Meetings and messages are the foundation of work collaboration. But they're taking up too much of our productivity time.

The fact is that collaboration is affecting our ability to focus on important tasks. Our productivity is declining, even with all the apps we use. The rise of tools like Zoom and Slack has made communication easy, but we have less time for deep work. Here are a few troubling statistics:

excessive number of meetings causes missed deadlines

Today, the typical knowledge worker gets notifications from 

90% of workers dedicate up to five hours daily to checking work messenger apps such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

It’s clear we're on a downward trend. But before we talk about fixing the problem, let's figure out how we got here.

In the early 1980s, collaboration depended on landline phones, fax machines, and in-person meetings, making tasks more time-consuming. Collaborative efforts required physical presence, followed a structured approach, and were scheduled for specific purposes like project updates, decision-making, or problem-solving.

But while meetings were common in ‘80s office life, they were typically shorter and less frequent compared to the current work environment.



Meetings have been getting longer over the past 50 years. In 2017, executives spent about 

 in meetings. That’s a huge jump from the less than 10 hours they’d spend in meetings in the ‘60s. Meetings have even grown about 

As we address today's collaboration challenges, we must acknowledge the progress we've made. We've come a long way from relying solely on memos and face-to-face meetings. But distractions were also far less pervasive during that era. A colleague had to physically enter your workspace and tap you on the shoulder to get your attention.

As the ‘80s rolled into the ‘90s, personal computers became more affordable and increasingly powerful. Businesses embraced these machines, recognizing their potential to enhance productivity.

(1994-2004) The email and teleconferencing era

In the mid-1990s, the internet became a fixture in offices. Email rose as the primary mode of communication, overtaking traditional mail and fax machines.

Email enabled near-instant communication (in contrast to the days or weeks needed for traditional mail and fax). However, its popularity quickly led to email overload, with people returning from vacations to hundreds of unread messages. This is a challenge we all still face today, with the average person receiving over 

Furthermore, the 1990s saw the rise of teleconferencing technologies, which transformed long-distance collaboration. These technologies reduced the need for in-person meetings and altered the dynamics of meeting times.
The convenience of teleconferencing increased the frequency of meetings. Since participants didn't need to travel, it became easier to schedule and attend meetings, resulting in more regular communication.

The ease of meetings ultimately led to more opportunities to take employees away from their work. Today, workers view 

The ‘90s marked a significant technological transformation. People were beginning to grasp the potential of the internet and email, which had boosted productivity. The future seemed promising.

But as we adapted to these changes, another major workplace innovation loomed on the horizon.

(2004-2012) The handheld devices and notification era

The arrival of mobile devices revolutionized how professionals engage in meetings and messages. These devices enhanced connectivity, accessibility, and collaboration.

In the early 2000s, as mobile devices became more prevalent, the amount of time spent in meetings further increased. Knowledge workers often had packed schedules, and collaboration varied in length from quick check-ins to full-day sessions, blurring the line between personal and work lives.

In 2021, 34% of employees admitted they struggled to avoid 

, while 29% faced a similar challenge with personal notifications at work.

With the rise of smartphones, work was no longer confined to a specific place. Instead, it followed us everywhere, always vying for our attention. 

 for messages, emails, and events, regardless of their importance. Our focus shifted from our surroundings to our devices with every notification.

And yet in the 2000s, we welcomed these changes in how we work, even though they introduced distractions.

Launched in 2013, Slack quickly became popular as a work-focused messaging app. Microsoft Teams, another work collaboration tool, followed in 2017.

These apps replaced long email threads and made communication more immediate. According to 

, using the app reduces emails by 32% and meetings by 27%.

However, messaging apps have also led to excessive communication. As of 2020, the average knowledge worker 

 like Slack and Microsoft Teams meant quick responses were expected, thus disrupting focused work. Remote work and virtual collaboration gained traction, allowing team members to connect from anywhere. This led to more spontaneous, lengthy meetings.

While the workplace was on the brink of a significant shift in how people collaborate, nobody expected the technological acceleration that was about to occur.

(2020-2023) Zoom meetings and remote work era

In early 2020, government-imposed lockdowns pushed people to work remotely and made video call tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet vital for collaboration. Virtual meetings became more frequent and longer, and a focus on regular check-ins and team-building activities was emphasized.

But the heavy use of platforms like Zoom raised productivity challenges, including information overload and burnout. Excessive, often back-to-back video calls resulted in video call fatigue, impacting mental well-being.

A 2022 survey revealed that 37.1% of employees found 

 was the greatest challenge of virtual meetings.

With greater expectations to be active and available — while also being productive — high performers, feeling unrecognized and isolated, experienced a 

And this is where we currently find ourselves.

We now understand that while collaboration is essential to our work, it’s not without its detrimental effects. And we’ve learned that something has been missing all along — a tool to unite the entire team. We have witnessed collaboration tools aid us in making communication frictionless. Now, we require a collaboration tool that helps us understand one another and our work habits so we can actually focus on what matters.

What will the next collaboration era look like?

We stand at the precipice of a productivity cliff.

Workers today face numerous interruptions from tools like Slack and Zoom, which was not the case a decade ago. Many organizations and 

leaders are making quick decisions regarding office work

 and meetings, but it's often a guessing game with no winners. To solve this problem, we should actually put the problem on the table — not the people.

Previously, the responsibility for productivity and well-being was placed solely on individuals. Overcoming distractions was seen as a characteristic of high performers. However, we now realize that leaving workers to navigate a flawed work environment alone 

. Sweeping changes by organizations often don't consider the individual impact, and workers are left to adapt on their own.

Fixing collaboration is a team — and often systemic — issue, not something individuals can solve by setting boundaries or taking breaks. Organizations must shift their mindset and create an environment that supports deep work, minimizes distractions, and nurtures well-being.

Understanding how different workers operate is key. One solution doesn't fit all. We need data to visualize the workday, attack the collaboration problem, and stop blaming individuals.

