37signals Founder: Offices Are Bad for Work

One of the strangest aspects of making the transition from school to office life is discovering exactly how little work you get done at work. Sure, your loud roommates might be tromping through your dorm day and night with friends and a six-pack, but at the end of the day at college, most of us could shut our door or head to the library and concentrate. Not so with offices. Good luck doing anything as sustained as writing a 20-page paper with ever-present Outlook pop-ups and that guy in the cubicle next door.

With people constantly calling and scheduling meetings, maybe it was shocking to you when you first entered the corporate world exactly how hard it was to get into a zone and finish anything big. With this video from Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals, that has been doing the rounds on the internet (thanks, Boing Boing) at least now you know you're not alone. And you can also benefit from Fried's tips on limiting distractions and maximizing productivity (no shock that some involve his company's products).