Deep Life Notion Template: Intentional Task Management in a “World Without Email” (inspired by Cal Newport)
In A World Without Email, Cal Newport lays out the fundamental principles for using email as a communication tool and establishing well-defined processes to get the important tasks done. Email is for communication. Processes are for advancing on tasks, projects, goals. On this line of thought, one of the pillars of A World Without Email is the process principle: “A good production process, in other words, should minimize both ambiguity about what's going on and the amount of unscheduled communication required to accomplish this work.” (Newport, 2021)
I saw great potential to develop a Notion system around Newport’s principles for a world without email. So, I decided to develop such a template. This is the world without email in Notion, a beginner-friendly template based on four pillars and simple databases. In this post, we’ll explore the principles for a world without email outlined by Cal Newport, as well as the structure of the Notion template accompanying the article.
*If you would like to get the template right away, click here. Please be aware that this free template is not a comprehensive life operating system. If you would like to get deeper into designing your life operating system using Notion, you may consider checking out certified consultants here.
Principles for a World Without Email
The Attention Capital Principle
“The productivity of the knowledge sector can be significantly increased if we identify workflows that better optimize the human brain's ability to sustainably add value to information.”
— Cal Newport, 2021 (A World Without Email)
Focusing on what matters and advancing that cause is a skill worth developing, in both individuals and organizations. As Newport underlines in the book, “Knowledge work is better understood as the combination of two components: work execution and workflow.” Work execution is what generates value; workflows are the processes and structures underlining work execution. Solid workflows make work execution more effective and efficient, hence generating more value. While work execution can be considered an art to be left to the responsible individual, workflows cannot, especially in organizations. Workflows are part of an organization’s operational processes. When there are clear workflows in place, and they are explicitly communicated to individuals, effective work execution merely follows.
What if your team does not have/does not intend to establish intentional workflows? You have two possibilities: (1) you can take the lead, create a proposal of workflows, and lay out a clear plan of execution and pitch; (2) you develop workflows for yourself—starting from you is always a good idea that can give you the confidence to expand if effective. In the latter option, as Newport points out, there is no need to advertise or virtue signal your new workflows to others.
“Don't share the details of your new approach to work, unless someone specifically asks you out of genuine interest. Be wary of even providing new expectations, such as "I generally don't see email until after 10:00 a.m." or "I check my inbox only a few times a day". These provide hard edges that skeptical colleagues, client, or bosses can begin to easily chip away.”
— Cal Newport, 2021 (A World Without Email)
The Process Principle
“Introducing smart production processes to knowledge work can dramatically increase performance and make the work much less draining.”
— Cal Newport, 2021 (A World Without Email)
Every effective production process, according to Newport, has three components:
It's easy to review who is working on what and how it's going
Work can unfold without significant amounts of unscheduled communication
There's a known process for updating work assignments as the process progresses
So, a good production process minimizes ambiguity about what is going on and removes the need for hyperactive hive mind back and forth. One essential tool of great workflows is boards. Task boards are widely effective at coordinating work among teams and making sense of individual obligations. There are some best practices for making individual task boards work well for you, according to Cal Newport:
Using more than one board → using one board for each role we have in our life minimizes the cost of attention switching and helps us focus only on the area we intend to work on at any one time.
Schedule regular solo review meetings → if you want to get the most out of this tool (boards), you need set times each week to review and update your personal board. A regular rhythm of efficient meetings can replace 90 percent of hive mind messaging if you have a way to keep track of what needs to be discussed in these meetings.
Add a “waiting to hear back” column → this prevents you from losing track of efforts that have temporarily left your direct control and allows you to make efficient progress when you learn what you need. Most importantly, these open obligations have a safe place to reside, freeing you from that lurking worry in the back of your mind that there are things being missed.
Those three components above are included in the Notion template accompanying this article.
The Protocol Principle
“Designing rules that optimize when and how coordination occurs in the workplace is a pain in the short term but can result in significantly more productive operation in the long term.”
— Cal Newport, 2021 (A World Without Email)
A coordination protocol defines clear rules for how communication occurs. Establishing protocols—similarly to processes—may feel unproductive in the immediate, but can result in compound improvements and effectiveness in the long term. It is an investment in the team/yourself. One of the goals of clear processes and protocols is to reduce ambiguity and anxiety. When there is no clear process in place, anxiety may take over, and the first thought your team member may have is to throw the anxiety sack at you by sending you an email. Out of sight, out of mind. With a clear capture, configure, control system, we can input anxiety curveballs in a dedicated inbox, so that there is no need to retain that thought in our head.
The Specialization Principle
“In the knowledge sector, working on fewer things, but doing each thing with more quality and accountability, can be the foundation for significantly more productivity.”
— Cal Newport, 2021 (A World Without Email)
The specialization principle postulates that focusing on fewer, high-value things can make a difference in the quality and effectiveness of work. Task boards are beneficial in this context because they make it easy to monitor the amount of work each person is doing at any given time, and they inherently contain a system to update tasks and obligations.
A World Without Email in Notion
This video explains the foundational Notion template based on the key pillars of A World Without Email. This is only a starting point.
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