3 Tech Executives Share How They Reset and Turn to Deep Thinking

In a world of incessant distractions and pings, it can feel harder than ever to stay locked in on one task.

Three executives from Slack, EY, and Superhuman shared how they reset to make room for deep thinking amid stacked calendars.

The common theme: Whether they’re putting their phones away or changing rooms, they all said that finding a way to physically disconnect from distractions helps them focus on the task at hand.

Parker Harris, CTO Slack

Slack’s chief technology officer, Parker Harris, said that when he needs to focus on a single task and remove distractions, he turns off the sound of his notifications “completely off.” The CTO said he also flips his phone over so he isn’t tempted to look at it.

“I hate that knock sound or any other sound,” Harris said about notifications in general.

Harris said even outside those situations, he typically keeps his notifications on. However, he doesn’t necessarily “jump straight” to addressing every individual message he receives, given he works in an “interrupt-driven” environment.

“We all need to find a way to concentrate,” Harris said.

Joe Depa, EY global chief innovation officer

EY’s global chief innovation officer said if he has to do some “really deep thinking,” which may include pondering strategy or preparing for a presentation, he’ll often go for a walk or run outdoors. Depa said he also likes playing soccer and coaches his son’s sports teams. The executive said getting outside removes him from his computer and other devices, and allows him to “just think.”

Depa said if he has too much back-to-back travel or too many interviews, his brain will “get fried.” He said having some kind of balance is key to preventing getting into that state.

“You need to have that rest,” Depa said.

Shishir Mehrotra, Superhuman CEO

Shishir Mehrotra, the CEO of AI productivity suite Superhuman, said that “changing physical locations is very helpful” for resetting, and that people “underestimate” the benefit of going for a walk.

Mehrotra also said he tries to avoid certain “fidgets,” which he described as something people use when they need to “erase” their brain, or “cleanse their palette.”

“The fidget I try to avoid is social media,” Mehrotra said. “That’s the one that is inescapable.”

Instead, he said he likes to pick “brainy collaborative games,” especially ones that he can play with family, like Scrabble or The New York Times’ Crossplay.

He also likes listening to podcasts when he’s in the car. He said he’s especially into the show “Acquired,” which offers hours of retrospectives on famous companies, like LVMH and Google. He said if he’s going to choose something to cleanse his palette, he would rather it be something healthier that doesn’t feel like a complete waste of time.

“Pick good palate cleansers that you feel good about,” Mehrotra said.