Deep Work
What is it?
High quality work
High skilled workers
Approaches
Monastic
Satisfying
Minimise shallow
Isolation
Exterme
Singular vision
Why?
Clear focus
Eliminate distractions
Full time
Bimodal
Part time
Days at a time
Scheduled
Other commitments
Acts monastic during period
Give and take
Carl Jung - Zurich
Neal Stephenson - no email
Rhythmic
Habit
Clear goal
Jerry Seinfield
Task or time focused
Track progress
Chain method
Stop when elapsed
Part time
Other commitments
Smaller/Shorter than during Bimodal
Journalistic
Other commitments
Squeezed in
Needs lots of practice
Scheduled/Regular
Un or semi-scheduled
Acts monastic during period
Hours at a time
Minutes/Hours at a time
Acts monastic during period
Sole commitment
Walter Isaacson
(High quality) Work produced = Time spent * Intensity of focus
Focus
Dedication to a task
Reach potential
Valued by society
Not shallow
Not the same as busy
Not easy to automate away
Happiness
Requires insight
Shallow tasks
Email answering
Social media posting
Truly understand subject
How?
1: Work Deeply
Create a ritual
How?
Prepare
Cup of coffee
Long walk
To ease into it
Doesn't have to be alone
Set goals
2: Embrace Boredom
3. Quit Social Media
4. Drain Shallows
Choose approach #
Set duration
Why?
Focus mind
Easier to enter deep work state
Set location
Make grand gesture
What?
Travel to far away or expensive location
Why?
Force yourself to commit
Take time off work
Focus mind
Execute like it's a business
- Focus on what's important
- Act on lead measures
Changes that will lead to goal
- Keep track of progress
- Hold yourself to account
Proactive steps
Protect your personal time
Why?
Recharge batteries
Truly important tasks are completed during the day
Downtime aids insights
How?
Don't check emails
Shutdown routine
Deep work is hard
Enjoy life
Helps to close tasks
Zeigarnik effect
Getting gamers
Signals to brain work is over
Prepares for next day
Habits are easier to fall into than conscience work
Memorisation
Rewire brain
How
Avoid context switching
Set periods of time aside for a task
Estimate tasks
Tight but fair targets
Require intense concentration to meet target
Declare target publicly
Meditate
Can do while walking
Avoid thought loops
Structure thoughts
Have goal for each session
Memory palace
Walk through 5 rooms in my home
Each room as 10 items
Associate actions against those 10 items - each action represents what you are trying to remember
Improves concentration
Why?
Practice
Brain has been programmed to not concentrate
Improve concentration
Stick with a task
To get better at resisting distractions
Why?
Deep work is hard
Distractions prevent deep work
Social media is one big distraction
Is social media adding value?
Opportunity costs
Spend time better
Could that time be better spent on your primary goals?
How?
List goals
Assess social media against these goals
Success?
Yes. Keep using it
Not all benefits are created equal
False economy
Only have so many hours in a day
False economy
Only have so much will power
View them as tools
Plan your personal time
Plan your day
Use an hour by hour diary
Adjust plan as your day changes
Estimating
Judge the depth of each task
Avoid shallow
Thought experiment: Could I train someone to do this?
No. Drop it
Fixed schedule
Forces you to focus on what's important
Frees you up for other activities
Stops burn out
Become hard to reach
Social media
Process centric replying
Avoid endless back and forward
Be explicit
Not interesting == ignored
Detail exactly what you want