, we bring teams together and empower individuals to take back their workdays. By giving people control over their collaboration tools, we can create space for great work.


Meetings and messages are the foundation of work collaboration. But they're taking up too much of our productivity time.

The fact is that collaboration is affecting our ability to focus on important tasks. Our productivity is declining, even with all the apps we use. The rise of tools like Zoom and Slack has made communication easy, but we have less time for deep work. Here are a few troubling statistics:

One in four workers thinks that an excessive number of meetings causes missed deadlines.

Today, the typical knowledge worker gets notifications from six different applications.

90% of workers dedicate up to five hours daily to checking work messenger apps such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

It’s clear we're on a downward trend. But before we talk about fixing the problem, let's figure out how we got here.

(1983-1993) The landline era

In the early 1980s, collaboration depended on landline phones, fax machines, and in-person meetings, making tasks more time-consuming. Collaborative efforts required physical presence, followed a structured approach, and were scheduled for specific purposes like project updates, decision-making, or problem-solving.

But while meetings were common in ‘80s office life, they were typically shorter and less frequent compared to the current work environment.

Meetings have been getting longer over the past 50 years. In 2017, executives spent about 23 hours per week in meetings. That’s a huge jump from the less than 10 hours they’d spend in meetings in the ‘60s. Meetings have even grown about 10% longer since 2000.

As we address today's collaboration challenges, we must acknowledge the progress we've made. We've come a long way from relying solely on memos and face-to-face meetings. But distractions were also far less pervasive during that era. A colleague had to physically enter your workspace and tap you on the shoulder to get your attention.

As the ‘80s rolled into the ‘90s, personal computers became more affordable and increasingly powerful. Businesses embraced these machines, recognizing their potential to enhance productivity.

(1994-2004) The email and teleconferencing era

In the mid-1990s, the internet became a fixture in offices. Email rose as the primary mode of communication, overtaking traditional mail and fax machines.

Email enabled near-instant communication (in contrast to the days or weeks needed for traditional mail and fax). However, its popularity quickly led to email overload, with people returning from vacations to hundreds of unread messages. This is a challenge we all still face today, with the average person receiving over 100 emails per day.

Furthermore, the 1990s saw the rise of teleconferencing technologies, which transformed long-distance collaboration. These technologies reduced the need for in-person meetings and altered the dynamics of meeting times.
The convenience of teleconferencing increased the frequency of meetings. Since participants didn't need to travel, it became easier to schedule and attend meetings, resulting in more regular communication.

The ease of meetings ultimately led to more opportunities to take employees away from their work. Today, workers view 71% of meetings as unproductive and inefficient.

The ‘90s marked a significant technological transformation. People were beginning to grasp the potential of the internet and email, which had boosted productivity. The future seemed promising.

But as we adapted to these changes, another major workplace innovation loomed on the horizon.

(2004-2012) The handheld devices and notification era

The arrival of mobile devices revolutionized how professionals engage in meetings and messages. These devices enhanced connectivity, accessibility, and collaboration.

In the early 2000s, as mobile devices became more prevalent, the amount of time spent in meetings further increased. Knowledge workers often had packed schedules, and collaboration varied in length from quick check-ins to full-day sessions, blurring the line between personal and work lives.

In 2021, 34% of employees admitted they struggled to avoid checking work notifications at home, while 29% faced a similar challenge with personal notifications at work.

With the rise of smartphones, work was no longer confined to a specific place. Instead, it followed us everywhere, always vying for our attention. We received constant alerts for messages, emails, and events, regardless of their importance. Our focus shifted from our surroundings to our devices with every notification.

And yet in the 2000s, we welcomed these changes in how we work, even though they introduced distractions.

(2012-2020) The instant messaging era

Launched in 2013, Slack quickly became popular as a work-focused messaging app. Microsoft Teams, another work collaboration tool, followed in 2017.

These apps replaced long email threads and made communication more immediate. According to Slack, using the app reduces emails by 32% and meetings by 27%.

However, messaging apps have also led to excessive communication. As of 2020, the average knowledge worker spends more than 90 minutes in Slack every workday.

The instant nature of apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams meant quick responses were expected, thus disrupting focused work. Remote work and virtual collaboration gained traction, allowing team members to connect from anywhere. This led to more spontaneous, lengthy meetings.

While the workplace was on the brink of a significant shift in how people collaborate, nobody expected the technological acceleration that was about to occur.

(2020-2023) Zoom meetings and remote work era

In early 2020, government-imposed lockdowns pushed people to work remotely and made video call tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet vital for collaboration. Virtual meetings became more frequent and longer, and a focus on regular check-ins and team-building activities was emphasized.

But the heavy use of platforms like Zoom raised productivity challenges, including information overload and burnout. Excessive, often back-to-back video calls resulted in video call fatigue, impacting mental well-being.

A 2022 survey revealed that 37.1% of employees found Zoom fatigue was the greatest challenge of virtual meetings.

With greater expectations to be active and available — while also being productive — high performers, feeling unrecognized and isolated, experienced a general decline in their well-being.

And this is where we currently find ourselves.

We now understand that while collaboration is essential to our work, it’s not without its detrimental effects. And we’ve learned that something has been missing all along — a tool to unite the entire team. We have witnessed collaboration tools aid us in making communication frictionless. Now, we require a collaboration tool that helps us understand one another and our work habits so we can actually focus on what matters.

What will the next collaboration era look like?

We stand at the precipice of a productivity cliff.

Workers today face numerous interruptions from tools like Slack and Zoom, which was not the case a decade ago. Many organizations and leaders are making quick decisions regarding office work and meetings, but it's often a guessing game with no winners. To solve this problem, we should actually put the problem on the table — not the people.

Previously, the responsibility for productivity and well-being was placed solely on individuals. Overcoming distractions was seen as a characteristic of high performers. However, we now realize that leaving workers to navigate a flawed work environment alone leads to burnout. Sweeping changes by organizations often don't consider the individual impact, and workers are left to adapt on their own.

