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A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload Hardcover – March 2, 2021

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,774 ratings

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A New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller

From
New York Times bestselling author Cal Newport comes a bold vision for liberating workers from the tyranny of the inbox--and unleashing a new era of productivity.

Modern knowledge workers communicate constantly. Their days are defined by a relentless barrage of incoming messages and back-and-forth digital conversations--a state of constant, anxious chatter in which nobody can disconnect, and so nobody has the cognitive bandwidth to perform substantive work. There was a time when tools like email felt cutting edge, but a thorough review of current evidence reveals that the "hyperactive hive mind" workflow they helped create has become a productivity disaster, reducing profitability and perhaps even slowing overall economic growth. Equally worrisome, it makes us miserable. Humans are simply not wired for constant digital communication.

We have become so used to an inbox-driven workday that it's hard to imagine alternatives. But they do exist. Drawing on years of investigative reporting, author and computer science professor Cal Newport makes the case that our current approach to work is broken, then lays out a series of principles and concrete instructions for fixing it. In
A World without Email, he argues for a workplace in which clear processes--not haphazard messaging--define how tasks are identified, assigned and reviewed. Each person works on fewer things (but does them better), and aggressive investment in support reduces the ever-increasing burden of administrative tasks. Above all else, important communication is streamlined, and inboxes and chat channels are no longer central to how work unfolds.

The knowledge sector's evolution beyond the hyperactive hive mind is inevitable. The question is not whether a world without email is coming (it is), but whether you'll be ahead of this trend. If you're a CEO seeking a competitive edge, an entrepreneur convinced your productivity could be higher, or an employee exhausted by your inbox,
A World Without Email will convince you that the time has come for bold changes, and will walk you through exactly how to make them happen.
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From the Publisher

"This is a bold, visionary, almost prophetic book that challenges that status quo." - Greg Mckeown
Principles For A World Without Email: The Attention Capital Principle & The Process Principle
The Protocol Principle & The Specialization Principle by Cal Newport
Digital Minimalism The Time-Block Planner Slow Productivity
Digital Minimalism The Time-Block Planner 2nd Edition Slow Productivity
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
8,452
4.4 out of 5 stars
175
4.3 out of 5 stars
2,258
Price $16.59 $14.75 $12.12
Other Books by Cal Newport Timely and enlightening, Digital Minimalism introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives. A daily planner that deploys the power of time blocking to help you focus on what's important and get significantly more done. A groundbreaking philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload

Editorial Reviews

Review

A World Without Email crystallizes what so many of us feel intuitively but haven’t been able to explain: the way we’re working isn’t working. Cal Newport charts a path back to sanity, offering a variety of road-tested practices to help us escape the tyranny of our inboxes and achieve a calmer, more intentional, and more productive working life.”
--Drew Houston, cofounder and CEO of Dropbox

“The future of work demands new tools of collaboration. Cal Newport is on a quest to uncover better ways for knowledge workers to collaborate. Out of this will come the new work space.”
--Kevin Kelly, senior maverick for Wired
 
“This new work from Cal Newport goes beyond hacking at the branches of the email problem and strikes right at the root of it. This is a bold, visionary, almost prophetic book that challenges the status quo. If you want to peer into what the future of work could look like, read this book now.”
--Greg McKeown, New York Times bestselling author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
 
“When a Cal Newport book appears, I drop everything and read. With evidence and examples from the cutting edge of programming to the factory floors of a century ago, Newport makes a compelling argument that we can and will do much, much better than email. Read this superb book. It might just change your life; it’s changing mine.”
--Tim Harford, author of The Data Detective
 
This book is a call to action. Newport suggests that now is the time to reimagine work with the specific goal of optimizing our brain’s ability to sustainably add value. Don’t let your teams and organizations lose out any further—read this book to help you get started.”
--Leslie A. Perlow, author of Sleeping with Your Smartphone and professor of leadership at Harvard Business School

"This book defines the scale of a problem too few of us knew existed...it’s a profound insight."
--The Financial Times

