Busyness as proxy for productivity

Point: When everyone is in the same room, people are motivated to work more because other people can see what they’re doing.

Counterpoint: This is a terrible way to judge performance. Managers who value the physical location of their employees do so because they have no real way or ability to measure output. If you’re judging someone’s value by how busy they appear, good luck getting an accurate reading.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World