--- title: "The100: Improving focus, the world’s oldest companies and Boris Becker" description: In the spirit of a New Mexican monk Email has long siphoned my focus into a cavity of distraction.  Yet I’m not convinced that burning my inbox is the sea-parting solution many have been calling for. Not just because I’d have a hard time setting my laptop on fire, but we’d also simply replace it … image: https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/The100%20Banners%20(1920%20x%201080%20px)%20-%202025-12-16T152301.216.png --- [![Bombayworks logotype](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/wmt-logo_inverse.svg "Bombayworks logotype")](https://watchmethink.com/) - [What we do](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Watch Me Explore](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-explore) - [Watch Me Develop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-develop) - [Watch Me Use](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-use) - [Watch Me Shop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-shop) - [Who it's for](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Consumer Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-insights) - [Shopper Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/shopper-insights) - [Category Management](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/category-mangement) - [Innovation & Product Development](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/innovation) - [Sensory & Consumer Science](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-science) - [Packaging](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/packaging) - [Marketing](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/marketing) - [About](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [The 100 Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Contact](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/dashboard) - [Sign up](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Corporate users](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Request registration here](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - [Get paid to review products](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) Menu # The100: Improving focus, the world’s oldest companies and Boris Becker - Home - [Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) - The100: Improving focus, the world’s oldest companies and Boris Becker - [Blog home /](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) [Alistair Vince](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/alistair-vince) 05/07/2021 [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) [0 Comments](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-improving-focus-the-worlds-oldest-companies-and-boris-becker#postComment) 2 Minutes --- ## **In the spirit of a New Mexican monk** Email has long siphoned my focus into a cavity of distraction.  Yet I’m not convinced that burning my inbox is the sea-parting solution many have been calling for. Not just because I’d have a hard time setting my laptop on fire, but we’d also simply replace it with something else (Slack, I’m looking at you). Oliver Burkeman, however, has a more practical monk-certified way to [manage our focus: ](https://www.oliverburkeman.com/so/14NZw7Z67?#/main) > Ringfence three or four hours of undisturbed focus \[…\] Drop the perfectionistic notion that emails, meetings, digital distractions and other interruptions ought ideally to be whittled away to practically nothing. Just focus on protecting four hours – and don’t worry if the rest of the day is characterised by the usual scattered chaos ## **More phone booths** Many offices are taking the Prius approach to reopening their doors, with a hybrid mix of office and home based working. But, according to the Financial Times, [companies need to issue clear guidance for this method to work.](https://www.ft.com/content/f568997c-513c-48b0-8422-fabacda46418)  > For meetings with workers who are split between home and the office, Quora \[…\] is recommending that everyone joins meetings from their own laptop \[no matter their location\]. Adam D’Angelo, Quora’s CEO, says it ‘is a much better experience for everyone in the meeting since they can see everyone’s face clearly, ensures everyone is on a level playing field … and prevents the side conversations and crosstalk that make remote employees feel excluded’. We’re tinkering with dedicated days for in person activities here at WMT Towers. What’s the Great Return looking like for you, if at all? ## **“Nothing fancy, though we did have snow leopard decor”** Now both of these are properly fascinating…  The team at Rest of the World spoke to and photographed people from 9 different countries about [what it’s been like working from home.](https://restofworld.org/2021/heres-what-working-from-home-looks-like/) Whilst Paula Zuccotti asked folk from around the world to photograph their [15 lockdown essentials.](https://lockdownessentials.org/)  ![](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/uAw7C4fd4czWqUcao0Yxs8UhVZV8WKNCn6nmT-QXP8oEp9sRuxLSWdUQbWHFVGU0KDRMJ426O1bayHuNHMB6-Cwzhw7cARvhdFpycetGTZfwHNqO9lxQLPYpfMVz7OCqY9K1MGO8-1.png) Apples. Apples everywhere.  I binned off my Mac a couple of years ago now, but I still enjoyed this on the [Mac Chimes of Death.](https://512pixels.net/2021/04/mac-chimes-of-death/) And if you know the Mac startup sound, try listening to ‘A Day in the Life’ by the Beatles. Apparently the final cord at 4m 20 inspired it (h/t Ian Leslie). Niche. Love it. ## **Thank goodness my phone wasn’t charged** Carolyn Barclay spent [6 hrs in hospital with a phone that had run out of charge.](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/24-remaining-carolyn-barclay-/)  Somehow she lived to tell the tale.  Those 6 hours became a window into the world, a people-watching-marathon without distraction. It’s a good story. I’m actually quite envious, minus the busted chin.  ## **Kongō Gumi Co., Ltd.** A map! Again! Yay! This one shows the [oldest companies that are still in existence](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/oldest-companies/) in (almost) every country around the world.  It appears longevity in business is linked to banks and booze.  ## **Reading Becker** And finally, Andre Agassi looked at [Boris Becker’s tongue](https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1387758939534675972) to determine what way he was going to serve. It’s not only the brilliance of identifying that behaviour, but the skill in not revealing it or using that knowledge all the time. Magnificent. --- #### Tag: [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-improving-focus-the-worlds-oldest-companies-and-boris-becker) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-improving-focus-the-worlds-oldest-companies-and-boris-becker&text=The100:%20Improving%20focus,%20the%20world’s%20oldest%20companies%20and%20Boris%20Becker) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-improving-focus-the-worlds-oldest-companies-and-boris-becker) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-improving-focus-the-worlds-oldest-companies-and-boris-becker&text=The100:%20Improving%20focus,%20the%20world’s%20oldest%20companies%20and%20Boris%20Beckerdescription=In%20the%20spirit%20of%20a%20New%20Mexican%20monk%20Email%20has%20long%20siphoned%20my%20focus%20into%20a%20cavity%20of%20distraction.&media=https://3461170.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3461170/The100%20Banners%20%281920%20x%201080%20px%29%20-%202025-12-16T152301.216.png) --- --- ## From the archives If you like The100, maybe even found it vaguely enjoyable (steady now), you can have a ganders at our previous issues. Fill your boots. [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) 19 September, 2025 #### [The100: Uber’s research playbook, online delivery models and polyphonic ringtones](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-ubers-research-playbook-online-delivery-models-and-polyphonic-ringtones) UberCool Back in 2017, Uber had a problem. Passengers were so unhappy with UberPool that Uber… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-ubers-research-playbook-online-delivery-models-and-polyphonic-ringtones) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) 05 September, 2025 #### [The100: Expanding time, talking to animals and Chile’s Atacama Desert](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-expanding-time-talking-to-animals-and-chiles-atacama-desert) SharkNinja’s $16B+ Product Machine SharkNinja must see more launches than a shipyard. Each year… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-expanding-time-talking-to-animals-and-chiles-atacama-desert) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) 22 August, 2025 #### [The100: The price of American made, judgement economies and 1880s hipsters](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-the-price-of-american-made-judgement-economies-and-1880s-hipsters) Does your brand need to be polarising to be successful? 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