The importance of focus: Cal Newport and “Deep Work”

I’ve recently finished reading “ Deep Work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world “. In his book Cal Newport explains clearly the differences between shallow and deep work. He discusses why deep work is so important for us as humans and describes the advantages it gives those who employ it over those who don’t, combined with plenty of practical tips on how to achieve deep work. The book is thoroughly researched, with interesting quotes from other professionals.

I like being able to focus — it’s my natural preferred state — but life always seems to get in the way. I see it as a bit of an indulgence compared with the opposite skill of multitasking which until recently was seen to be the skill to develop. So for me, it wasn’t so much about the reason why or even how I should “deep work” (is it now a verb?) but why I should allow myself to do this; to provide justification for embedding this into my distraction-filled life as a “habit”.

Here are my personal top takeaway points:

1. The importance of clarity about what matters in my life. Clarity about what matters also provides clarity about what does not, and therefore, what to cut out or reduce.
2. David Brooks’ quote “Great creative minds think like artists but work like accountants”. No point waiting to be inspired, just get on and do. Make, for example, writing, a habit I do each day.
3. Willpower. You have a finite amount of willpower that becomes depleted as you use it. So spend it wisely on what matters.
4. Sophie Leroy’s concept of “attention residue” when multitasking. When you switch tasks your attention does not immediately follow; there is a residue that remains stuck thinking about the original task which in turn leads to poorer performance on the next task. Multitasking is actually chronically distracting and not a skill to develop.
5. Email. That useful but dreadful tool. How to avoid email ping-pong. Be more assertive and get used to not feeling you *have* to reply to every email. Be more specific in emails to avoid questions pinging back.
6. But, for me, being a bit of a “people-pleaser” and a perfectionist, the point that resonated the most with me is a quote Cal includes from Tim Feriss:

“”Develop the habit of letting small bad things happen. If you don’t, you’ll never find time for the life-changing big things.”

Letting “small bad things happen” sounds a little scary for me. But, we only have a finite time on this planet, and whilst I’m not advocating being selfish, we do have to be assertive and keep our own goals in mind. Cal quotes the business writer Eric Barker:

“Deep work is so important that we might consider it the superpower of the 21st century.”

So, I’m going to not see deep work as an indulgence but instead an essential and important element. I will “leave the distracted masses to join the focused few”. I shall be more proactive with my time, scheduling in “focus blocks” to allow myself to work on what is important to me. I’m going to accept the odd “dropped ball” and keep my eye on the ones that matter instead.

There is much in this book to inspire you to give deep work a try and many tips on how to achieve this. I’d be very interested to hear what resonates with you so please do leave me a comment below.

Originally published at http://mundanemeanderingmusings.wordpress.com on May 26, 2021.