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Deep Work Cal Newport, 2016, 296pp

A Summary

Introduction Deepworkistheabilitytofocuswithoutdistractiononacognitively-demandingtask.Deepworkwillhelpyoudomoreinlesstimeandhelpyoumasterhardskillsfast.Itleadstoworkoflastingvalueandishardtoreplicate.Itisakintoasuperpowerintoday’sdemandingcompetitiveeconomy.Leadingscientificandartisticmindshaveconsistentlyuseddeepworktoproduceoutputatspeedandquality.Incontrast,today’sknowledgeworkers,theirattentionfragmentedwitheasyaccesstonetworktools(termCalNewportusestorefertosocialmediaandcommunicationtoolssuchasemail,IMetc)areunabletododeepwork.Theyendupdoingshallowwork-non-cognitivelydemandingtasks,usuallyoflogisticalnature,oftenperformedwhiledistracted.Suchworkdoesnotcreateanynewvalueandiseasytoreplicate.NealStephenson:“IfIorganizemylifeinsuchawaythatIgetlotsoflong,consecutive,uninterruptedtime-chunks,Icanwritenovels.Butasthosechunksgetseparatedandfragmented,myproductivityasanovelistdropsspectacularly.Whatreplacesit?Insteadofanovelthatwillbearoundforalongtime,andthatwill,withluck,bereadbymanypeople,thereisabunchofe-mailmessagesthatIhavesentouttoindividualpersons.”http://www.nealstephenson.com/why-i-am-a-bad-correspondent.htmlTheabilitytododeepworkisbecomingrare,atexactlythesametime,itisbecomingvaluableintheeconomy.Thosefewwhocultivatethisskillandmakeitthecoreoftheirworkinglifewillthrive.

Part I: The Idea Chapter1:DeepworkisvaluableTheworldofintelligentmachinesisuponus,andasthegapbetweenhumanabilitiesandmachineabilitiesnarrow,wewillincreasinglyfindourselvesatriskofbecomingirrelevant.Threegroupsofpeoplearepoisedtosucceedinthisnewworld

• Thosewhoaregoodatworkingwithintelligentmachines.• Superstarperformersinanyfield.• Ownersofcapital,orthosewithaccesstoit.

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Tobecomeamemberofoneofthefirsttwogroups,youneedtwocoreabilities1. Theabilitytoquicklymasterhardthings.2. Theabilitytoproduceatanelitelevel,intermsofbothqualityandspeed

Thetwocoreabilitiesabovedependonyourabilitytoperformdeepwork.LearninganddeepworkTolearnrequiresintenseconcentration,andrequireswhatperformancepsychologyprofessorKAndersEricssonreferstoasdeliberatepractice,whereyoupracticewithcontinuousfeedbackforasustainedperiodintheabsenceofdistraction,togainexpertskills.Deliberatepracticeworksbecause,bypracticingaparticularskillrepeatedly,youareforcingaparticularcircuitorneuralpathwaytofirecontinuously,therebyleadingtothetriggeringofcellscalledoligodendrocytestowraplayersofmyelin-alayeroffattytissuethatgrowsaroundneurons,actinglikeaninsulatorallowingthecellstofirefasterandcleaner-thuscementingtheskill.Tobegreatatsomethingistobewell-myelinated!Youneedtofocusintenselywhileavoidingdistractionbecausethisistheonlywaytoisolatetherelevantneuralcircuitenoughtotriggerusefulmyelination.Incontrast,ifyoutrytomasteranewskillwithdistractionsavailable(saywithanopenfacebookfeed),youarefiringtoomanycircuitssimultaneouslyandhaphazardlytoisolatethegroupofneuronsyouwanttoactuallystrengthen.ProducinganddeepworkThebatchingofhardbutimportantintellectualworkintolong,uninterruptedstretchesiskeytohighproductivity.ThelawofproductivitymaythusbestatedasHigh-qualityworkproduced=(Timespent)X(Intensityoffocus).Thereasonwhybatchingmattersisbecauseofattentionresidue.WhenyouswitchfromsomeTaskAtoanotherTaskB,yourattentiondoesn’timmediatelyfollow-aresidueofyourattentionremainsstuckthinkingabouttheoriginaltask.Peopleexperiencingattentionresidueafterswitchingtasksarelikelytodemonstratepoorperformanceonthenexttask.Thisexplainswhytheintensityoffocusiscritical-byworkingonasingletaskhardforalongtimewithoutswitching,wecanminimizethenegativeimpactofattentionresidue,thusmaximizingperformanceonthisonesingletask.Thephenomenonofattentionresiduealsoexplainswhymulti-taskingisdetrimentaltoproductivity.Thus,toproduceatyourpeaklevel,youneedtoworkforextendedperiodswithfullconcentrationonasingletaskfreefromdistraction.Effectively,thetypeofworkthatoptimizesyourperformanceisdeepwork.

