knowledging

MRM (Mention Response Mode)

Summary

• When we receive mentions, they come with “reply tasks” and the stress of “waiting for progress.”
• The latter, the stress, is something we can’t ignore, so we’ve developed a technique to alleviate it.
• That technique is MRM (Mention Response Mode).
  • You define a mode (how quickly you’ll respond to mentions) and make it clear which mode you are in.
  • This clarifies “by when you should respond,” which reduces stress. It also allows you to measure how many mentions you handle or fail to handle in each mode, making adjustments easier.

Background

The overwhelm of mentions

We probably use Slack, and many of us are likely overwhelmed by a flurry of mentions. Isn’t that true for you as well?

Mentions accumulate stress more than we expect and decrease productivity

If you have 10 mentions you haven’t responded to yet, would you say you have 10 tasks of “replying”?

The answer is No.

It’s a greater burden than merely having 10 reply tasks. Consciously or unconsciously, you’re likely making constant judgments like the following:

• Oh, I need to get back to this soon. I’ll do it later, later…
• This person is still not making much sense, right? It’s okay to ignore it, right?
• This is important, but the message was broad, and I think someone else will pick it up, so I’ll have to pass!

And, with the number of judgment calls made but still tasks that haven’t been replied to, you end up with anxiety about progress or outcomes. You bear not only the tasks but also the anxiety. In clearer terms, it’s stress.

These are, of course, a “weakening effect” itself, and the more you bear, the more drained you become. Can you really be productive in such a state?

We need techniques to reduce mention-induced stress

While reducing mentions themselves might be difficult, we can reduce the stress associated with them.

I have been researching techniques for this purpose, and today I’d like to introduce a completed one.

Mention Response Mode

Mention Response Mode (MRM) refers to determining by when you respond to mentions.

How It Works

You define response patterns as modes. Here are some examples:

• Lv5: Immediate Mode
  • Respond as soon as possible.
  • (You’re probably chatting synchronously with one or more people.)
• Lv4: One Hour Mode
  • Respond within 60 minutes.
  • (You might be glued to the chat tool.)
• Lv3: Half-Day Mode
  • Respond within half a day.
• Lv2: Few Days Mode
  • Respond within a few days.
• Lv1: Random Mode
  • You may respond immediately, or it may take a few days; you might even not respond.

Then, you declare this mode. You can advertise it like a chat status, or even create a calendar for modes.

Benefits

The benefit of MRM is that it reduces stress related to mentions.

This is because “by when you will respond” is made explicit. Both the sender and the receiver can consider the Response Time specified by the mode, making it straightforward.

Of course, there’s the possibility you might not respond as the mode dictates, but that’s an issue of capacity or practice, which means each person can handle adjustments. Actually, with MRM, you can quantitatively grasp handling capacity, making improvement easier.

Furthermore, since MRM serves as a common language, it makes communication more flexible. For instance, you can adjust by saying, “It seems like Lv3 would be better, so please use Lv3 tomorrow.”