Fixing collaboration is a team — and often systemic — issue, not something individuals can solve by setting boundaries or taking breaks. Organizations must shift their mindset and create an environment that supports deep work, minimizes distractions, and nurtures well-being.

Understanding how different workers operate is key. One solution doesn't fit all. We need data to visualize the workday, attack the collaboration problem, and stop blaming individuals.

At Produce8, we bring teams together and empower individuals to take back their workdays. By giving people control over their collaboration tools, we can create space for great work.


The History of Digital Collaboration: The Rise and Fall of Productivity 

We love Slack — and we bet you do too! But messaging apps pose a unique challenge because they continually draw us back in over the course of a day. This pattern of distraction undermines our ability to focus and leads to us feeling overwhelmed.

 is a digital work analytics platform. We provide the data to visualize challenges and the insights needed to measure the effectiveness of the changes you make to solve those challenges.

Set up Slack in Produce8 so you can visualize how your Slack usage impacts your workday

Understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy collaboration

Reduce distraction by making informed changes and then see their impacts in real time

And the best part: You can run this whole playbook with Produce8 for free!

By prioritizing these three easy steps, you’ll have the tools, strategies, and insights to recover time in your day.

We know that Slack is distracting and that you’d like that to change. But making changes to collaboration tools is not straightforward due to internal and external causes:

Internal: Checking Slack makes you feel good

your brain releases a small amount of dopamine

. This rewards your alertness and reinforces the pattern you’re trying to break.


Many organizations want their employees to concentrate on their individual work while also 

Without data, we’re left guessing at how much this affects us every day. With data from Produce8, we get objectivity and visibility into what work actually looks like.

Our goal is to empower you to identify and reduce the number of short, low-value Slack interactions that represent interruptions throughout your day. By doing so, we promote more meaningful collaboration on Slack and give you the freedom to concentrate on other tasks.

The 3-step approach to reduce Slack distractions:

We recommend beginning at the start of a week and breaking each step into weekly segments. But feel free to adjust the timeline to your personal working style.

In this step, you will get the data necessary to learn about your work habits.

Once you have an account, connect Slack from the app list during setup in Produce8.

If you use Slack on your computer, add the Produce8 desktop extension. If you use Slack on a web browser, add the browser extension. If you use it both ways, add both extensions.

NOTE: Produce8 is currently not available for mobile devices.

When you start working with Produce8, daily insights will be sent to your email inbox. They will also be visible in your personal workspace.

Now that you have successfully set up Produce8 with Slack, you can go about your week as you normally would. The next few days will establish a baseline of your Slack usage.

If you find yourself working more intentionally in Slack during this time, that's okay. It means you can start from a more advantageous position.

Observe what your work in Slack looked like at the end of your first week. Then note any interesting findings. This will help you prepare for the changes you’ll make in the next step.

The Timeline is an excellent starting point. It provides you with an overview of the frequency, duration, and focus of events throughout the day.

The Metrics tab shows you different ways we report on Slack usage.

You'll likely see many interactions throughout the day, which is normal. Slack interruptions are brief but frequent. Expect around 50 to 200 of these interactions daily.

. The following questions will help you analyze your data. We recommend writing down your answers so you can reflect on them later.

Did the data resemble what you imagined it would?

How many times do you check Slack per day? (Interactions)

How long does each view in Slack last on average? (Avg duration in app)

Did you notice any patterns (such as interactions with Slack that lasted less than 20 seconds)?

Did you see Slack-free moments during the workday, such as instances where you went more than 30 minutes without checking the app? How about 15 minutes?

Answering these questions will give you a better understanding of the scale of your Slack distraction.

Now you have a base understanding of how you regularly use Slack. Great. It’s time to make changes and study the impact.

Approach this step by setting targets for your number of Slack interactions per day and in turn reduce Slack interruptions.

Pro Tip: A secondary goal is to increase your average duration in Slack, thus indicating more purposeful engagement.

In this example, weekly Slack interactions are at 402. Let’s set a goal to reduce the average weekly interactions by 25% to 301.

Once you have a goal, you are ready to configure Slack. Here are some quick and easy Slack changes you can make:

Limit desktop notifications to mentions and direct messages (or turn them off entirely)

Turn off notifications to threads you follow

Leave all channels and add back the ones you need

Use video or screen recording for context

Use statuses such as OOO, Focus Mode, or Lunch Break

Connect tools like Google Drive to Slack to reduce context switching

We recommend picking a configuration that sparks your curiosity. If you ever wonder if 

 or using statuses actually make a difference, now is the time to find out.

Keep working and let Produce8 run for a workweek

Change can be uncomfortable. But don't worry! If you catch yourself unintentionally checking Slack, gently redirect your focus back to your tasks.

You’ll begin to notice some results, but don't obsess over the data just yet. If you feel the urge to see how things are going, check the morning daily reports.

Once you have a workweek of data, jump into Produce8 to review your Slack interactions and the changes you’ve made.

In this example, the goal was to reduce the average weekly interactions by 25% from 402 to 301. The result was a reduction of 11% to 358 interactions. Progress!

If you hit or approached your goal, the change might’ve made a difference.
Don’t get discouraged if you didn’t achieve your results. All that means is that you need to take a closer look and decide whether it’s time to try something new.

And here’s the good news: With Produce8, you have the data to validate whether a change is working or not. The numbers are clear and won’t leave you guessing.


You now have some valuable insights to inform your next steps. So:

Depending on your results and whether or not you’ve met your goals, consider:

We love Slack — and we bet you do too! But messaging apps pose a unique challenge because they continually draw us back in over the course of a day. This pattern of distraction undermines our ability to focus and leads to us feeling overwhelmed.

Produce8 is a digital work analytics platform. We provide the data to visualize challenges and the insights needed to measure the effectiveness of the changes you make to solve those challenges.

This playbook will help you:

Set up Slack in Produce8 so you can visualize how your Slack usage impacts your workday

Understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy collaboration

Reduce distraction by making informed changes and then see their impacts in real time

And the best part: You can run this whole playbook with Produce8 for free!