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ShouldCEOsdodeepwork?AgoodCEOisahard-to-automatedecisionengine-theyhavebuiltupuniqueperspectiveandexperiencewhichtheyleveragetocontinuouslyaddvalueorweighoninputstheyarepresentedthroughtheday-inputssuchasmeetings,emails,sitevisitsetc.ToaskaCEOtospendfourhoursthinkingdeeplyaboutaproblemisawasteofwhatmakeshim/hervaluable.BetterfortheCEOtohirethreesubordinatestothinkthroughtheproblemandthengetthemtobringtheirsolutionstohimforafinaldecision.Thusdeepworkisnottheonlyskillvaluableinoureconomy,anditispossibletodowellwithoutfosteringthisability,butthenicheswherethisisadvisableareincreasinglyrare.[Sajith-EveryCEOkickstartsorrunscertainlykeytransformationalprojects,whichisthelegacyheorshewantstoleavebehind.ThisinsomewaysistheequivalentofdeepworkfortheCEO.]Chapter2:DeepworkisrareThreebusinesstrendsmakeithardforustogodeep.Theseareopenplanoffices,theriseofinstantmessaging(includingappslikeslackwhichencouragereal-timecollaboration)andthepushtomaintainasocialmediapresence(especiallytwitter).Thebenefitsofserendipity,real-timecollaborationandenhancedexposurethatthesetrendsaremeanttodriveareinrealitydwarfedbythedeclineinbeingabletolearnfastandproducingalargevolumeofworkofhighquality(whichgoingdeepenables).Inadditiontotheabovetrends,wealsofindcertaindistractingbehavioursembracedintheworkplace.Onesuchbeingthecultureofconnectivitywhereweareexpectedtorespondtoemailsandmessagesquicklyandatalltimes.Anotherdistractingbehaviourisusingfrequentlyoccurringmeetingsasawaytoorganizeyourdayanddrivefocusonprojects.Insteadofadvanceplanningandthinkingthroughwhatisrequired,welettheimpendingmeetingseachweekforceustotakesomeactionortheotheronagivenprojectandprovideavisiblesignofprogress.Deepwork(thinkingandplanninginadvance)ishard;shallowwork(fixingmeetingsandlettingthemscheduleyourday)isfareasier.Asknowledgeworkmakesmorecomplexdemandsoftheworkforce,itbecomeshardertomeasurethevalueofanindividual’sefforts.Intheabsenceofsuchmeasures,inorderforknowledgeworkerstodemonstratevalue,busyness-doinglotsofstuffinavisiblemanner-hasbecomeaproxyforproductivity.Almostalwayswecelebrateanyadvancesintechnologyasapositive.Ifitishigh-tech,webegintoassumethatitisgood.NeilPostman,thelatecommunicationtheorist,referredtothisasatechnopoly.Deepworkisatadisadvantageinatechnopolybecauseitbuildsonvalueslikequality,craftsmanshipandmastery,thataredecidedlyold-fashionedandnon-technological.Itisdifficulttodemonstratethenegativeimpactofourbusyness,andotherrelatedbehaviours,suchasexcessiveuseofnetworktoolsorusingmeetingstoschedulethe

