Noise-cancelling headphones are often seen as the solution to distractions in open offices. They are designed to muffle ambient noise so you can concentrate better. But you know what’s funny? Research shows that even though you think your concentration improves with such headphones, there is actually no real difference in how well you can focus. You might feel calmer, but you’re not really more productive or focused.

In open offices, where it’s often very noisy, noise-cancelling headphones serve another purpose. They are actually a kind of “do not disturb” sign for your colleagues. If you’re wearing such headphones, your colleagues are less likely to approach you for a chat. That helps a bit against distractions. But the real problem of all the noise around you remains. And because your concentration doesn’t really improve, it remains difficult to work well in such an environment.

Related:

• An increase of 10 dB noise in the workplace reduces productivity by 5%
• An open office is a cheap short-term solution with high intangible costs in the long term

Research shows that there is a correlation between income and happiness, but this relationship is complex and not straightforward. According to a study by Kahneman and Deaton (2010), happiness increases with income up to a certain point, after which the effect diminishes. This means that there is a threshold above which additional income does not significantly contribute to more happiness. On the other hand, research by Killingsworth (2021) indicates that happiness continues to increase with income, even at higher income levels. However, this effect is stronger among people who are already happier.

A joint reanalysis of these studies showed that the level of happiness mainly stabilizes among the least happy 20% of people. For the rest of the population, happiness continues to increase with higher income, and among the happiest people, this effect even accelerates. This means that the relationship between income and happiness is not the same for everyone and depends on how happy someone already is. The misinterpretation of earlier studies may partly be due to limitations in research methods and the way happiness was measured.

Money is not the only factor that contributes to happiness, but a higher income can help. It provides financial security, better healthcare, and more opportunities for relaxation and personal growth. However, the pursuit of more money can also lead to constant comparison with wealthier people, which can make you unhappy. Therefore, it is important to find a balance between financial goals and other sources of happiness, such as friendships and personal fulfillment.

Related:

• Take the time to think about, dream of, and look forward to future activities
• Do things that makes you happy everyday, since happy workers are 12% more productive

Research shows that employees who work fewer hours experience less stress and are less likely to burn out. During a trial period, 39% of employees reported feeling less stressed, and 71% reported fewer burnout symptoms. Issues such as anxiety, fatigue, and sleep problems also decreased, while their mental and physical health improved. This indicates that shorter workweeks can be beneficial for employee well-being.

In terms of productivity, the results of shorter workweeks show that productivity does not always decline. In some cases, company revenues remained stable or even increased slightly, with an average increase of 1.4% during the trial period. Compared to previous years, companies saw an average revenue increase of 35%, indicating healthy growth despite the shorter workweek. Although employees work fewer hours in a four-day workweek, the better work-life balance and improved well-being can lead to a productivity increase of about 10%.

While the results are promising, there is still some criticism regarding the long-term impact on productivity. The trial periods were relatively short, and it is possible that the positive effects are partly due to work done before the trial. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that a four-day workweek could be a viable option for companies looking to improve employee well-being without significant negative impacts on productivity.

Related:

• The optimal amount of free time seems to be between 2 and 4 hours per day
• Our go-to approach for problem-solving is to incorporate something new, rather than eliminate something existing
• Professionals spend about 60% of their time on work about work
• Large organizations extinguish employees’ passion
• The expectation that you check email outside of working hours can lead to health problems, relationship issues, and anxiety
• Longer workdays undermine productivity and cognitive skills
• Productivity doesn’t come from working longer, but from letting your brain reset

Employees lose nearly four hours a week due to constantly switching between different apps. This may seem inevitable in a digital work environment, but it often results from choices companies make about how they organize their work and what software they use.

For many employees, there is no easy way to avoid the constant switching between documents, websites, and apps. This is because their tasks are often designed in such a way that they need to use multiple programs, and most business programs do not work well together.

To solve this problem, leaders need to invest in better software solutions and focus on the user experience. This way, employees can work more efficiently without unnecessary time loss.

Related:

• Avoid excessive task switching to increase efficiency
• Ensure that your computer screen is large enough so that you can view both the work document and the reference material at the same time
• Attempting to do two or more attention-demanding tasks simultaneously reduces productivity
• A little time pressure while working on your tasks helps to reduce ‘attention residue’
• We pick up our phones over 350 times per day, almost four times more than in 2019

Research shows that happy employees are up to 12% more productive. This is because happiness boosts your motivation and energy, allowing you to work better and faster. When you feel good, you are more likely to tackle challenges and come up with creative solutions. Therefore, it is important to make time every day for things that make you happy, whether it’s a hobby, spending time with friends and family, or just relaxing.

A job that makes you happy can also improve your well-being and productivity. If your work makes you happy, you are more engaged and motivated, leading to better performance. This improved performance gives you a sense of satisfaction and happiness. This creates a positive cycle where your productivity and well-being continue to grow. Therefore, it is important not only to do things outside of work that make you happy but also to choose a career that matches your interests.

