The previous two days, I have written about the book, Deep Work by Cal Newport. It took me several months after receiving the book to read it. Before that, this book was on my to-read list for a couple of years. How ironic is that? I knew the concept was important, but I was hesitant. Could I really move towards deep work?
I have far from mastered it so far. But at least I see the importance and am taking steps. For some time, I have been concerned about the tyranny of the urgent. I have observed that there are important tasks that all of us need to accomplish. Yet, urgent matters keep us from checking the important off our list.
The last couple of days, the book prompted me to write about the following:
- Paying Attention (or how hard it can be)
- The Lure of Screens
Today, I am writing about the rules Cal Newport presents for deep work.
The Rules
- Work Deeply
- Embrace Boredom
- Quit Social Media
- Drain the Shallows
Work Deeply
It should go without saying, but to move towards deep work, we need to work deeply. We must see the value of deep work and commit to executing it. Cal goes into several ways to do that and I encourage you to read the book.
All of us are different and one method will work better than others. He goes into methods that range from closing ourselves off for a day, to finding time like a journalist throughout the day to use bits and pieces of time and using it with intentionality.
The bottom line is that we can make time if we make it a priority. That doesn’t mean we will always be successful, but we tend to do and go where we are focused.
Embrace Boredom
This is a hard one for most of us. When I am waiting for a computer to catch up with me, I tend to grab my phone and see what the latest headlines are. We have wired ourselves to eliminate boredom. We want that endorphin rush that a social media post or latest new article brings.
But Cal maintains that we must allow time to think. It made me realize how often I am willing to let an unknown source influence my thinking instead of allowing myself to think on my own.
This will be very difficult for most of us, as it is for me. Can we be satisfied with just sitting in silence? Can we think a thought without being heavily influenced by a source? I will need to work on that one!
Quit Social Media
I don’t know about that one! And the more I think about that possibility, the more I realize how addicted I am to different platforms. However, does social media really add value?
Do social media influencers influence us in positive ways? At best, they may give us a unique, creative twist on doing something. At worst, they may cause us to do something harmful. Who are these social media influencers anyway?
We get dragged into so many directions when we are on social media. I will have to reconsider my consumption and how it has affected me.
Drain the Shallows
Cal doesn’t say get rid of all shallow work. There are emails we need to answer and urgent items that we will need to take care of. Very few of us can live the life of a monk and sequester ourselves in an undisclosed location.
However, he does maintain we can tame the amount of shallow work we do. There is a difference between answering important emails and living by the email list. Let’s face it. Many emails are distractions from marketing lists anyway.
Much of draining the shallows involves recognizing which work is shallow and which is deep. He gives examples in the book
Towards Deep Work
I am nowhere near succeeding at these steps. But they have given me much to think about. At the very least, it has made me consider how much time I am devoting to deep work that will have lasting value. The book is definitely worth a read or listen.