By prioritizing these three easy steps, you’ll have the tools, strategies, and insights to recover time in your day.

What is the Slack distraction problem?

We know that Slack is distracting and that you’d like that to change. But making changes to collaboration tools is not straightforward due to internal and external causes:

Internal: Checking Slack makes you feel good
When you check notifications, your brain releases a small amount of dopamine. This rewards your alertness and reinforces the pattern you’re trying to break.

External: You feel pressure to be online
Many organizations want their employees to concentrate on their individual work while also being available for collaboration.

Without data, we’re left guessing at how much this affects us every day. With data from Produce8, we get objectivity and visibility into what work actually looks like.

The Slack distraction solution:

Our goal is to empower you to identify and reduce the number of short, low-value Slack interactions that represent interruptions throughout your day. By doing so, we promote more meaningful collaboration on Slack and give you the freedom to concentrate on other tasks.

The 3-step approach to reduce Slack distractions:

We recommend beginning at the start of a week and breaking each step into weekly segments. But feel free to adjust the timeline to your personal working style.

STEP 1: Understand the Slack problem

In this step, you will get the data necessary to learn about your work habits.

Get set up

First, let’s sign up for Produce8 by clicking the link here.

Once you have an account, connect Slack from the app list during setup in Produce8.

If you use Slack on your computer, add the Produce8 desktop extension. If you use Slack on a web browser, add the browser extension. If you use it both ways, add both extensions.

NOTE: Produce8 is currently not available for mobile devices.

Receive daily reports

When you start working with Produce8, daily insights will be sent to your email inbox. They will also be visible in your personal workspace.

Now that you have successfully set up Produce8 with Slack, you can go about your week as you normally would. The next few days will establish a baseline of your Slack usage.

If you find yourself working more intentionally in Slack during this time, that's okay. It means you can start from a more advantageous position.

Check the results

Observe what your work in Slack looked like at the end of your first week. Then note any interesting findings. This will help you prepare for the changes you’ll make in the next step.

Timeline

The Timeline is an excellent starting point. It provides you with an overview of the frequency, duration, and focus of events throughout the day.

Metrics

The Metrics tab shows you different ways we report on Slack usage.

You'll likely see many interactions throughout the day, which is normal. Slack interruptions are brief but frequent. Expect around 50 to 200 of these interactions daily.

Answer some big questions

Take some time to reflect on how Slack impacts your productivity. The following questions will help you analyze your data. We recommend writing down your answers so you can reflect on them later.

Did the data resemble what you imagined it would?

How many times do you check Slack per day? (Interactions)

How long does each view in Slack last on average? (Avg duration in app)

Did you notice any patterns (such as interactions with Slack that lasted less than 20 seconds)?

Did you see Slack-free moments during the workday, such as instances where you went more than 30 minutes without checking the app? How about 15 minutes?

Answering these questions will give you a better understanding of the scale of your Slack distraction.

STEP 2: Make Slack less distracting

Now you have a base understanding of how you regularly use Slack. Great. It’s time to make changes and study the impact.

Set a goal

Approach this step by setting targets for your number of Slack interactions per day and in turn reduce Slack interruptions.

Pro Tip: A secondary goal is to increase your average duration in Slack, thus indicating more purposeful engagement.

In this example, weekly Slack interactions are at 402. Let’s set a goal to reduce the average weekly interactions by 25% to 301.

Change Slack configurations

Once you have a goal, you are ready to configure Slack. Here are some quick and easy Slack changes you can make:

Slack alerts configurations:

Limit desktop notifications to mentions and direct messages (or turn them off entirely)

Turn off notifications to threads you follow

Turn off huddle notifications

Turn off audio notifications

Turn off pop-up notifications

Set a notification schedule

Slack channels configurations:

Star channels

Close or leave channels

Mute noisy channels

Leave all channels and add back the ones you need

Slack messages configurations:

Use threads for long messages

Summarize the main point with TL;DR

Use audio and huddles instead of text

Use video or screen recording for context

Schedule messages for a later time

Slack best practices configurations:

Use statuses such as OOO, Focus Mode, or Lunch Break

Use Do Not Disturb during focus hours

Connect tools like Google Drive to Slack to reduce context switching

Set reminders in Slack by using /remind

Eliminate Slack on dual display

We recommend picking a configuration that sparks your curiosity. If you ever wonder if turning off Slack notifications or using statuses actually make a difference, now is the time to find out.

Keep working and let Produce8 run for a workweek

Change can be uncomfortable. But don't worry! If you catch yourself unintentionally checking Slack, gently redirect your focus back to your tasks.

You’ll begin to notice some results, but don't obsess over the data just yet. If you feel the urge to see how things are going, check the morning daily reports.

Check your progress

Once you have a workweek of data, jump into Produce8 to review your Slack interactions and the changes you’ve made.

Did your interactions in Slack decrease?

In this example, the goal was to reduce the average weekly interactions by 25% from 402 to 301. The result was a reduction of 11% to 358 interactions. Progress!

If you hit or approached your goal, the change might’ve made a difference.
Don’t get discouraged if you didn’t achieve your results. All that means is that you need to take a closer look and decide whether it’s time to try something new.

And here’s the good news: With Produce8, you have the data to validate whether a change is working or not. The numbers are clear and won’t leave you guessing.


STEP 3: Work with more intention

You now have some valuable insights to inform your next steps. So:

Continue studying or make another change

Depending on your results and whether or not you’ve met your goals, consider:

Keeping an eye on the current study. You can give your Slack configuration more time. This will give you more data points and a better indication of whether the change is helping you reduce distractions in Slack.

Start a new study. You can refine your theory and make another change by running a second Slack study. This can be a different Slack configuration or personal behavior changes such as using time blocking, Pomodoro timers, or other focus techniques.

