Deep Work: How to Develop the Most Valuable Skill of the 21st Century - Deepstash
Beat Procrastination

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How to create a productive environment

The importance of self-care in productivity

How to avoid distractions

Beat Procrastination

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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 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:

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

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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CURATED BY

ethho

I wish I knew about the 80/20 rule much earlier.

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