Newsletter - Old School

When to Separate from Digital Devices

Welcome to Edition 3 of 2024! This time I am looking at how technology can make us less productive, figuring out what's really changing in offices, providing some more thoughts on AI in the workplace, and announcing an exciting new competition!

Going Analog

Video Length: 1 min 53 secs

How often are you physically apart from your phone? If you are like most people, chances are that you only really let go when you are in the shower, although even that's not the case for some of us anymore.

Even though these computers in our pockets can do extraordinary things, separating ourselves from them can help us do deep work much more effectively.

But some really effective people go further, and remove ALL digital devices when it's time to get things done.

My animated twin below explains more.

Would you like your OWN animated twin? If you would, keep reading!

Where Did Everyone Go?

In the early 90s, computers started going mainstream in offices across all industrialized nations. Microsoft was well on its way to fulfilling its mission of "A computer on every desk and in every home." For those of us who love a bit of retro imagery, here's a picture of one of the cooler ones in 1994.

Some sweet graphics on a Gateway 2000 in the 90s

That year, 1994, was the year I began my career in learning and development. My job was to teach office workers how to use "the computer" - from operating systems like Dos 6.2 and Windows 3.1 to Productivity software like WordPerfect and Lotus 123.

It was a fascinating time. These PCs were a physical representation of the disruption that was happening to offices. If you walked into an office, it looked completely different to the same space just 5 years earlier. We could all see a revolution happening around us.

And the change was difficult for many. Many of those people who I taught to use "the computer" were terrified of it. Perhaps more accurately, they were terrified that they would never understand it and that it would cause them to slide into irrelevance. Of course, most people did adjust, and while jobs changed, there were still jobs to be done by humans.

Today, many offices look different again, but this time it's not because new physical things have arrived, it's because they have left. Our devices are not attached to our desks, they are attached to us, and if we are not in the office, almost nothing else is.

And of course, in many cases, we are NOT in the office. Particularly in tech companies, you might wander around an entire floor of an expensive office building and find not one person there. Your security badge continuing to work might be the only physical reminder that the company is still in business.

This change is also difficult for many. Like before, there is a technical challenge - this time centered on how to safely and effectively use new technologies like Generative AI. But alongside it are much more human challenges, like how to stay engaged when no-one else is around, how to combat loneliness when all you see is a computer screen, and how to stay productive when everything is so unstructured and ambiguous.

In reality, these challenges are much more profound than the ones faced in the 90s. You cannot solve them with a quick one or two-day course on how to use a mouse.

Companies that will thrive in this new era will focus on giving employees the soft skills they need to be engaged and productive in this new world of work, but they will also do something more. They will recognize that changes in how we work have meant that things like social connection at work are no longer built into the experience of work. These organizations will take seriously their role in making work engaging and create blended physical and virtual environments that actively support the human needs of their employees.

Competition Time!

If you are a regular reader of this newsletter, you will know that each edition contains an animated tip (like the one above) designed to help you be more effective every day.

Do YOU have any ideas on how people can get better at work? If you do, we'd love you to enter our competition. The winner will be featured as the lead character in their own video! Our writers will help you with your script and our animators will design a visual story around it. Plus, the winner also gets a free year of BillionMinds that they can use for themselves or a friend, and some BillionMinds swag!

The competition is open until February 28th, but get your ideas in now, so we have more time to review them!

Click here to enter.

Lessons from an AI Startup

This last year has been something of a coming out party for AI, with most office workers now making direct use of Generative AI tools like ChatGPT. But of course, there are quite a few companies out there that have built their entire organization around AI capabilities.

Recently, I read a splendid book - Grow Up Fast - Lessons from an AI Startup by Zachary Rattner. This book should help any organization understand the real potential of AI beyond the headlines. But perhaps as importantly, it provides really interesting insights into how to innovate in a world that is changing so fast.

I sat down with Zach to discuss these themes for our Humanity Working podcast. As ever, you can find it on your favourite podcasting platform, or watch the full video below:

Thanks for Reading!

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