Rory Sutherland

So you might argue that that's true of things, you know, I mean, I've always wondered about technologies like the typewriter where I can't really see, okay, there's an advantage in legibility over handwriting. But for a period of about 40 or 50 years, people would write a note. This is how it worked in business. I'm not making this up, OK?

So you might argue that that's true of things, you know, I mean, I've always wondered about technologies like the typewriter where I can't really see, okay, there's an advantage in legibility over handwriting. But for a period of about 40 or 50 years, people would write a note. This is how it worked in business. I'm not making this up, OK?

So you might argue that that's true of things, you know, I mean, I've always wondered about technologies like the typewriter where I can't really see, okay, there's an advantage in legibility over handwriting. But for a period of about 40 or 50 years, people would write a note. This is how it worked in business. I'm not making this up, OK?

In the 70s in Ogilvy, there was a typing pool, which was a lot of people who you would hand them a handwritten note and they'd type it up so that you could then send it on to your client. And then typically there was always a mistake. So you then had to send it back and have it typed. There were no word processors then. So the whole thing had to start all over again from scratch.

In the 70s in Ogilvy, there was a typing pool, which was a lot of people who you would hand them a handwritten note and they'd type it up so that you could then send it on to your client. And then typically there was always a mistake. So you then had to send it back and have it typed. There were no word processors then. So the whole thing had to start all over again from scratch.

In the 70s in Ogilvy, there was a typing pool, which was a lot of people who you would hand them a handwritten note and they'd type it up so that you could then send it on to your client. And then typically there was always a mistake. So you then had to send it back and have it typed. There were no word processors then. So the whole thing had to start all over again from scratch.

And the question you've got to ask there is, was that simply because you weren't a serious business unless you sent typewritten communication? Signaling. In other words, you couldn't, as a solicitor's firm or as a Unilever or whatever, you couldn't send handwritten notes because it simply looked unprofessional. So everything had to be typed.

And the question you've got to ask there is, was that simply because you weren't a serious business unless you sent typewritten communication? Signaling. In other words, you couldn't, as a solicitor's firm or as a Unilever or whatever, you couldn't send handwritten notes because it simply looked unprofessional. So everything had to be typed.

And the question you've got to ask there is, was that simply because you weren't a serious business unless you sent typewritten communication? Signaling. In other words, you couldn't, as a solicitor's firm or as a Unilever or whatever, you couldn't send handwritten notes because it simply looked unprofessional. So everything had to be typed.

Now, there may have been something to do with carbon paper and copying, which had some particular role, which made typing desirable. But it's an interesting question because no one could really consider that typing added to productivity. Quite the opposite. It meant that every communication producing anything was painful. The only benefit it may have had is it kept the volume of communication low.

Now, there may have been something to do with carbon paper and copying, which had some particular role, which made typing desirable. But it's an interesting question because no one could really consider that typing added to productivity. Quite the opposite. It meant that every communication producing anything was painful. The only benefit it may have had is it kept the volume of communication low.

Now, there may have been something to do with carbon paper and copying, which had some particular role, which made typing desirable. But it's an interesting question because no one could really consider that typing added to productivity. Quite the opposite. It meant that every communication producing anything was painful. The only benefit it may have had is it kept the volume of communication low.

Because it was so effortful. Whereas email, the cost of actually sending an email to 100 people is far too low.

Because it was so effortful. Whereas email, the cost of actually sending an email to 100 people is far too low.

Because it was so effortful. Whereas email, the cost of actually sending an email to 100 people is far too low.

So it's not really to do with productivity, but there are people, I mean, someone in my company I won't name was driven practically insane by the fact that the Netflix CEO revealed that there was a spike in Netflix viewing between 12 and 1 in many countries. Lunchtime. Now, first of all, it's lunchtime. Okay. You know.

So it's not really to do with productivity, but there are people, I mean, someone in my company I won't name was driven practically insane by the fact that the Netflix CEO revealed that there was a spike in Netflix viewing between 12 and 1 in many countries. Lunchtime. Now, first of all, it's lunchtime. Okay. You know.

So it's not really to do with productivity, but there are people, I mean, someone in my company I won't name was driven practically insane by the fact that the Netflix CEO revealed that there was a spike in Netflix viewing between 12 and 1 in many countries. Lunchtime. Now, first of all, it's lunchtime. Okay. You know.

It's accepted that people have a break if they want to chill out by having a sandwich in front of Netflix rather than wandering around to Pratt. It doesn't bother me personally. But also, I would argue that a lot of people would be much more productive in work if they started work early, took a three-hour break in the middle of the day, and then worked later.

It's accepted that people have a break if they want to chill out by having a sandwich in front of Netflix rather than wandering around to Pratt. It doesn't bother me personally. But also, I would argue that a lot of people would be much more productive in work if they started work early, took a three-hour break in the middle of the day, and then worked later.