Work Smarter and Faster
TTL 2
👋 Good Morfternight, this is Paolo Belcastro, with the second issue of: TTL: Tools & Thoughts for Leaders.
Here on TTL, we’ll dig into practical leadership tips and effective strategies, with a particular focus on tech leadership and managing distributed teams (that’s what I do every day).
Whether you’re steering a tech startup or leading a remote team, these insights are designed to help you navigate the complexities of modern leadership.
Today’s topic is Asynchronicity, a work model where communication happens over time rather than instantly, promoting productivity and flexibility in distributed teams.
Why and how should you adopt this model?
I’ll walk you through this, giving you examples of my experience at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, where I manage a few different teams working on .blog & Jetpack.
Space and Time
Let’s begin by clarifying that the concepts of Synchronous and Asynchronous communication relate to when work takes place, while Co-Located, and Distributed are concepts referring to where work takes place. There are connections across these concepts, but they are not strongly coupled.
By now, you know I like nothing more than a nice 2×2 matrix…
Let’s break down how these two ideas relate to each other.
- Co-located team working synchronously. This is the classical system that has been in place since offices and factories exist.
- Distributed team working synchronously. This is a terrible idea, forcing people to work hours that are incompatible with a healthy and social life, or limits the distribution to a couple of time-zones.
- Co-located team adopting asynchronicity. This is the second-best setup. All the limitations of a co-located team remain, but at least they can get rid of interruptions and improve efficiency.
- Distributed and asynchronous teams. The crème de la crème, accumulating benefits from both aspects.
The Benefits of Asynchronicity
People go to work, and they’re basically trading in their workday for a series of “work moments” — that’s what happens at the office. You don’t have a workday anymore. You have work moments.
Jason Fried
- Flexible Scheduling: Team members can work when they’re most productive, without being tied to specific hours.
- Enhanced Work-Life Balance: Employees can better manage their personal and professional lives without rigid office hours.
- Greater Productivity: Less time wasted on unnecessary meetings and interruptions means more time for meaningful work.
- Reduced Interruptions: No need for constant real-time responses, leading to fewer disruptions and deeper focus.
- Increased Inclusivity and Optimized Collaboration: Everyone, regardless of time zone, can participate and contribute equally with thoughtful, well-considered input.
- Improved Documentation: Decisions and discussions are recorded, creating a clear, accessible history of work.
- Scalable Operations: Works well for teams spread across different time zones and regions, making it easier to manage global teams.
The Shift to Async
The shift towards asynchronicity is more than just a buzzword; it’s a fundamental change in how we work.
As companies spread across time zones, real-time communication becomes impractical and stressful. Embracing async means acknowledging that not everyone can, or should, respond immediately. It’s about valuing deep, focused work over constant interruptions.
This shift can lead to happier, more productive teams who have the freedom to manage their time.
However, shifting to asynchronicity requires deconstructing and reconstructing deeply ingrained beliefs and habits.
Automattic is a good example of asynchronicity in action. With more than 1,900 employees across over 90 countries, we’ve mastered async communication. Meetings are rare, most decisions and discussions happen on written platforms, and almost everyone has a flexible schedule.
Where we had it easier than most, though, is that we were distributed, and async from day one. Matt Mullenweg, our Founder and CEO, lived in San Francisco, and the first person he hired was in Ireland.
Matt refers to Asynchronicity as the characteristic of Level Four of the Distributed Work’s Five Levels of Autonomy.
Companies that started more classically working from the same office and want to make the shift need to be very intentional, ideally adopting Distributed, and not Remote, practices.
I’m telling you this to highlight that moving to an asynchronous model is a process that requires adjustment, and I’m here to share insights from my experience.
You can shift to an asynchronous culture within a Co-located team. It will be beneficial on its own, and make your potential transition to a Distributed team much easier in the future.
What is Asynchronous work?
I’ll focus on two key areas: time and communication.
The End of Time
Managing your time in an async environment means rethinking how you structure your day.
Traditional time-based metrics, rooted in the industrial era, are outdated for intellectual work. Enforcing an eight-hour workday regardless of productivity often reduces effectiveness and creates dissatisfaction.
Moreover, time-based evaluation systems typically impose experience requirements that create barriers for new talent.
What should you do then? I suggest evaluating work based on quantity, quality, and ultimately impact. This approach eliminates the need for attendance tracking, reduces dissatisfaction, and offers greater flexibility for balancing personal and professional lives.
Here are some of my tips:
- Set Clear Priorities: Identify and tackle the most important tasks.
- Block Focus Time: Reserve uninterrupted periods for deep work.
- Check Messages Sparingly: Designate specific times for reviewing and responding to messages.
- Document Everything: Keep detailed records of progress to ensure clarity and accountability.
This approach demands that managers first trust their teams, then assess work quality, moving away from traditional methods based on physical presence.
The End of Interruptions
Effective communication is the backbone of successful async teams.
While the time difference allows for 24-hour coverage without night shifts, it also poses challenges due to limited overlapping working hours.
Async communication requires a shift in expectations, accepting that messages will often receive delayed responses.
These are the key benefits:
- End of Interruptions: When immediate responses are no longer expected, team members can focus on tasks without constant disruptions. This is especially beneficial for roles requiring deep concentration, as it respects their need for uninterrupted work time. Keep in mind that for some workers, even a brief interruption can lead to significant time loss as they need to regain their focus and get back into the flow.
- End of Bottlenecks: In a distributed setup, centralizing all communication through one person can paralyze team progress. To avoid this, it’s crucial to delegate decision-making and establish clear areas of responsibility, allowing team members to communicate directly and make decisions independently.
Here’s how to nail it:
- Be Clear and Concise: When you can’t clarify in real-time, make your messages straightforward.
- Use the Right Tools: Leverage platforms for organized and searchable communication.
- Set Expectations: Let your team know when you’ll be offline and when to expect a response.
- Embrace Written Over Oral: Written communication leaves a paper trail, reducing misunderstandings and keeping everyone informed.
⏭️ TLDR: Asynchronous communication is not just a trend; it’s the future of productive, happy work environments. By understanding the principles and adopting the right practices, you can transform your team into a well-oiled, global machine — just like Automattic.
So, ping less and produce more!
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I also publish on paolo.blog and monochrome.blog
Cheers,
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