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day.Newportreferstothisasametricsblackhole.Intheabsenceofanymetrics,andgivenhoweasyitistopersistwiththesebehaviours,wetendtostickwithitattheexpenseofdeepwork.Alloftheabovemakedeepworkincreasinglyrareinmodernlife,evenaswecanseefromtheearlierchapterthatitisbecomingincreasinglyvaluabletosucceedinmodernlife.Thisrepresentsaclassicmarketmismatch.Ifyoucultivatethisskill,youwillthriveprofessionally.Chapter3:DeepworkismeaningfulUnlikecraftsmenwhotackleprofessionalchallengesthatareeasytodefine,buthardtoexecute,inthecaseofknowledgeworkersitcanbehardtodefineexactlywhataknowledgeworkerdoesandhowitdiffersfromanother.Itallseemstoboildowntoemailsandpowerpoint.Furthercraftsmencanderiveconsiderablemeaningandsatisfactionfromtheirmanual(deep)work.Canknowledgeworkersobtainasmuchsatisfactionfromtheirworkascraftsmen?Yes,saysNewport.Knowledgeworkerscandrawasmuchsatisfactionfromtheirdeepworkintheinformationeconomy,astheircraftsmencounterpartsdowiththeircraftwork.Newportexploresthreeargumentstosupportthisclaim.NeurologicalargumentNewportsuggestsatheorypropoundedbyWinifredGallaghertosupporttheneurologicalargument.Themorefocussedweareonadeependeavour,thelesswenoticesmallerandlesspleasantthingsthatpopulateourlives.Ourworldistheoutcomeofwhatwepayattentionto,anddedicatingittosomethingprofoundanddeep,willcreateaworldrichinmeaningandimportance.Themoretimewespendinastateofdepthdedicatedtoimportantideasandwork,thegreaterthemeaningandsatisfactionyouwillassociatewithyourworkinglife.PsychologicalargumentNewportintroducestheideaofflow,conceptualizedbypsychologistMihailCsikzentmihalyi.Flowisamentalstatewhereaperson’sbodyormindisstretchedtoitslimitsinavoluntaryefforttoaccomplishsomethinghardandworthwhile.Cziksentmihalyifoundthatthemorethenumberofflowexperiencesinasubject’sweek,thehigherwashislifesatisfactionandhappiness.Thiswascontrarytothethenwidely-heldnotionthatrelaxationmakespeoplehappy.Deepwork-whereyouaresofocusedthatyouloseyourselfinanactivity-iswell-suitedtogenerateaflowstate.Andflowgenerateshappiness.PhilosophicalargumentNewportbuildonanargumentintroducedbyphilosophyprofessorsHubertDreyfussandSeanKelly,whowriteabouthowmodernworkisincreasinglyabsentmeaning,whereascraftsmanshiphadadeepconnectwithit.Deepwork,saysNewport,withitssimilaritiestocraftworkcanhelpextractmeaningfromyour

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profession,andimbueitwithsomethingsacredandpurposeful,makingyourworkasatisfyingpursuit,andnotadrainingobligation.NewportusesaquotebyWinifredGallagher,“I’lllivethefocusedlife,becauseit’sthebestkindthereis.”tosumuptheargumentofthischapter,andofPartImorebroadly:adeeplifeisagoodlife,anywayyoulookatit.

