Just finished reading the book "Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World" by Cal Newport.
We live in a hyperconnected world and an overwhelming majority of you reading this post is a knowledge worker (meaning your main currency is knowledge and you may be an academic or a consultant, a marketer, a lawyer, a programmer or an architect). A large part of your job involves some form of problem solving enabled by one or more internet connected devices, meetings with colleagues and customers, responding to emails and more often now Instant messages.
In the first part of the book, Cal explains how in today's hyperconnected world, most if not all of us suffer from a certain form of low attention span due to constant distractions due to the many mundane distractions ranging from emails, internet browsing and the never ending notifications from the many many addictive apps and social media. He makes a solid argument for why it is important to do Deep Work so that we can produce truly impactful and meaningful work, no matter what our profession is. Despair not, you are not alone, as Cal explains that 'Deep Work' is really very rare and it is high time (he wrote this book in pre-pandemic 2016) we start attaching a premium on our time.
Cal gives us four broad steps with detailed strategies on how we can get back to a mode of 'Deep Work' and deliver more value in whatever we do in life.
#1 - Work Deeply: Interruptions in work deeply affect productivity, hence schedule and dedicate time for deep undisturbed working. A minimum 90 minute monastic disconnected work can do wonders. Even the best can't do more than 4 hours of deep work. Sounds difficult but not impossible !
#2 - Embrace Boredom: If your brain really needs to be ready for effective deep-work embrace boredom. Next time you are commuting or standing in a line do not open your mobile and mindlessly scroll. Importantly schedule time for mindless browsing . E.g. 15 mins browsing after a 90 mins of work. Difficult but not impossible!
#3 - Quit Social Media: Those who are not in social media are not luddites. Everything digital doesn't mean useful or productive. Social media is single handedly responsible for our wavering minds looking for digital stimuli. Do not to use the internet to entertain yourselves. The most difficult to adopt !
#4 - Drain the Shallows: Take conscious efforts to reduce the shallow parts of your work life. Have a broad plan for how you will spend your day. The idea is not to regiment yourself but to put a premium on your time so that you can maximize your 'Deep Work' quotient. Difficult but not impossible!
Each one of us needs to figure out a 'Deep Work' solution for ourselves, an approach that is sustainable and will ensure that we do not lose our most valuable gift, 'Time' to distractions and digital stimuli. Also worth checking is Rajan Singh's HabitStrong that helps people acquire 'Deep Work' skills.
