When Work Actually Gets Done

Marcianne Kuethen

Updated July 5, 2024

Employers, have you ever wondered what you can do to increase your employees’ productivity and tap into their creativity? Do you blame low productivity on too much Facebook or too many computer games? Well, Jason Fried has the radical idea that the office just isn’t a good place to get work done! In his talk, he lays out the main problems (call them the M&Ms) and offers three suggestions to make work work. Watch the video and see what you think!

If you’re too busy to watch the video, I’ll give you the short version–the M&Ms stand for managers and meetings, and the key is to provide employees with long, uninterrupted periods of time where they can truly focus!

Jason Fried thinks deeply about collaboration, productivity and the nature of work. He’s the co-founder of 37signals, makers of Basecamp and other web-based collaboration tools, and co-author of “Rework.”

Marcianne Kuethen

Marcianne Kuethen is a Senior Writer at Amtec, where she has written over 700 blog posts in the past 18 years. Her family has led the company across three generations, from her father who founded Amtec in 1959 to her son Barrett who serves as President and CEO today. Outside of writing, she makes art, music, and gardens.