Importance of Deep Work: Takeaways from “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success” in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

The way I have come to understand perceive deep work is a focused state that pushes your concentration to its cognitive capacity in order to accomplish a depth of work in your professional activities / goals that would not be possible when time is filled with shallow distractions.

If you are looking to optimize your level of focus on projects you are meaning to set out on, but have been distracted from doing in past, or take your work to the next level, deep work is the concept to implement and “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport is the book to pick up.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from this incredible read that is set to change the way you approach your hardest tasks requiring the most brain power:

👉 The most simple way to get into a state of deep work is to create a simple, regular habit focused on consistency:

• You can get rid of the extra energy it takes to push yourself into this type of work (decision, analysis paralysis, motivation) by making a habit of scheduling it in.

• Set a starting time & do the work everyday.

• Solid Quote to share from book: “Build rituals of the same level of strictness and idiosyncrasy as the important thinkers mentioned previously [referenced in book]. There’s a good reason for this mimicry. Great minds like Caro & Darwin didn’t deploy rituals to be weird; they did so because success in their work depended on their ability to go deep, again and again- there’s no way to win a Pulitzer Prize or conceive a grand theory without pushing your brain to its limit.”

👉 Rest assured, there is simply no one correct deep work ritual- the right fit depends on the the type of work and the person doing the work:

• Here are some questions emphasized in book “Deep Work” to ask yourself to get out of your way & start your work:

  • Where will you work and for you long? —> Specifying a location can help you get into the zone faster.

  • How will you work once you start to work? —> Use systems and processes to keep your action streamlined.

  • How will you support your work? —> Your rituals need to ensure your brain gets the support it needs to operative at its peak state; this could be achieved with a cup of good coffee or having high quality food to sustain yourself.

Here are the 2 TWISTS of the Book I didn’t see coming:

⚡️ DO NOT work Alone Always: “Properly leveraging collaboration can increase the quality of deep work in your professional life”

⚡️ Inject substantial downtime away from professional concerns in day to day in order to support idleness required to get the deep work done. Why? Cal Newport in “Deep Work” explains:

• “Downtime Aids Insights” and that some decisions are better for your subconscious mind to untangle

• “Downtime Helps Recharge Energy Needed to Work Deeply”

• “The work that Evening Downtime Replaces is Usually Not That Important”

All in all, what a read. Deep work is an art to hone and muscle to exercise going into 2023 given the distractions and cheap dopamine hits that take up so much of our bandwidth in the modern world we live in. Cal Newport, you’ve changed the way I work forever, & I salute you for that.