"Ford studied how to improve productivity and organize the factory floor. Now, Newport is doing the same for knowledge work."
--Fortune

"A surprisingly zippy history of email that notes how suddenly email changed the way workers worked…This book has smart recommendations for individuals
and organizations."
--Laura Vanderkam for the Wall Street Journal

"Newport’s systems-oriented approach is far more promising than the standard personal productivity fare. His ideas are meant to stop the flood altogether."
--GQ

"For knowledge workers in any organization, this analysis and recommendations will resonate."
--Forbes

"This book is a step forward...Newport makes the radical argument that companies that obsess about efficiency are utterly failing to question their own workflows. They are making their products worse, and they are just contributing to an overall degradation of society. It’s a pretty stunning indictment."

--Ezra Klein for the Ezra Klein Show

"This book provides a lens through which we can better examine what many of us sense is a somewhat maddening way to work…here’s to hoping your boss picks up a copy."

--GQ


About the Author

Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, where he specializes in the theory of distributed systems, as well as a New York Times bestselling author who writes for a broader audience about the intersection of technology and culture. He's the author of seven books, including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, which have been published in over thirty languages. He's also a regular contributor on these topics to national publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Wired, and is a frequent guest on NPR. His blog, Study Hacks, which he's been publishing since 2007, attracts over three million visits a year. He lives with his wife and three sons in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio (March 2, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525536558
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525536550
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 1.09 x 8.51 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,774 ratings

About the author

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Cal Newport
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Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University who writes for general audiences about the intersections of culture and technology. He is the author of eight books, including, most recently, Slow Productivity, A World Without Email, Digital Minimalism, and Deep Work. These titles include multiple New York Times bestsellers and have been published in over 40 languages. Newport is also a contributing writer for The New Yorker and the host of the Deep Questions podcast.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,774 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's content relevant and thought-provoking. They appreciate the well-written, concise, and articulated arguments. The book provides practical advice on improving productivity and reducing waste. However, opinions differ on the pacing - some find it tailored to individual needs, while others feel it's too fast-paced and repetitive.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

27 customers mention "Thought provoking"27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content relevant to today's challenges. They appreciate the thought and ideas that went into it. The author makes a compelling case for innovation in our workflows and work lives. Readers describe the book as practical and thought-provoking, an important work for the 21st century.

"...high-quality argument-type books, which identify serious, modern-day problems (usually related to human cognition, concentration and productivity)..." Read more

"...While the book turned out to be highly enjoyable, full of good insights and not that much anti-technology, I am not sold on the author’s belief that..." Read more

"...interesting, as Cal includes numerous case studies and lessons from business history. I would love to meet Cal someday and thank him for his work...." Read more

"...To be sure, there are good ideas in this book, and the sections on how we got here — and what it’s costing us — are worth the price of admission...." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"7 positive2 negative

Customers find the book well-written, with concise and useful words. They appreciate the author's well-articulated argument in favor of challenging the status quo. The prose is crisp, punchy, and persuasive.

"...His prose has always been crisp, punchy, and persuasive. He comes across in all mediums as honest, smart, and prescient...." Read more

"...It is a good book, it highlights an important problem, it is well written - but I am not sure if it can spark a revolution. Still, food for thought...." Read more

"...Must read for managers and knowledge worker!" Read more

"...Call’s thoughts are well thought through. I found it motivational to believe in a future where I can enjoy work more AND give my employer more...." Read more

4 customers mention "Efficiency"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book efficient. They say it's an incredibly effective and free way to stay productive.

"...with his other books, Cal keeps the table of contents simple and efficient...." Read more

"...not literally suggesting that we all stop using email: it is an incredibly efficient (virtually free) means of asynchronous communication...." Read more

"...I've spent the last 2 weeks offline and have been 5X more productive than normal...." Read more

"Efficiency is a wonderful goal, but not the most important goal...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"2 positive2 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find the recommendations tailored to individual needs, while others feel it's overwritten and repetitive.