Produce8 helps you measure how effective focus techniques like the Pomodoro timer are by checking your Slack activity during those planned time blocks. Your timeline will show if you successfully stayed focused for the 25-minute work period and confirm how well the technique works.

Keep working and analyzing the data

Great work so far! You’re getting the hang of using digital work analytics to optimize your workday. You are receiving your Daily Reports and checking in on Produce8 regularly to see how Slack affects your productivity.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by the data, remember to focus on the key question: Are Slack interactions decreasing?

You can also ask:

Is the average duration in the app increasing?

Are Slack events throughout the workday timeline affecting my focus?

Building a habit of intentionality allows you to optimize your collaboration tools and diagnose issues in your workflow more effectively.

What’s next?

You now have accurate data that shows what collaboration distraction looks like. So, go ahead and repeat these three steps to keep improving your app usage and collaboration workflows.

Share findings with your team

As you build upon your learnings, you’ll discover that you may not have full control of the organization and team guidelines. This means there are opportunities to invite people to explore their Slack usage with you. Bring them together to gain a shared understanding and make collective changes.

If you wish to extend the study to your team, we offer a comprehensive Slack + Produce8 Playbook to guide everyone through the process.

Add more apps and get a new baseline

Produce8 doesn’t just analyze data in Slack. There is a wide variety of apps you can look at.

We recommend including your essential collaboration apps (Gmail, Zoom, Miro, etc.), production apps (Google Docs, Hubspot, Figma, etc.), and your project and task management apps (Notion, Asana, Trello, etc.) to get a full picture of your workday.

Upgrade for more insights

The Produce8 Free Plan gives you access to 21 days of historical data. While that is plenty of time to get the baseline and validate the changes you’ve made, our Paid Plan offers you unlimited data, workspaces, app analyzation, and the ability to invite more team members.

If you have any questions about the approaches shared in this Playbook or Produce8, please get in touch with us. We're here to support you every step of the way and would be absolutely thrilled to answer your questions.




Reduce Slack Distractions in 3 Easy Steps

The flexibility of setting your own schedule can blur the boundaries between work and personal life, causing you to spread your work throughout the day and into evenings and weekends.

The fear of missing out on discussions or opportunities in virtual work settings results in 

, Microsoft Teams, and other work-related apps, which in turn contributes to extended hours in remote work arrangements.

 report from 2022 revealed that 25% of remote workers cited "unplugging" after work as a struggle, while 20% recorded “working more” as an issue. Statistics like these show the challenge of setting healthy boundaries and disconnecting from work.

Furthermore, 21% of workers indicated “difficulty focusing” and 17% said “difficulty with collaboration and communication” were remote work struggles.

Could it be possible that our fractured, always-available style of collaboration is causing unintended stress and overtime for workers?

With these challenges in mind, we must analyze 

 and how the tech we use every day contributes to these issues.

In this article, we will put tools like Slack under the microscope. And in doing so, we can better understand our relationship with these tools and establish some work boundaries.

Let’s start by addressing a common example.

Is the triple peak workday a workplace concern?

The term "triple peak workday" refers to a phenomenon in which employees experience three distinct peaks of activity during a single day due to work-related tasks and communications.

These peaks often occur in the morning, afternoon, and evening. While two of the peaks reflect the typical workday structure, the third peak is often initiated by continuing work in collaboration apps like Slack or needing additional time to focus.

The triple peak is closely related to the challenges of setting boundaries and maintaining work-life balance. Here's how Slack, as a popular workplace communication tool, can play a role in the triple peak:

: As employees begin their workday, they check Slack first thing in the morning to catch up on messages and updates from colleagues.

: Slack activity tends to pick up again in the afternoon as employees collaborate on ongoing projects, participate in virtual meetings, and engage in team discussions.

: Employees find themselves continuing tasks and conversations on Slack beyond regular working hours, leading to an evening peak. This can be particularly pronounced when employees work in different time zones and thus have overlapping communication windows.

With a tool like Produce8, we can easily identify work patterns, inefficiencies, and 

What does a lack of boundaries at work look like?

If you want to set clear work boundaries, a good place to start is by understanding how your collaboration apps are being used. Here are some questions to get the ball rolling:

How many times do we look at Slack every day?

How does Slack affect our ability to perform other tasks?

Are we expected to answer Slack messages right away?

How much time in the workday is available for us to focus on our primary tasks?

How often do we send and respond to Slack messages after work?

Don’t know the answers? Then you likely haven’t set any guidelines yet! It’s time to address that and understand whether unfettered collaboration may be causing problems for the team.

The reason we start with collaboration apps is because they are both essential and invasive. A messaging app like Slack can inadvertently 

, posing several challenges to employees' well-being.

One significant concern is information overload. Here, a continuous stream of messages and notifications bombards employees all day long, making it hard to concentrate on the task at hand.

Moreover, the expectation of instant responses on Slack, even during off-hours, fuels a culture of constant availability. This continuous tethering to the platform may 

 as employees feel compelled to "always be on."

How to create a guideline for workplace collaborations

At some point, over-stressed employees will say, “I need to focus during the day. That way I won’t have to log back on in the evening or early in the morning to finish my work.”

But simply blowing up the current work model and signing out of Slack isn’t productive if the work culture isn’t prepared for such a change.

To mitigate collaboration distractions, triple peak workdays, and other challenges, both employees and employers must study their current Slack usage and identify what’s working and what isn’t. Then they need to work together to set clear boundaries and expectations around Slack usage. Implementing guidelines for communication hours and encouraging team members to respect each other's personal time can help alleviate the pressure to be constantly available.

Since everyone’s workday and work style are different, adding policies that fit the unique style of your team will require some (you guessed it!) teamwork.

If you feel that Slack is a problem for you and your team and you want to discuss that problem, you must gather evidence. You must show your team that Slack is indeed causing issues such as 

. Once you have data to back up your theory, share it with the team and then measure, analyze, and refine it.

 enables you to acquire data and then work with your team to make the right changes.

