Founder says instant WhatsApp replies kill deep work: ‘You can’t work while answering non-priority questions’

In today’s fast-paced work culture, replying instantly to messages is often seen as a badge of dedication. But one founder recently warned that this habit may be quietly destroying creativity and focus.Mahavir Chopra, founder of Beshak.org, shared his thoughts on X. (Mahavir Chopra/X)Mahavir Chopra, founder of Beshak.org, shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) with a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation with one of his employees.“I hate instant WhatsApp replies from my team. Yes, I know the general rule I hear is boss ko priority dena padta hain,” the caption of the post reads.One of Chopra’s employees replied almost immediately to a message, even after Chopra said it wasn’t that urgent. The employee explained that in their previous organisation, quick responses had been mandatory.Chopra pointed out that while fast replies may feel necessary, they make truly exceptional, creative work impossible. “It’s humanly impossible to do really exceptional work, specifically creative work, while your notifications are on,” he wrote.Instant replies block real work:In his post, Chopra criticised the culture of constant availability, particularly for non-priority questions.“People replying in microseconds on WhatsApp usually keep checking their phone, or worse, have notifications enabled on their desktop (WOW!). You just can’t do deep work, creative work, while you are checking your phone,” the post adds.Chopra argued that constantly checking messages breaks focus and prevents employees from achieving high-quality results.“And if you are still doing good work, you have even more incentive to stop the notifications and be the genius you are.”He also added a note for employees facing bosses who demand minute–minute replies. “If your boss inss on minute–minute replies and you’re not in a role like customer support that demands instant response, it might be time to find a new boss, ”he adds.HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when he responds.Here’s how people reacted to the post:The post drew widespread attention online. One of the users commented, “You’re using the wrong tool if you want to prioritise async and threads.”A second user commented, “Today you criticise instant replies as unproductive; tomorrow, if notifications are off, you’d call, which is unprofessional and leaves no written record.”“I hate bosses who use WhatsApp to communicate in the first place,” another user commented.