It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work

8 hours is actually a long time. It takes about 8 hours to fly direct from Chicago to London. Ever been on a transatlantic flight like that? It’s a long flight! You think it’s almost over, but you check the time and there’s still 3 hours left.

if you listen to your discomfort and back off from what’s causing it, you’re more likely to find the right path.

All subject-matter experts at Basecamp now publish office hours.

The whole purpose of a vacation is to get away. To not only be somewhere else entirely, but to think about something else entirely. Work should not be on your mind. Period.

We don’t need to bullshit ourselves or anyone else. We’re people who work together to make a product. And we’re proud of it. That’s enough.

Time off isn’t much of a benefit if it can be taken right back. That’s more like a shitty loan with terrible terms. Plus interest. And worries. Screw that.

Partial attention is barely attention at all.

When you optimize people’s calendars for effortless carving, you shouldn’t be surprised when people’s time is sliced up.

Almost everything can wait. And almost everything should.

So the next time you ask an employee to go pick some low-hanging fruit —stop yourself. Respect the work that you’ve never done before. Remind yourself that other people’s jobs aren’t so simple.