Simply follow these steps to start making space for great work:

Set up Produce8, invite your team to join, and measure the baseline.

From your baseline data, identify problem areas (i.e., how much time is spent on Slack during focus work hours or off hours).

Form a hypothesis. For example: “By allowing the team to mute Slack between 2-5 p.m., they won’t be pressured to check the messaging app. They will have time to focus on their work and, therefore, we will see a decrease in work activities after 5 p.m.”

Validate the hypothesis by making the configurations and analyzing the data with the team.

For more details on how to kick off your Slack study, check out our 

Turning off Slack notifications is an easy app configuration that you can start with. 

Read our full blog post on effectively using Slack alerts

 to learn how you can begin that process and analyze the results.

: Allow the team to set specific communication hours on Slack to ensure that everyone is available for real-time discussions. Outside these hours, employees should have the flexibility to focus on their tasks without interruptions.

: Encourage employees to update their Slack status to indicate their availability and current area of focus. This helps others understand when it's appropriate to send a message or expect a response.

: Create a system to prioritize important messages and notifications. For instance, use 

to categorize urgent channels and messages, allowing employees to filter and address critical communications first.

: Organize Slack channels effectively, keeping them focused on specific topics or projects. Minimize the number of channels to avoid scattering conversations and information across multiple threads.

 for non-urgent matters should be prioritized. Teams can do this by checking and responding to messages at designated intervals or using documentation and video recordings that can be accessed independently.

: Set aside time during the workday for checking and responding to Slack messages. By batching communication, employees can maintain focus during dedicated work periods.

: When engaging in team discussions, encourage the use of threaded conversations to keep the main channel clutter-free and make it easier to follow specific topics.

Analyze data and refine the guideline regularly

We all have certain preconceived notions about what configurations and work styles are best for everyone. But as you and your team establish a shared understanding of what work actually looks like, your initial opinions and biases will fade.

Be open to continued learning. After all, guidelines are only effective if they offer the results you want. It’s time to help teams set boundaries and take control of the time they have for work. That way, they can focus on what really matters.

! We’d love to learn more about your goals and help you get the right data to reach them.

Why flexible work leads to longer hours

The flexibility of setting your own schedule can blur the boundaries between work and personal life, causing you to spread your work throughout the day and into evenings and weekends.

The fear of missing out on discussions or opportunities in virtual work settings results in continuous checking of Slack, Microsoft Teams, and other work-related apps, which in turn contributes to extended hours in remote work arrangements.

Buffer's State of Remote Work report from 2022 revealed that 25% of remote workers cited "unplugging" after work as a struggle, while 20% recorded “working more” as an issue. Statistics like these show the challenge of setting healthy boundaries and disconnecting from work.

Could it be possible that our fractured, always-available style of collaboration is causing unintended stress and overtime for workers?

With these challenges in mind, we must analyze how we work together and how the tech we use every day contributes to these issues.

In this article, we will put tools like Slack under the microscope. And in doing so, we can better understand our relationship with these tools and establish some work boundaries.

Let’s start by addressing a common example.

Is the triple peak workday a workplace concern?

The term "triple peak workday" refers to a phenomenon in which employees experience three distinct peaks of activity during a single day due to work-related tasks and communications.

These peaks often occur in the morning, afternoon, and evening. While two of the peaks reflect the typical workday structure, the third peak is often initiated by continuing work in collaboration apps like Slack or needing additional time to focus.

The triple peak is closely related to the challenges of setting boundaries and maintaining work-life balance. Here's how Slack, as a popular workplace communication tool, can play a role in the triple peak:

Morning peak: As employees begin their workday, they check Slack first thing in the morning to catch up on messages and updates from colleagues.

Afternoon peak: Slack activity tends to pick up again in the afternoon as employees collaborate on ongoing projects, participate in virtual meetings, and engage in team discussions.

Evening peak: Employees find themselves continuing tasks and conversations on Slack beyond regular working hours, leading to an evening peak. This can be particularly pronounced when employees work in different time zones and thus have overlapping communication windows.

With a tool like Produce8, we can easily identify work patterns, inefficiencies, and leading burnout indicators.

What does a lack of boundaries at work look like?

If you want to set clear work boundaries, a good place to start is by understanding how your collaboration apps are being used. Here are some questions to get the ball rolling:

How many times do we look at Slack every day?

How much time do we spend on Slack?

How does Slack affect our ability to perform other tasks?

Are we expected to answer Slack messages right away?

How much time in the workday is available for us to focus on our primary tasks?

How often do we send and respond to Slack messages after work?

Don’t know the answers? Then you likely haven’t set any guidelines yet! It’s time to address that and understand whether unfettered collaboration may be causing problems for the team.

The reason we start with collaboration apps is because they are both essential and invasive. A messaging app like Slack can inadvertently interrupt personal or focus time, posing several challenges to employees' well-being.

One significant concern is information overload. Here, a continuous stream of messages and notifications bombards employees all day long, making it hard to concentrate on the task at hand.

Moreover, the expectation of instant responses on Slack, even during off-hours, fuels a culture of constant availability. This continuous tethering to the platform may result in burnout as employees feel compelled to "always be on."

How to create a guideline for workplace collaborations

At some point, over-stressed employees will say, “I need to focus during the day. That way I won’t have to log back on in the evening or early in the morning to finish my work.”

But simply blowing up the current work model and signing out of Slack isn’t productive if the work culture isn’t prepared for such a change.

To mitigate collaboration distractions, triple peak workdays, and other challenges, both employees and employers must study their current Slack usage and identify what’s working and what isn’t. Then they need to work together to set clear boundaries and expectations around Slack usage. Implementing guidelines for communication hours and encouraging team members to respect each other's personal time can help alleviate the pressure to be constantly available.

But how do we design these guidelines?

Since everyone’s workday and work style are different, adding policies that fit the unique style of your team will require some (you guessed it!) teamwork.