"...is very relevant to today’s challenges and the recommendations provided are broad enough to be tailored to individual needs." Read more

"No doubt about it, email sucks. It’s full of false urgency and the sort of endless interruptions that make modern knowledge work such a drag...." Read more

"Aimed at the business sector, but good for individuals, too..." Read more

"...The first half of the book, while overwritten at times and unnecessarily repetitive, painted a great picture of how email has made work less..." Read more

Learning to put email in its proper place
5 out of 5 stars
Learning to put email in its proper place
I’m in a phase of my business as a writer where I’m studying how to create a mindset where I’m balancing deliberate work with deliberate rest.Managing the various tasks required of me as an Indie writer would become overwhelming if I didn’t take the time to learn how to think and work smart. Cal’s newest book, A World Without Email gave me tools to give email its proper attention while keeping the main thrust of my business — creating awesome content for my novels — my primary focus.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021
    I received this book TODAY and have been tearing through it. I can always rely on Cal to produce high-quality argument-type books, which identify serious, modern-day problems (usually related to human cognition, concentration and productivity) and then propose solutions. His prior book, Digital Minimalism, was my favorite book of 2019.

    The clarity in Cal's thinking is second to none. He is garnering a rabid fan base because of his demonstrable success as he practices what he preaches. I just discovered his podcast (Deep Questions), and absolutely love that too. He speaks like he writes: with precision and wisdom; Every word is concise and useful. And of course, his blog is central to his hive of followers, which I have not consumed that much of to be honest. But I read is prior works of Digital Minimalism, Deep Work, and So Good they Can't Ignore You. They were all extremely satisfying reads. You'll love his work if you like personal development, self-actualization, productivity, and living an intentional, well-balanced life.

    I'm a sucker for research books on the effects of modern-day consumer tech. And Cal owns this space. He puts his professorial research skills to use as a purveyor of desperately needed insights in a world dominated by distraction. We check our email inboxes every six minutes. Email has "transformed our workflow" under our noses. It's a "radical shift" in work culture, which has amounted to a drag on productivity. It's a "constant state of unease in a low-grade background of humdrum anxiety." Those are just a couple of gem, hard-hitting quotes you'll find in this book.

    Consistent with his other books, Cal keeps the table of contents simple and efficient. It has two parts: 1) The Case Against Email and 2) Principles in a World without Email. I'm a practicing lawyer and I very much appreciate Cal's thesis type of writing. His prose has always been crisp, punchy, and persuasive. He comes across in all mediums as honest, smart, and prescient.

    I will check back in when I finish the book, or will post my final review on Goodreads. Cal, thank you SO much. I've been telling my friends that I've been waiting for your follow-up to Digital Minimalism. I learned of this book through your podcast feature on Todd Henry's Accidental Creative.
    53 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
    I have bought this book on impulse, seeing the eponymous phrase “World without email” which seems to suggest that email is a menace worthy of nothing short of eradication. Not feeling particularly oppressed myself, I was wondering what exactly is the problem Cal Newport attributes to emails and what the “reimagining” is about. While the book turned out to be highly enjoyable, full of good insights and not that much anti-technology, I am not sold on the author’s belief that electronic communication is stifling the effectiveness of work. Our habits are.

    It is true that you can spend the whole day in your inbox. You can feel productive - so many messages sent! So many people can see how responsive you are! - without actually delivering much in the whole day. You can offload work to other people just by clicking “reply”. You can FYI everyone in the team (and beyond) in a pretense that their silence means agreement. All of that is easy with email, and all of that is oftentimes unnecessary. We are inundated with excessive messages. Cal - in the first part of the book - traces the reasons to the fundamental property of email being vastly quicker and cheaper than paper letters or phone calls. Couple that with our innate tendency to respond to social cues, the reasoning goes, and no wonder the inbox became the place we visit every couple minutes. The author claims this reinforcing relation between the electronic communication and human psychology to be so strong that he uses the argument of “technological determinism”. Back in the nineties, the offices switching from paper to email expected reductions of time spent on communication, but it turned out the volume of messaging increased dramatically, kept growing ever since and became the new normal in the office work.