Part II: The RULES Inthissectionofthebook,Newportlaysdownfourrulesthatcanhelpusdosustaineddeepwork.Rule#1detailshowwecanbridgethegapbetweenaworldwhichmakesdeepworkdifficult(withitsopenplanoffices,pressuretousenetworktools,andacultureofshallowwork)andyourownaspirationtododeepwork.Howdoesonetransformdeepworkfromanaspirationintoaregularandsignificantpartofyourdailyschedule?Howdoesonebecomeadiscipleofdepthinashallowworld?Rules#2through#4willthenhelpyougetthemostoutofthisdeepworkhabitbypresenting,amongotherthings,strategiesfortrainingyourconcentrationabilityandfightingbackdistractions.Rule#1:WorkDeeplyWecanbeexpectedtobebombardedthroughoutthedaywiththedesiretodoanythingbutworkdeeply.Giventhatwehaveafiniteamountofwillpowerthatgetsdepletedasweuseit,andanenvironmentandculturethatmakesdeepworkdifficult,wehavetorelyonakeymotivatingprinciple.Wehavetoaddsmartroutinesandritualstoourworkinglifethataredesignedtominimizetheamountofourlimitedwillpowernecessarytotransitionintoandmaintainunbrokenconcentration.Withthisprincipleinmind,Newportlaysdownstrategiesthatintroduceritualsandroutinestoenableustododeepworkonasustainedbasis.DecideyourdepthphilosophyTherearebroadlyfourapproachestosystematicallycarvingouttimefordeepwork.(Adhocapproachestocarvingouttimedontworkbecauseoflimitedwillpowerandattentionresidue.)Becarefultochoseanapproachthatfitsyourspecificcircumstance. A B C D1 Approaches Howitworks Famous

ExemplarsWhoisitfor?

2 Monasticapproach

Cutyourselftotallyallthetimewhileyoufocusonyourwork.Noshallowobligations

DonaldKnuth,NealStephenson.

Idealfornovelists,artistswhoseworkisdiscrete(chunksize)and

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includingnoemailaccess.

individualized.

3 Bimodalapproach

Someperiodsofyear(ormonthorweek)allocatedtodeepwork,andtherestformeetingshallow/workobligations.

CarlJung,AdamGrant.

Poeplewhocannotcutthemselvesoffcompletelyfromshallowobligations-suchasacademics,workingprofessionals.

4 Rhythmicapproach

Fixedtimefordeepworkthroughtheday(suchas5-7am)oratspecifictimesduringtheweek(calendaring).Maintainthechainaslongasyoucan.

Idealforworkingprofessionals.Fitnessenthusiasts,writerscanalsousechainapproach.

5 Journalisticapproach

Taketimeoutwheneveryoufindafreeslot.Youcanchosetodothisonamoment-to-momentbasisorlikeNewportdoes,planitforaweekinadvance.

WalterIsaacson

Anyonereally.

RelyonritualsUseritualsandsetroutinestominimizefrictioninyourtransitiontodepth.Suchritualsinclude

• Whereyou’llworkandhowlong-itwillbeidealifyoucancarveoutalocationjustfordeepwork(alsostressedinTheOrganizedMindbyDanielLevitin).Schedulingaspecifictimeofthedayinadvancealsoworksbytakingawaytheneedtousewillpower.

• Howyou’llworkonceyoustarttowork-theseincludedosanddonts-nointernetuseetc.,andevenmetricsbywhichyouwilltrackprogress-numberofwordsperhour,visualindicatorsofprogress(crossesoncalendars)etc.

• Howyou’llsupportyourwork-coffee,music,donotdisturbboardetc;suchthatyoucansustaindepthwithoutinterruption.

UsegrandgesturesThesearetacticssuchascheckingintoahoteltowriteabook-bymakingaradicalchangetoyourworkingenvironment,coupledwithasignificantinvestmentoftimeandmoney,yousignaltoyourbraintheimportanceofthistask.Thisreducesyourbrain’stendencytoprocrastinateanddeliversaninjectionofenergy.BillGates’ThinkWeeksisalsoagoodexample.

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Use4DXprinciplestoexecuteNewportcitesfromabookThe4DisciplinesofExecutionwhichdescribes4disciplines(abbreviated4DX)tohelpcompaniessuccessfullyimplementhigh-levelstrategies.Heappliesthisframeworktoensuringthatheisabletoexecutethedeepworkstrategy.The4DXprinciplesare• Focusonthewildlyimportant:haveasmallnumberofreallycriticalgoals.This

simplicitywillhelpfocustheorganization’senergyatasufficientintensitytoigniterealresults.Similiarly,individualsshouldfocustheirdeepworkhoursonasmallnumberofambitiousoutcomes.Haveaspecificgoalthatwillreturntangibleandsubstantialprofessionalbenefits-thiswillinturnmotivateyoutopersistwithdeepwork.

