Remote work has become one of the most divisive topics in workplaces today. Overwhelmed employees struggling to juggle family life with commutes and work pressures clash with employers who say that working from home should be a discretionary perk rather than a right.

But many knowledge workers believe remote work isn’t the problem, and that return-to-office mandates won’t solve productivity problems. What is draining efficiency is the sprawling, chaotic workplace communications infrastructure that evolved, often unchecked, during and since the pandemic.

THE DOWNSIDES OF DIGITAL TOOLS

A 2023 survey commissioned by Forbes Advisor reveals workers are spending, on average, 20 hours of their work weeks using digital communication tools. Because these tools are so accessible, 58% of workers feel like they need to be available at all waking hours. As a result, employees report worsening burnout symptoms, hampered productivity due to ineffective communication, and stress from determining the appropriate tone of voice when forming a response.

While these tools were designed to ease remote work, they can prove deadly for productivity without the right care or consideration. This is why a small but growing contingent of knowledge workers, concerned these assaults on their time could quite easily creep into every hour of the workday, are practicing what I call “intentional inflexibility” at work.

THE BENEFITS OF INTENTIONAL INFLEXIBILITY

As I see it, intentional inflexibility is about setting strict boundaries to guard our time against the onslaught of constant distractions, pointless meetings, and communications overload. In turn, we can dedicate those hours for creative, focused work, and to spend it with colleagues who really need our support.

Intentional inflexibility is about protecting our most productive hours of the day and making sure that we use that time for actual work. It’s about making sure our to-do lists take priority, and sticking to a plan rather than reacting to our inboxes.

Now, some people will argue that fielding requests for meetings, contributing to chat threads, and answering direct messages is all “part of the job”—something we have to put up with because that’s the way things are. But I’ve spoken to people who tell me they spend 30 hours of their 35-hour workweek in meetings (and probably at least two more hours scheduling these meetings). I don’t see how this benefits anyone.

IMPLEMENTING INTENTIONAL INFLEXIBILITY

It’s worth noting that intentional inflexibility isn’t always easy to practice. Some people might see you as bad-mannered, or the opposite of a team player. But if you speak to your coworkers about why you feel it’s necessary, they’ll likely jump on board with the trend you’re setting.

Intentional inflexibility will look different for everyone. For me, it’s about being selective about what I say yes to and who I engage with. I’ll only take part in meetings that align with my business objectives. I am never available for impromptu meetings or discussions. I have silenced all notifications, and I don’t use social media or read the news during the workweek. I don’t take unsolicited or unscheduled phone calls, and I only check my emails once, at the end of the day. Unless it’s a critical issue, or from a customer, I will wait until I have time to reply, which is normally every couple of weeks.

I’ll concede there are some roles for which this approach doesn’t work so well. Those who need to sell or network, or who solely manage teams rather than produce, won’t be able to do this. And if you’re new to a role or company and in learning mode, this certainly won’t be for you. But most roles can benefit from highly guarded periods of time reserved for focus and creativity.

What if we all agreed that no more than 25% of our week will be spent in communication with our coworkers, and 75% spent “in production” or “in creation”—either solo or collaboratively—or else coming up with the ideas to help us achieve both? Productivity would soar.

Even Microsoft, who is in the business of developing workplace communications infrastructure, says that our “digital debt” is costing us innovation. Its 2023 Work Trend Index report reads: “There are only so many minutes in the day—and every minute we spend managing this digital debt is a minute not spent on the creative work that leads to innovation. In a world where creativity is the new productivity, digital debt is more than an inconvenience—it’s impacting business.”

Rather than letting virtual meetings and instant messages make us long for a time when we could make a phone call for anything urgent and send emails for the nonurgent, why don’t we simply communicate our limits, demarcate our boundaries, and refuse to get sucked in?

In our workplaces today, protecting our time is a necessity. We need to appreciate its scarcity, and be unafraid and unabashed to ask: “Do we really need a meeting for that?”