications should be disabled for anything other than direct mentions in Slack.
3. You have absolutely no obligation to keep Slack or Email open at all times. In fact, quite the opposite. You are encouraged to close them for long stretches during the day. Please do share some means of getting in touch if you are going to do this - just in case someone really needs you.
4. Slack should always be used as ephemeral communication. If something important is decided on Slack, then document that decision in Notion or in an email. The idea is that if someone comes back from vacation they should not have to catch up on Slack - only read their email and ask a team mate to point them to new code / documents in Notion.
5. Communication is important. Prioritizing deep work doesn't mean that you get to go off and live in a cave and code for the next 3 months and show up with your beautiful code at the end. You still have the same obligations to consult your team on important decisions, let them know your status, ask for and give help, etc. It's just that you don't sprinkle all of the communication throughout the day in ways that destroy your ability to concentrate.

Next, some suggestions:

1. Think about what needs to be synchronous (chat or video/audio calls) vs asynchronous (email, Notion, issues in Github). Try and keep things asynchronous where possible, but don't go overboard. Sometimes it's easier to just talk something through with someone. In many ways it's better to be fully asynchronous or fully synchronous - basically, give someone a call when you need to rather than endlessly typing in Slack.
2. Don't forget the human side of things. It's important to form relationships with co-workers. So get to know people in the way that works best for both people. Part of that can be sharing non-work things in Slack, but I would suggest that only goes so far. So try and have a real conversation with people as well.