• Actonleadmeasures:leadmeasureshelpustrackthenewbehavioursthatwilldrivesuccessonthelagmeasures.Incontrastlagmeasuresdescribethethingthatyouareultimatelytryingtoimprove.Lagmeasurescometoolatetochangeyourbehaviour.e.g.,Iflagmeasuresarecustomersatisfactionscores,thengivingfreesamplestocustomersisaleadmeasure.Thisleadmeasurecanbeeasilyactedupon.Forindividualsseekingtododeepwork,timespentisthemostimportantleadmeasure,andqualityofoutputgeneratedisthebestlagmeasure.Focusonuppingyourtimespentinthedeepworkstate.

• Keepacompellingscoreboard:thiswillhelpeveryoneintheteamalignaroundtheprogress,andhowwearedoingontheleadmeasures.Foranindividual,thescoreboardshouldbeaphysicalartifactthatdisplayshisorherperformanceonthecurrentdeepworkhourcount.Newport’strackerofhoursindeepworkisbelow-circlesindicatekeymilestonesuchassolvingaprooforcompletingapaper,correspondingtothehouritwasachievedin.

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• Createacadenceofaccountability:Thefinalsteptohelpmaintainafocuson

theleadmeasuresistoputinplacea“rhythmofregularandfrequentmeetingsofanyteamthatownsawildlyimportantgoal”.Inthismeetingthescoreboardisconfronted,specificactionsareagreed,previousactionsandresultsarereviewedetc.Thiscanbeevenafewminutes,butitmustberegularforitseffecttobefelt.Itisinthisdisciplinethat“executionreallyhappens”

PlanfordowntimeRegularandsubstantialfreedomfromprofessionalobligationsgivesyouaccesstodowntime,andthusopportunityforunconsciousdeliberation.Thisgivesyourconsciousbrainachancetorest,andallowstheunstructureddecisionmakingprocesstotakeoverandprovideinsightstocomplexproblemsandissues,whichisparticularlysuitedtosuchanapproach.Thus,paradoxically,greaterdowntimemakesyourdeepworkhoursmoreproductive.Inaddition,downtimealsohelpsyourechargetheenergyneededtoworkdeeply.Walkingthroughnatureisparticularlyuseful,asitreliesonundirectedattention.Toconcentraterequiresdirectedattention.Thisresourceisfinite:exhaustitandyouwillhaveattentionfatigue,makingitharderforyoutoconcentrate.Yourcapacityfordeepwork(numberofhoursdaily)islimited.Deliberatepractice,aspropoundedbyKAndersEricsson,statesalimitofaround4hoursaday(forexperts).Thisislikelythelimitfordeepworktoo.Ifyouplanyourschedulewell,youwillendupdoingmostofyourdeepworkduringyourworkday,hittingthelimitsofthecapacityfordeepwork.Useashutdownritual(maytake15-30mins)whichwillincludealookatwhatwasdone,whatwasn’t,andeitherexecutingactionsfortheincompleteonesthenandthere,orcapturingaplanforthesame,suchthatitwillberevisitedthenextday.Onlytheconfidencethatyouaredonewithworkuntilthenextdaycanconvinceyourbrainthatitcandownshifttothelevelwhereitcanbegintorechargeforthenextdaytofollow,overcomingtheZeigarnikeffectwhichdescribestheabilityofincompletetaskstodominateourattention.Hencetheshutdownritualiscriticaltosignaltoyourbrainthatyouaredonewithallincompletetaskstilltomorrow.Eveningdowntimeisparticularlycritical.Maintainanendtoyourworkday.Onceyougethome,takeacompletebreakfromwork-noemails,ideallynocallseven.Else,ifyoukeepfocussingonworkwhenhome,youarerobbingyourdirectedattentioncentresoftheuninterruptedresttheyneedforrestoration.Eveniftheseworkdashesconsumeasmallamountoftime,theypreventyoufromreachingthelevelsofrelaxationinwhichattentionrestorationcanoccur.Bytryingtosqueezealittlemoreworkoutofyourevenings,youreduceyoureffectivenessthenextdayenoughthatyouendupgettinglessdonethanifyouhadrespectedashutdown.