    But, I dare to say, we are not losing precious time and attention on corporate spam because email - as a technology - destined us to do so. I believe the whole situation is just convenient to many employees, who would not have that much to do if emails stopped flowing in. Moreover, many organisations are toxic, with people fearing of being judged as slackers without email trail justifying their efforts. Last, but not least - engaging in email threads is easier than actual knowledge work. I believe that rather than the effortlessness of the technology, it is the prevalent office conformism and minimisation of mental effort that lead to excessive time spent on emails. As Cal notices, “the underlying value of the constant electronic communication that defines modern work is never questioned”. This value is low - but it’s part of the common landscape, and it is rather a minority of people who tend to question how their companies work. On the other hand, there are some people who do value uninterrupted time - mainly in the knowledge-based jobs (where quality suffers greatly from interruptions); the second part of the publication is devoted to existing communication/collaboration techniques used in IT, engineering and scientific organisations.

    While I have some doubts about the reasoning shown in the “why email hurts us” part of the book, it was more enjoyable to read than the “solutions” part, which is perfectly in order but felt just a bit dull. Moreover, I don’t feel there is anything radical or visionary to warrant the “reimagination” of work promised in the title. Setting up processes for repeatable work, using task boards, reducing people synchronisation by giving them autonomy - none of that is new or cutting-edge. It’s common sense applied to motivated people.

    It is a good book, it highlights an important problem, it is well written - but I am not sure if it can spark a revolution. Still, food for thought. Recommended.
    47 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2021
    As an entrepreneur and a business leader I'm always searching for ways to improve performance in my life and my organization. My inbox has been a pit of despair for the last decade and this year I started a quest to fix it. Most business books regurgitate many of the same concepts we're all familiar with in a fresh format but practically speaking they offer very little substance. "A World without Email" is perhaps one of the most revolutionary, brilliant, and practical books I've ever read. It's also very interesting, as Cal includes numerous case studies and lessons from business history. I would love to meet Cal someday and thank him for his work. I just ordered 10 more copies for my leadership team. My only complaint is that Cal did not publish this book 5 years ago. Maybe we weren't ready. I highly recommend it.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Jananie Mohan
    5.0 out of 5 stars a lot of practical strategies
    Reviewed in India on June 6, 2024
    I really recommend this book to people who involved in project management and people management because this book provides a lot practical strategies and quick ideas to effective lead a team.
  • Altadel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Addressing Digital Inefficiency
    Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2021
    Anyone looking for a step-by-step SOLUTION to their work situation underestimates the problem and how varied our responsibilities and work outputs and outcomes are. Newport states that knowledge work is at an efficiency that manual labour was at in 1900. No book for manual labour existed in 1900: Taylor performed an experiment that resulted in improvements (at the cost of worker satisfaction and health). Now we can explore and experiment, finding our way forward in knowledge work efficacy and efficiency, which will be a winding path, as it was in factories all the way up to just-in-time delivery, kaizen, and still there are issues (pandemic chip shortages at auto manufacturers, anyone?).
  • Natalia Martínez
    2.0 out of 5 stars Muy teórico
    Reviewed in Spain on October 18, 2021
    Muy teórico
  • KlaraMaraPara
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interessante behandlung eines wichtigen Problems unserer modernen Gesellschaft
    Reviewed in Germany on March 21, 2021
    Ich habe nur die ersten 50 seiten gelesen, da ich mich in der Freizeit nicht über die Arbeit nachdenken will und das Kindle buch zurückgegeben.

    Ich finde Cal Newport ist einer der Wichtigsten Denker unserer Zeit und räumt die konstante massen-Kommunikation am arbeitsplatz einfach mal von hinten auf.
  • Chiraag
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking and Insightful - Offering Practical solutions to find better focus without email
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2021
    This book introduces the big problem of email in our work and personal lives and offers insight into how our approach to working with email can be changed.

