Is Slack Keeping You From Working?

A few months ago, I turned my Slack notifications off. It was starting to feel like Instagram for work, and I was addicted.

It might sound like a "me" problem, but Slack is designed like any other software: to get users to keeping using it.

Notifications for direct messages, channel messages, threads, emoji reactions, on and on. So here's some fun data for you. The average Slack user:

• Keeps Slack open for 9 hours a work day

• Uses Slack actively for 1.5 hours throughout a work day

• Checks Slack 22 times an hour

• Sends 70 messages a day

Ian Bogost summed it up perfectly his article last week: "Slack Is Basically Facebook Now."

With AI, this is bound to get worse as the content gets smarter.

Here's why it's a problem:

When we're focused on the "little fires everywhere" that Slack fuels, we're missing out on the deep work that will move our businesses forward.

So what's a people leader to do?

• Set expectations. Set clear expectations for Slack communication at onboarding (or take this opportunity to reset them now). If your team works remotely, checking in at least 1x per day may be a requirement.

• Get organized. Go into your week knowing exactly what you need to get done, so you can prioritize. This might look like taking an hour on Friday, an hour on Sunday, or the first hour of your Monday to build your task list (tip: always include tasks for meeting prep and follow-up!).

• Block your calendar. Your calendar is your friend! Use it to block time for deep work, projects, and Slack! Once you have your tasks blocked out on your calendar, you'll start to get a better idea of where you're spending your time and how much additional bandwidth you have.

• Agree on an "urgent" communication method. If you or your direct needs information fast, agree on an "urgent" communication method. It can be Slack, text, email, a phone call, whatever makes sense for your business and situation.

• Model the behavior. Put up guardrails for your team and let them know this way of working is OKAY!

If you work remotely and use Slack as a virtual office, I still recommend sharing as much as possible about your work! But be intentional about how you share it (consider taking 15-30mins a day instead of 90mins).

Slack doesn't have to slow your team down. It can be a really useful tool for collaborating virtually–and a more inclusive way of showing up than your standard office.