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Rule#2:EmbraceboredomTheabilitytoconcentrateintenselyisaskillthatmustbetrained.Itisakintoamentalmuscleandyouneedtocontinuouslypracticetokeepitwell-conditioned.Muchthesamewaythatathletesmusttakecareoftheirbodiesoutsideoftheirtrainingsessions,you’llstruggletoachievethedeepestlevelsofconcentrationifyouspendtherestofyourtimefleeingtheslightesthintofboredom.Donotfeeltheurgetolookatyoursmartphoneeveryfewminutesyouareinalinewaiting.Tosimplywaitandbeboredhasbecomeanovelexperienceinmodernlife,butfromtheperspectiveofconcentrationtraining,itissimplyinvaluable.Ifyougiveintocheckingyoursmartphoneeverytimeyouarebored,yourbrainwillbesorewiredforon-demanddistraction,thatitwillbeincapableofrealwork.Hencealongwithtrainingtoimproveyourabilitytoconcentrateintensely,traintoovercomeyourdesirefordistraction.Someofthestrategiestoachievetheabovetwingoalsare

• Scheduleabreakfromfocus:scheduleinadvancewhenyouwillusetheinternet.Itisnottheuseofadistractingservicethatreducesyourbrain’sabilitytofocus,butitisinsteadtheconstantswitchingfromlow-stimuli/high-valuetohigh-stimuli/low-valueactivitiesattheslightesthintofboredomorcognitivechallenge,thatweakensthementalmusclesresponsiblefororganizingthemanysourcesvyingforyourattention.Bysegregatinginternetuseandtherebydistraction,youareminimizingthenumberoftimesyougiveintodistraction,andbydoingso,youletyourattention-selectingmusclesstrengthen.

o Makesurethatyoudonotuseinternetoutsideoftheseblocks.Evenifyouneedsomeinformationfromtheinternettodosomeofflinework,waittillyoureachinternettime.Elseyouwillneverdevelopthedisciplinerequiredtoregulatetheuse.Scheduleinternetusageathomeaswellasatwork.Youcankeeptheinternetusageblockaslongasyoulike-suchasonaweekendevening-butonceyouareoffline,sticktoit.

o Itisnoteliminatingdistractingbehavioursthatisthegoal-itiseliminatingtheabilityofdistractingbehaviourstohijackyourattentionthatisthegoal.

• UseRooseveltdashes-inspiredbyTeddyRoosevelt’sbriefbutintensestudyperiods-togethighprioritydeeptasks(whichrequirealotofdeepwork)done.Rooseveltdashesleverageartificial(abbreviated)deadlinestohelpyousystematicallyincreasethelevelyoucanregularlyachieve,providing,insomesense,intervaltrainingfortheattentioncentresofyourbrain.Additionallywithintheintenselyconstrainedperiodofthedash,thereisnoscopefordistraction.

• Meditateproductively-takeaperiodinwhichyouareoccupiedphysicallybutnotmentally-walking,joggingetc-focusyourattentiononasinglewell-

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definedprofessionalproblem.Thiscouldbeanything-apresentationtobemade,anarticletobewritten,abusinessstrategythatneedstobehonedetc.Asinmindfulnessmeditation,youmustbringyourattentionbacktotheproblemathandwhenitwandersorstalls.

o Planforatleasttwotothreesessionseveryweek.Youcanevenschedulethisduringyourworkdayifyouaremullingoveraprofessionalproblem.Youmayrequireadozenorsosessionsbeforeityieldsresults.

o Definewhatyouareseekingtoanswerfromthesession.Beclearwhatisitthatyouareseeking.Ifitisreaarticlethatyouarerighting,thendoyouwanttousethesessiontobuildanopeningparaorargument,oruseittoarriveatthekeypointsthatyouareseekingtoelaborateoninthearticle.Thiswillhelpyoustructureyourthinking,andhelpyouarriveatconcreteresultsfromthesession.