Related:

• Spend at least 2 hours per week in nature
• Take the time to think about, dream of, and look forward to future activities
• More money will make you happier
• Looking forward to your vacation and making travel plans often makes you happier than the trip itself
• Spiritual and social values make us happier than self-interest
• The conscious belief that effort is the good part links dopamine to the process rather than the result

Research shows that many knowledge workers check their email within half an hour of waking up. This is because email can be addictive, especially for younger people. They want to know immediately what’s going on and feel productive when they check their email, even before their workday officially begins.

However, quickly checking email can also have drawbacks. It can make people feel overwhelmed by all the requests and information they see right away. This can cause stress, especially if there are urgent matters. Also, constantly switching between emails and other tasks can make people work less efficiently and find it harder to concentrate.

Although it’s tempting to check your email immediately, it might be better to do so later in the morning. This way, people can start their day with important tasks without being distracted by their inbox. By handling email more consciously, they can be more productive and start their workday calmer and more focused.

Related:

• Schedule two hours every day for important work that doesn’t need to be completed immediately; this helps you become happier and more productive
• Start with the difficult work and do the easy things later

This phenomenon has been studied in various studies, involving both students and full-time employees. The results showed that the awareness of working outside of standard working hours has a negative impact on intrinsic motivation. This effect occurred regardless of whether participants were explicitly reminded that they were working outside of normal working hours.

An important factor contributing to this undermining of intrinsic motivation is the social norm. People are social beings and tend to synchronize their schedules with those of others. When someone works outside of standard working hours, this can lead to a feeling of isolation and the idea that they are not in line with the rest of society. This can result in an increased awareness of alternative, possibly more satisfying ways to spend time, such as social activities or relaxation.

Related:

• The optimal amount of free time seems to be between 2 and 4 hours per day
• The expectation that you check email outside of working hours can lead to health problems, relationship issues, and anxiety
• Large organizations extinguish employees’ passion

By tackling tasks immediately, you prevent them from piling up and getting in your way later. This is similar to the idea that a task is a debt you have to pay off in the future. While it can sometimes be useful to postpone things, it is usually better to handle them quickly. This keeps your task list short and allows you to make progress faster and adapt more easily to changes.

Working quickly and efficiently is often praised by successful people like Sam Altman and Tyler Cowen. They emphasize that acting quickly and adapting swiftly to new information is important for success. This means not only responding quickly to emails and meeting deadlines but also making decisions quickly and adjusting them if necessary. This approach ensures that you keep moving and don’t get stuck in long decision-making processes.

A short task list helps you focus on what really matters and prevents you from being overwhelmed by a lot of unfinished tasks. By handling new tasks immediately, you reduce stress and make room for new challenges and opportunities. This not only increases your productivity but also your ability to remain flexible and resilient in a changing work environment.

Related:

• Make reversible decisions as quickly as possible
• Do the right thing, in the right way, and at the right moment
• Although time pressure makes us work faster, it does not automatically mean we work better

People are not good at doing multiple things at once. Our brains are not designed for this. Our cognitive and neural systems, which are responsible for mental functions, do not have the right architecture to effectively support multitasking. When we think we are working on different things at the same time, we are actually switching quickly between tasks. This back-and-forth switching costs energy and time. As a result, we make more mistakes and the work takes longer.

Our brains work best when we do one thing at a time. This is due to how we have evolved as humans. If we try to do different things at once, it becomes too much for our brains. There are some people who can do this better, but they are very few. For most people, it works better to focus on one task. This way, you get the best result.

Related:

• Avoid excessive task switching to increase efficiency
• Schedule two hours every day for important work that doesn’t need to be completed immediately; this helps you become happier and more productive
• Attempting to do two or more attention-demanding tasks simultaneously reduces productivity
• A little time pressure while working on your tasks helps to reduce ‘attention residue’
• A small part of the population is able to multitask without performance reduction
• Multitasking leads to an overestimation of your own ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously

“Work about work” refers to the activities you do to organize and coordinate your work, but that do not directly contribute to your main task. These include tasks such as communicating about work, searching for information, switching between different programs, dealing with changing priorities, and figuring out the status of ongoing projects. While these activities are necessary to move projects forward, they can be time-consuming and distract from truly productive work.

The concept of “work about work” is well-researched, including in Asana’s Anatomy of Work Index, which surveyed over 10,000 knowledge workers worldwide. This research shows that these additional tasks take up a lot of time, leaving less time for important work that directly contributes to the organization’s goals. This can be frustrating for employees, as they feel they cannot use their time effectively and that their productivity is hindered by these ancillary tasks.

To reduce the impact of “work about work,” organizations can simplify their workflows and use technologies that require less communication and information searching. Spending less time on “work about work” can not only increase productivity but also enhance job satisfaction and employee well-being.

Related

• Professionals lose an average of three hours per week on unnecessary meetings
• Modern work is unconfined work
• Spend a little attention on planning and organizing your tasks, but not more than necessary; then, get to work
• A four-day workweek improves employee well-being without reducing productivity
• Start with as little as possible and add complexity as you go