Deep Work
How doing more is achieved by doing less
"How are you?" asked my friend.
"Busy" I replied.
That seems to be go to catch-cry when asked how we are. Busy.
Not only is it the wrong way to answer the question (I'd been asked HOW I was, not WHAT I was) but it's personal identification implies like it's dictionary definition of having a great deal to do.
Lets dig into the great amount of things I had to do shall we?
I identified as busy by having some of the following activities:
Having multiple things on the go at work and at home
Getting lost in YouTube/Netflix/Instagram/Video Gaming/infinity pool media services
Jumping from meeting to meeting from 9am to 5pm
Dreaming of the book series I've wanted since I was sixteen
Yet conversely this was the results I was experiencing:
I frustrated at why nothing was getting completed
I was consistently losing my time and/or sleep
I left work feeling like I'd achieved nothing.
Not writing at all
The truth is I wasn't busy. I was unfocussed.
I let everything and anything come in and distract me from things I wanted to achieve.
Whether that be email, phone calls, social media, the latest Netflix series, food, alcohol, the list goes on and on.
I was busy, but I was not productive. There is a BIG difference. And so from the amazing book enter...
To define Deep Work is to go the author himself Cal Newport:
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time.
Deep work activities can be:
Playing an instrument
Studying to pass an exam
Learning a new language
Writing a book
Easier said than done right? Well you'd actually be surprised as there are four basic 4 rules to get up and going.
Rule #1: Work Deeply
The first is to identify rules and rituals which you can customize to what suits you best:
Isolate yourself for long periods of time to focus on one thing, like a writer going to a cabin.
Divide your time into some clearly defined stretches on deep work, 3 days deep, 2 days shallow for example.
Form a regular day dedicated to deep work.
Alternate your day between deep and shallow work and it fits your blocks of time.
I'm definitely in the fourth bucket right now but I'll be moving upwards.
Rule #2: Embrace Boredom
It is easy to get distracted by the bright and shiny things.
The internet is wonderfully distracting so get yourself a website blocker, turn off all notifications, put your phone in another room and tell your loved one you'll see them at dinner time.
Rule #3: Quit Social Media
Controversial headline I know if it's draining your energy as well distracting you, perhaps test the theory by going for a month without it and you can ask yourself:
Would the last 30 days have been notably better if I had been using this tool or service?
Did people care?
That way you'll know for sure.
Rule #4: Drain The Shallows
You need to quantify the depth of every action to determine deep work and shallow work.
The evaluation is below from another great article about deep work:
Using this evaluation allows you reduce or remove the shallow work from what you are doing.
Post Deep Work Analysis
Before Deep Work, to save you scrolling, I was doing the experiencing the following things:
I frustrated at why nothing was getting completed
I was consistently losing my time and/or sleep
I left work feeling like I'd achieved nothing.
Not writing at all
Now with Deep Work in a short amount of time (a little under a month):
I've been amazed how potent this idea is.
I'm advocating for not replying that I'm busy anymore, I'm bloody productive.