Rule#3:QuitsocialmediaIdentifythecorefactorsthatdeterminesuccessandhappinessinyourprofessionalandpersonallife.Adoptanetworktoolsuchasfacebookortwitter,onlyifitspositiveimpactsonthesefactorssubstantiallyoutweighsitsnegativeimpacts.NewportillustratesthisbyaskingifMichaelLewisshouldadopttwitter.Lewis’goalistocraftwell-writtennarrative-drivenstoriesthatchangethewayweseeunderstandandseetheworld.Thekeyactivitiesthatsupporthisgoalareresearchingpatiently&deeply,andwritingcarefully&withpurpose.Theremightbemorebutthesearethetwokeyoneswhichcontributesubstantiallytowardsthatgoal.Wouldusingtwitterhaveapositiveimpactonthetwoactivities,ordetractfromit?.Verylikelythelatter.Similarly,weshouldlookatthecoreactivitiesthatmatterforustoachieveourgoals-whatarethose20%activitiesthathelpusachieve80%ofourgoals-andanalyseifaspecificnetworktoolaidsorimpedesthose20%activities?Tofindoutifonereallyneedstheseservices,youcouldtryavariantofRyanNicodemus’packingparty-whichistostopusingsocialmediaforthirtydays.Subsequentlyafterthesethirtydays,askyourself-1)wouldthelastthirtydayswouldhavebeenbetterifyouhadstartedusingtheseservices?2)didpeoplecarethatiwasn’tusingtheseservices?Iftheanswertoboththesequestionsisno,thenquitthem.Ifbothareayes,thenreturntotheseservices.Ifonlyoneisayes,itisuptoyoutoconsiderandtakeadecision.Thisrulepicksonsocialmediaspecificallybecauseofallthedifferentnetworktools,itcanbeparticularlydevastatingonourquesttoworkdeeper.Theyareaddictiveandextremelydistracting,andareinimicaltooureffortstobuildandstrengthenourpowersofconcentration.Theyareparticularlydangerousforpeoplesuchas

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writersandcomputerprogrammerswhoselivelihooddependsconsiderablyondeepwork.NewportalsorecommendsthatwedesistfromspendingtimeonsitessuchasBuzzfeed,Reddit,HuffPo,BusinessInsideretc.,topassivelyfillourleisuretime.Theseareenemiesofdepth,andimpedimentstobuildingfocus,inmuchthesamewayassocialmedia.Rather,hesays,focusonstructuredhobbiesoracarefullyplannedreadinglisttofillyourleisuretime.Figureoutinadvancewhatyouaregoingtodowithyoureveningsandweekendsbeforetheybegin.Ifyougiveyourmindsomethingmeaningfultodothroughoutallyourwakinghours,you’llendthedaymorefulfilledandbeginthenextonemorerelaxed,thanifyouinsteadallowyourmindtobatheforhoursinsemiconsciousandunstructuredwebsurfing.Rule#4:DraintheshallowsScheduleeveryminuteofyourdaybyusingtimeblocking.

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TheimageaboveshowsmyplanforarandomWednesdayearlierthismonth.Thispageisdividedintotwocolumns.Intheleftcolumn,Idedicatedtwolinestoeachhourofthedayandthendividedthattimeintoblockslabeledwithspecificassignments.Intherightcolumn,Iaddexplanatorynotesfortheseblockswhereneeded.Akeyadvantageoftheaboveschedulingsystemisthatyoucanbatchtaskstogetherintoaspecificsynergistictimeblock-suchasemailing,printing,ticketbookingetc.Whenyouaredonescheduling,everyminuteshouldbepartofablock.Youhavegiveneveryminuteofyourworkdayajob.NoticethatIleavesomeextraroomnexttomytimeblocks.Thisallowsmetomakecorrectionsasneededifthedayunfoldsinanunexpectedway.