    I have been in jobs where the rate of email and the expectation of quick responses has meant that I am constantly checking emails and reacting to requests. From the start of day, till the end of the week, all the attention and work is around email. The issue with this is you are constantly in reactive mode, spend more time on reading and responding to emails than actual work on tasks. This is what Cal refers to as the Hyperactive Hive Mind.

    If you have read Deep Work then you will appreciate how important focused time is to produce high quality output and workplaces today with their constant focus on email or IM communications means that people are constantly trying to multitask and have divided attention spans. In the first part of the book, Cal presents the evidence of how Email reduces productivity, makes us miserable and has a mind of it's own.

    The second part of the book focuses on the principles to allow for solutions for this. It also has case studies of organisations where they have adopted these principles and dramatically reduced the need and use of email. The four principles covered are the Attention Capital Principle, The Process Principle, the Protocol Principle and Specialization Principle.

    The book has an academic style of writing which you will be used to if you have read Cal's other books and I think it really helps do a great job of painting the picture of how email communication became the problem it is now, how it impacts as and what we can do about it. The solutions aspects of the book aren't revolutionary but combined with the case studies and examples of what can be done, they provide a great framework for a change of attitude towards email and what can be done to actually improve productivity in the workplace.

    If you are an employee you may not have as much influence in some of the solutions but you may be able to influence those you work with to understand the detrimental effect of email and other solutions including the use of collaborative software. Organisation leaders and owners could really get inspired with what is possible without email to start bringing in changes to how they work. It is not an easy change but one that is desperately needed. I urge you to read this book, also read Deep Work if you haven't and listen to Cal Newport's podcast - Deep Questions which are a great resource to help to adopt this mindset. I will continue to revisit these three resources and play my part in my workplace setting. We can collectively start to make things better. Let's not give in to the norm of the Hyperactive Hive Mind and create changes to support us to work in a more productive and focused manner.
    Customer image
    Chiraag
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking and Insightful - Offering Practical solutions to find better focus without email
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2021
    This book introduces the big problem of email in our work and personal lives and offers insight into how our approach to working with email can be changed.

    I have been in jobs where the rate of email and the expectation of quick responses has meant that I am constantly checking emails and reacting to requests. From the start of day, till the end of the week, all the attention and work is around email. The issue with this is you are constantly in reactive mode, spend more time on reading and responding to emails than actual work on tasks. This is what Cal refers to as the Hyperactive Hive Mind.

    If you have read Deep Work then you will appreciate how important focused time is to produce high quality output and workplaces today with their constant focus on email or IM communications means that people are constantly trying to multitask and have divided attention spans. In the first part of the book, Cal presents the evidence of how Email reduces productivity, makes us miserable and has a mind of it's own.

    The second part of the book focuses on the principles to allow for solutions for this. It also has case studies of organisations where they have adopted these principles and dramatically reduced the need and use of email. The four principles covered are the Attention Capital Principle, The Process Principle, the Protocol Principle and Specialization Principle.

    The book has an academic style of writing which you will be used to if you have read Cal's other books and I think it really helps do a great job of painting the picture of how email communication became the problem it is now, how it impacts as and what we can do about it. The solutions aspects of the book aren't revolutionary but combined with the case studies and examples of what can be done, they provide a great framework for a change of attitude towards email and what can be done to actually improve productivity in the workplace.

    If you are an employee you may not have as much influence in some of the solutions but you may be able to influence those you work with to understand the detrimental effect of email and other solutions including the use of collaborative software. Organisation leaders and owners could really get inspired with what is possible without email to start bringing in changes to how they work. It is not an easy change but one that is desperately needed. I urge you to read this book, also read Deep Work if you haven't and listen to Cal Newport's podcast - Deep Questions which are a great resource to help to adopt this mindset. I will continue to revisit these three resources and play my part in my workplace setting. We can collectively start to make things better. Let's not give in to the norm of the Hyperactive Hive Mind and create changes to support us to work in a more productive and focused manner.
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