2 Lessons From 37Signals

There are two interlinked ideas contained in a recent video interview with Jason Fried, founder of 37Signals:

• Creating distance from others enhances productivity.
• Geographically decentralized teams work well together.

The 8 employees of 37Signals, a web-based applications company claiming 1 million users, are distributed around the globe. And the members that are located in the same office in Chicago are conscious of the fact that “proximity is an invitation to interrupt someone.” No wonder it’s so tough to get things done in a typical office environment.

But what does this mean for me?

It means that, since you have more freedom when you are working on your own web projects, strive to limit proximity to people (and things) that will invite distractions. Turn off your cellphone, avoid checking your email and lock yourself in your room. I know that doesn’t sound pleasant, but you will feel great about how productive your time can be. Afterward you will be in a better mood for spending quality time with the people you care about.

During the interview, Fried mentions that he views distributed teams as becoming more popular. Being able to choose who you work with is another magnificent freedom of working on your own web projects. Within a company, you are mainly limited to working with the people at that company. And oftentimes you’re going to find yourself to be the best of the bunch.

But you’ve got this great idea for a new website you want to flesh out. Only you’re a designer and you need a programmer to work out the coding. You have a friend in Massachusetts that programs, but you’re in California. No problem! Of course the Internet makes that kind of long-distance teamwork possible and Fried points out that it may be more conducive for producing better work faster.

Click the video screenshot below to watch the full interview (offsite).