Don’tdespairifyouhavetorewriteyourschedulemultipletimes.Yourgoalisnotsomuchtosticktoaspecificscheduleasitistomaintainathoughtfulsayinwhatyou’redoingwithyourschedulegoingforward,evenifthesedecisionsarereworkedagainandagainasthedayunfolds.Ifyouarenotsureaboutthetimetakentofinishanactivity,thenuseanoverflowblock(anadditionalblock)thathasasplituse-onefortheoverflowingjob,second,forifyoufinishtheoverflowingjob,onewhereyoucandosomethingnon-urgent(likecallingsomeone,readinganarticleetc).Feelfreetouselotsofoverflowblocksifyourscheduleistypicallyunpredictable.Newportalsointroducestheconceptoffixed-scheduleproductivity-notworkingbeyondacertaintime,inhiscase5.30pm,andthenworkingbackwardstofindproductivitystrategiesthatallowhimtosatisfythisconstraint.Becausetimeislimitedeachday,youareforcedtocullasubstantialamountofshallowwork.Secondly,thelimitstoyourtimenecessitatecarefulthinkingabout

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yourorganizationalhabits,leadingtogreatervalueversuslongerbutlessorganizedschedules.Fixed-scheduleproductivityisthusameta-habitthatissimpletoadoptbutbroadinitsimpact.Ifyouhavetochoosejustonebehaviourthatreorientsyourfocustowardsthedeep,thisoneshouldbehighonyourlistofpossibilities.Inaddition,Newportlistssomehackstoeliminatingshallowwork.

• Behardtoreach.Don’tdisplayyouremailpublicly.• Makepeoplewhosendyouemaildomorework(usingsenderfilters).In

returndomoreworkwhenyousendemailstoclosetheloopfaster-ifanemailrequestsameeting,andyouwanttomeet,thenlistallthetimesanddateswhenyoucanmeettoensureonecanbepickedinsteadofpingingbackandforth.Thiswillmeananextra2-3minspermail,butwillsaveyou1-2minsoneverypingbackandforth.

• Dontrespondtoanemailrequestifo itdoesntfitwithyourscheduleorinterestso isambiguousormakesithardforyoutogenerateareasonable

responseo nothingbadwillhappenifyoudontrespond,andnothingreallygood

willhappenifyoudidInthecontextofthelast,somepeoplewillgetupsetwithyournon-responsiveness,butasTimFerrissays“Developthehabitoflettingsmallbadthingshappen.Ifyoudont,youwillneverfindtimeforthelife-changingbigthings.”Bysendingfeweremailsandignoringonesthataren’teasytoprocess,youwillsignificantlyweakenthegripyourinboxmaintainsoveryourtimeandattention.

CONCLUSION Acommitmenttodeepworkisapragmaticrecognitionthattheabilitytoconcentrateisaskillthatgetsvaluablethingsdone.Thedeeplifeisnotforeverybody.Itrequireshardworkanddrasticchangestoyourhabits.Formanythereisartificialcomfortinthebusynessofrapidemailmessagingandsocialmediaposturing,whilethedeeplifedemandsthatyouleavemanyofthestuffbehind.Thereisalsoanuneasinessthatsurroundsanyefforttoproducethebestthingsyouarecapableofproducing,asthisforcesyoutoconfrontthepossibilitythatyourbestisnotthatgood.Butifyouarewillingtosidestepthesecomfortsandfears,andstrivetodeployyourmindtoitsfullestcapacitytocreatethingsthatmatter,thenyouwilldiscoverasothershavebeforeyou,thatdepthgeneratesaliferichwithproductivityandmeaning.