If you feel that Slack is a problem for you and your team and you want to discuss that problem, you must gather evidence. You must show your team that Slack is indeed causing issues such as distractions during focus hours. Once you have data to back up your theory, share it with the team and then measure, analyze, and refine it.

A digital work analytics platform like Produce8 enables you to acquire data and then work with your team to make the right changes.

Simply follow these steps to start making space for great work:

Set up Produce8, invite your team to join, and measure the baseline.

From your baseline data, identify problem areas (i.e., how much time is spent on Slack during focus work hours or off hours).

Form a hypothesis. For example: “By allowing the team to mute Slack between 2-5 p.m., they won’t be pressured to check the messaging app. They will have time to focus on their work and, therefore, we will see a decrease in work activities after 5 p.m.”

Validate the hypothesis by making the configurations and analyzing the data with the team.

For more details on how to kick off your Slack study, check out our How to Use Slack Better Guide.

Some changes in Slack you can start with

Turning off Slack notifications is an easy app configuration that you can start with. Read our full blog post on effectively using Slack alerts to learn how you can begin that process and analyze the results.

You can also consider these steps:

Set specific communication hours: Allow the team to set specific communication hours on Slack to ensure that everyone is available for real-time discussions. Outside these hours, employees should have the flexibility to focus on their tasks without interruptions.

Use status updates: Encourage employees to update their Slack status to indicate their availability and current area of focus. This helps others understand when it's appropriate to send a message or expect a response.

Prioritize important messages: Create a system to prioritize important messages and notifications. For instance, use Slack's "Priority" feature to categorize urgent channels and messages, allowing employees to filter and address critical communications first.

Create channels with intention: Organize Slack channels effectively, keeping them focused on specific topics or projects. Minimize the number of channels to avoid scattering conversations and information across multiple threads.

Encourage asynchronous communication: The use of asynchronous communication for non-urgent matters should be prioritized. Teams can do this by checking and responding to messages at designated intervals or using documentation and video recordings that can be accessed independently.

Schedule communication breaks: Set aside time during the workday for checking and responding to Slack messages. By batching communication, employees can maintain focus during dedicated work periods.

Use threads for discussions: When engaging in team discussions, encourage the use of threaded conversations to keep the main channel clutter-free and make it easier to follow specific topics.

Analyze data and refine the guideline regularly

We all have certain preconceived notions about what configurations and work styles are best for everyone. But as you and your team establish a shared understanding of what work actually looks like, your initial opinions and biases will fade.

Be open to continued learning. After all, guidelines are only effective if they offer the results you want. It’s time to help teams set boundaries and take control of the time they have for work. That way, they can focus on what really matters.

Book a demo with us! We’d love to learn more about your goals and help you get the right data to reach them.

Establish Work Boundaries by Using Slack Effectively 

Slack offers an efficient way for teams to collaborate. According to 

, Slack will have 47.2 million daily active users and 79 million monthly active users by 2025. But while it certainly possesses numerous communication advantages, Slack also poses distractions that impact workplace productivity and focus.

On average, users use Slack for at least 90 minutes during working hours every day, with more than 1.5 billion messages sent daily on Slack. 

, neuroscientist and lecturer Lucas Miller described Slack as a “scary offender” that stops people from getting their work done by keeping them constantly distracted.

Here are some Slack characteristics that may be costing you and your team valuable time in the workday:

Slack's instant messaging feature often leads to repeated interruptions throughout the workday. The constant influx of messages, notifications, and alerts can break concentration and disrupt workflow. Employees may find themselves

, losing valuable time in the process. When we return to work after an interruption, the time it takes to reorient and regain momentum often lands somewhere between 

 (depending on the complexity of the task). As a result, overall efficiency is compromised.

Some had said that Slack replaced the email inbox. But rather, it introduced several more inboxes. With conversations and channels running simultaneously, employees often feel the need to keep up with ongoing discussions and respond promptly. Being pressured to be present online can divert workers’ focus from their main priorities. This pressure leads to reduced cognitive performance, decreased creativity, and a decline in the quality of overall work.

Slack’s convenience can sometimes be a double-edged sword. The sheer volume of content can quickly overwhelm employees, blurring the line between informational and important. It becomes challenging to filter through the noise and make effective decisions. This causes organizations to add logistics and constantly reshare information they’ve already posted. Consequently, employees need to keep an eye on everything or risk missing details, which ultimately increases their workday stress.

Deep work refers to our ability to focus on cognitively demanding tasks without distraction. Slack's constant interruptions can significantly 

. This can hamper innovation, problem-solving, and the ability to deliver high-quality output.

So, how bad is Slack distraction in your workplace?


To answer that question, you must analyze your workday, narrow in on Slack, and ask:

How much is Slack helping our team communicate and how much is it distracting us?

Are we able to stay focused during deep work and video calls? Or are we jumping from our work tools to Slack when we should be concentrating?

, we answer these questions and take action. Let’s say most of my deep work happens when I’m developing content in Google Docs. The longer I’m in that app, the more I’m getting done. So, I want to put Google Docs side-by-side with Slack and examine the time and interactions between them.

Here is where the magic of a tool like Produce8 comes into place: On this observed day, a Wednesday, my Slack interactions can be viewed in three work blocks.

 I started the morning in Slack collaborating with the team. Then I took a break from it and managed to get over an hour of work done.


 After lunch, I planned to get back into the task. But 30 minutes in—around 1 p.m.—Slack interrupted and pulled me away from my writing.


 For the remainder of the afternoon, I was in and out of Slack, unable to get back into the flow.

During this eight-hour workday, I spent 1.52 hours in Google Docs and 1.19 in Slack. My 153 interactions in Slack can all be interpreted as little cuts into my focus throughout the day.

Some of these engagements were meaningful collaborations. Every time I checked a Slack notification and responded, I was being a good teammate. Slack is great for this purpose. But the problem is that each time I disconnect from my task to check Slack, I’m no longer participating in deep work.

On this day, I only spent 30 more minutes in Google Docs than I did in Slack. Over a week, this can result in nearly a full workday in Slack instead of the app I should be working in.

