Deep Work: How to Develop the Most Valuable Skill of the 21st Century
Curated from: dansilvestre.com
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The new law of productivity
High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus)
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Deep work vs. Shallow work
- Deep work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. Creates value.
- Shallow work: Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. Doesn't create value.
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4 philosophies to integrate Deep Work into your life
- Monastic: maximize Deep Work by minimizing or removing shallow obligations. Isolate yourself for long periods of time without distractions; no shallow work allowed
- Bimodal: divide your time into some clearly defined stretches to deep pursuits and leave the rest open to everything else. Reserve a few consecutive days when you will be working like a monastic. You need at least one day a week
- Rhythmic: involves creating a routine where you define a specific time period — ideally three to four hours every day — that you can devote to Deep Work
- Journalistic: alternate your day between deep and shallow work as it fits your blocks of time. Not recommended to try out first.
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Make Deep Work a Habit
- Where: identify a location used only for depth, such as a conference room or a quiet library
- How Long: set a specific time frame for each Deep Work session.
- How: your ritual needs rules and processes to keep your efforts structured.
- Support: to maximize success, you need systematized support — so you deplete willpower — your efforts to go deep.
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Remove distractions
- Use Headphones: Coworkers will think you can’t hear them and the barrier to interrupt you is much higher
- Work Remotely: start by asking for a half-day, preferably mornings
- Email: treat email as a to-do and schedule it in your calendar twice per day
- Disable Phone Notifications: disable all notifications. If it’s truly urgent, people will call
- Schedule Internet Time: schedule in advance when you’ll use the Internet and avoid it outside of those times.
- Clear to Neutral: at the end of the day, close all your tabs and programs, delete or move all the files from Downloads, empty the trash, and shut off your computer.
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Why downtime is so important:
- New Insights: as your conscious mind rests, the unconscious mind takes over and provides valuable insights or creative ideas and consolidates memories
- Recharge: rest fills up the energy needed to work deeply. You restore your ability to direct your attention by giving this activity a rest
- Evening Work Is Usually Not Important: work that you fit in your downtime isn’t normally high-value activities that really advance your career but rather low-value shallow tasks.
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How to Get Better at Deep Work
- Quit Social Media: all those notifications hurt your ability to focus and stay focused. Social media isn’t all bad but it’s definitely a bad habit.
- Practice Saying “No”: be selective when deciding what opportunities to go after.
- Meditate: 10 minutes of meditation in the morning will greatly increase your ability to focus throughout the day
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IDEAS CURATED BY
Ethan O.'s ideas are part of this journey:
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