How Slack's CTO Protects Time for Deep Work Amid Distractions

Navigating a digital landscape full of interruptions, Parker Harris, CTO of Slack, stresses the importance of deliberately carving out time for concentrated effort. Harris, who is also a cofounder of Salesforce, shared with Business Insider how his day can often be dictated by his calendar and inbox.

To minimize interruptions during periods of deep focus, Harris employs a simple yet effective tactic: he turns off the sound on his notifications. 'I can't stand the sound of alerts,' he commented, noting that he also flips his phone face down to avoid the temptation of checking it.

Although he usually leaves notifications enabled, Harris emphasizes the importance of prioritization in his often interruptive work environment. 'Finding ways to maintain focus is critical for everyone,' he remarked.

During deep work, Harris immerses himself in specific channels or company documents, consciously blocking out time for tasks that demand his undivided attention. 'I only allow urgent priorities, like a Slack outage or a call from Marc Benioff, to interrupt,' he explained.

In an effort to help users manage tasks more effectively, Slack is launching an updated AI-powered Slackbot. The tool aims to help users identify top-priority tasks quickly and efficiently.

This enhanced Slackbot, integrated into the platform, will now provide more capabilities such as presenting pertinent information, tracking notifications, and aiding in prioritizing Slack activities. Harris anticipates that the tool will shift employees from a reactive to a proactive work approach.

According to Harris, 'Slack remains the hub of work. We will keep addressing productivity challenges to ensure our team becomes increasingly efficient.'

He offers advice on making the most of the new Slackbot: be precise about the context, audience, and expected outcomes in your prompts. He also advises cross-referencing the generated information with other data sources, offering the bot feedback, and rigorously reviewing its output before sharing with others.