I just read Cal Newport’s fantastic book, Deep Work.
This book argues that, in our distracted world, focus is the new IQ. Deep Work means turning off your phone and closing your inbox (and your door) so you can work in a distraction-free environment. Cultivating this regular habit, for hours at a time, is how you find flow and produce great work.
Deep, focused work is rare, valuable and meaningful. It allows you to learn new skills quickly, giving you a competitive edge.
Cal explains the importance of Deep Work, tells success stories and gives actionable advice on how to make Deep Work a priority in our lives. Here are some points I want remember from the book.
- Talk to your boss about Deep Work (if you have one).
- It’s meaningful to surrender to the task at hand. Be a craftsman. It’s rewarding and good for the spirit.
- Deep Work is cognitively demanding and we only have so much time for Deep Work per day. The author says four hours is a max, for pros. Beginners should start with one hour and work up to three or four.
- Track your Deep Work hours and circle milestones. Put the record up somewhere you can’t ignore, like next to your computer. Look for patterns. For example, why was this a good week? What could I improve?
- Lag times show what happened, when it’s too late to change an event. Lead times allow you control what’s coming. For example, if you want to increase bakery sales, give out free samples now. That’s your lead. Leads are more influential than lags.
- Make a lead plan for each day, around at least 3 hours of Deep Work if possible. At the end of each work day, look over incomplete tasks and upcoming goals and reschedule for the following day.
- Stop work at the end of the work day! Don’t check emails or stew over matters in the evening. This is draining and counterproductive. Let your subconscious mind take over and your attention will recharge. Be present with your family. Relax.
- Don’t embrace a tool, like Facebook, just because it offers some advantages. Weigh the disadvantages too. If the tool, such as social media, is keeping you distracted, it might be robbing you of Deep Work potential, which could outweigh the advantages.
- Embrace boredom. Don’t train your brain to be distracted all the time. We should be able to stand in line without checking our smartphones.
- Collaboration can be great if it’s distraction-free. Just make sure you don’t devolve into time-wasting.
- There are different ways to schedule Deep Work in your life.
- Be in a perpetual, unreachable state (for the lucky few whose careers allow this).
- Take part of the year off, like novelists or Jung and do your Deep Work during those weeks/months (still not feasible for most of us).
- Schedule Deep Work in a steady, daily or weekly rhythm (like the Seinfeld Chain or an early riser).
- Take each week as it comes, scheduling time around meetings, etc, on the fly. Expect curve balls and be ready to reschedule as life happens. This approach requires the most discipline.
As a husband and father of two, I want to make the most of my time. If you’re looking to increase your productivity and find more meaningful flow in your work, I highly recommend this book.
published .
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