This is just one example, but it’s easy for it to become a pattern. And this is where Produce8 can help me take action. If the pattern continues, I can schedule my most important tasks between 9:30 - 11 a.m. to ensure I prioritize them during my optimal time. Alternatively, I can share my data and let my team know that I’ll be unavailable on Slack in the afternoon while I’m getting work done.

How to experiment with Slack and regain focus

Slack is an essential tool for all teams. However, we need to learn how to use it properly so it doesn’t overtake our workday. We only have so many hours at work to make a difference and the time we waste on Slack cuts into those hours.

It is more than possible to mitigate Slack’s negative effects. Some common approaches include turning off notifications, adding status indicators, and 

Slack offers an efficient way for teams to collaborate. According to Demand Sage, Slack will have 47.2 million daily active users and 79 million monthly active users by 2025. But while it certainly possesses numerous communication advantages, Slack also poses distractions that impact workplace productivity and focus.

In a report by Wired, neuroscientist and lecturer Lucas Miller described Slack as a “scary offender” that stops people from getting their work done by keeping them constantly distracted.

Here are some Slack characteristics that may be costing you and your team valuable time in the workday:

1. Constant interruptions

Slack's instant messaging feature often leads to repeated interruptions throughout the workday. The constant influx of messages, notifications, and alerts can break concentration and disrupt workflow. Employees may find themselves frequently switching between tasks, losing valuable time in the process. When we return to work after an interruption, the time it takes to reorient and regain momentum often lands somewhere between 8 to 25 minutes (depending on the complexity of the task). As a result, overall efficiency is compromised.

2. Lack of prioritization

Some had said that Slack replaced the email inbox. But rather, it introduced several more inboxes. With conversations and channels running simultaneously, employees often feel the need to keep up with ongoing discussions and respond promptly. Being pressured to be present online can divert workers’ focus from their main priorities. This pressure leads to reduced cognitive performance, decreased creativity, and a decline in the quality of overall work.

3. Information overload

Slack’s convenience can sometimes be a double-edged sword. The sheer volume of content can quickly overwhelm employees, blurring the line between informational and important. It becomes challenging to filter through the noise and make effective decisions. This causes organizations to add logistics and constantly reshare information they’ve already posted. Consequently, employees need to keep an eye on everything or risk missing details, which ultimately increases their workday stress.

4. Loss of deep work opportunities

Deep work refers to our ability to focus on cognitively demanding tasks without distraction. Slack's constant interruptions can significantly hinder the opportunity for deep work. This can hamper innovation, problem-solving, and the ability to deliver high-quality output.

How to study Slack distractions

So, how bad is Slack distraction in your workplace?


To answer that question, you must analyze your workday, narrow in on Slack, and ask:

How much is Slack helping our team communicate and how much is it distracting us?

Are we able to stay focused during deep work and video calls? Or are we jumping from our work tools to Slack when we should be concentrating?

At Produce8, we answer these questions and take action. Let’s say most of my deep work happens when I’m developing content in Google Docs. The longer I’m in that app, the more I’m getting done. So, I want to put Google Docs side-by-side with Slack and examine the time and interactions between them.

Here is where the magic of a tool like Produce8 comes into place: On this observed day, a Wednesday, my Slack interactions can be viewed in three work blocks.

8 a.m. - 12 p.m.: I started the morning in Slack collaborating with the team. Then I took a break from it and managed to get over an hour of work done.
12 p.m. - 2 p.m.: After lunch, I planned to get back into the task. But 30 minutes in—around 1 p.m.—Slack interrupted and pulled me away from my writing.
2 p.m. - 4 p.m.: For the remainder of the afternoon, I was in and out of Slack, unable to get back into the flow.

Some of these engagements were meaningful collaborations. Every time I checked a Slack notification and responded, I was being a good teammate. Slack is great for this purpose. But the problem is that each time I disconnect from my task to check Slack, I’m no longer participating in deep work.

On this day, I only spent 30 more minutes in Google Docs than I did in Slack. Over a week, this can result in nearly a full workday in Slack instead of the app I should be working in.

This is just one example, but it’s easy for it to become a pattern. And this is where Produce8 can help me take action. If the pattern continues, I can schedule my most important tasks between 9:30 - 11 a.m. to ensure I prioritize them during my optimal time. Alternatively, I can share my data and let my team know that I’ll be unavailable on Slack in the afternoon while I’m getting work done.

How to experiment with Slack and regain focus

Slack is an essential tool for all teams. However, we need to learn how to use it properly so it doesn’t overtake our workday. We only have so many hours at work to make a difference and the time we waste on Slack cuts into those hours.

It is more than possible to mitigate Slack’s negative effects. Some common approaches include turning off notifications, adding status indicators, and working asynchronously. However, every worker and every team is different, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

What we need more than anything is proper visibility into our work patterns and app usage. We must find a balance between collaboration and concentration that works for our entire company. And to do that, we must study how we work.


A great way to understand how Slack is affecting your workday is to use a digital work analytics platform like Produce8. You can sign up for free, connect your messaging apps (like Slack and Teams) and your most productive tools and start analyzing how they do or do not benefit one another. Experiment with different features, working styles, and productivity hacks, and use real-time data to help measure impact.

Want to see what other tools might be getting in the way of your productivity? Try Produce8 for free or schedule a demo.

Digital Work

The History of Digital Collaboration: The Rise and Fall of Productivity

Reduce Slack Distractions in 3 Easy Steps

Establish Work Boundaries by Using Slack Effectively

The Dark Side of Slack: Are We Losing Focus by Being Too Active in Slack?

Your Employees Are Losing Time Working In the Wrong Apps, But Why?

You Think Employee Motivation is the Problem, But You Might Be Wrong

Productivity Paranoia: Stop Managing Your Remote or Hybrid Team This Way

What is Digital Work Analytics, and How Can it Improve Remote Work?

A Few Powerful Stats that Prove Flexible Work is the Future of Work

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