Leveraging the Power of Deep Work

Imagine the following scenario: you sit down at your desk, eyes blurry and brain foggy, to begin working. You open up the tabs on your computer and begin to type away, working on the current task that has eaten up most of your sanity for the past several weeks. It is a complex and intimidating task, and you have spent much of your time avoiding the inevitable: one way or another, this project must be completed. 

But there’s a problem. You can’t seem to find the focus or motivation to simply tackle the project. Distractions arise in all forms, ranging from overt to seemingly innocent. Your phone and its myriad entertainments call out to you. Other, smaller tasks compete for your attention. Unanswered emails badger you and demand an answer. 

And in what feels like only a few moments, you find yourself halfway through the day with very little to show for it. 

The Problem

If you are like me, this scenario is eerily familiar. You have spent countless hours, days, and weeks slaving away at menial tasks or distracted by the many sources of cheap dopamine that the internet affords. This problem exists for all sorts of people in all sorts of fields, especially those that engage in entrepreneurship or other forms of knowledge work. 

Cal Newport, professor of computer science at Georgetown University, puts it best when he says, “Knowledge works are bad at working.” 

But why is this such an issue for knowledge workers in particular? Newport suggests that it is because “unlike every other skilled labor class in the history of skilled labor, we lack a culture of systematic improvement.”

People in other professions that require skill will spend much of their time practicing and honing their abilities. But knowledge workers often fill up their days with purposeless jobs that do not serve to make progress on the central projects that are most fundamental to the success of their work. 

For many knowledge workers, this is because we find our overarching goal remains undefined. We remain unsure about how to work effectively and are often ignorant of the solutions to our problem. 

If you feel this way, you should know two things: first, you are not alone. 

And second, there is a solution. 

The Solution

Newport’s proposed solution is called “Deep Work,” and it describes an approach to knowledge work that prioritizes value, quality, and motivation to carry out the key tasks that will best speed you along your journey. 

Deep work is at odds with the pseudo-productivity that often dominates the modern workplace. It is not shallow or low effort. Rather, deep work describes “cognitively demanding activities that leverage our training to generate rare and valuable results, and that push our abilities to continually improve.”

Tackling deep work can be immensely challenging, but it is absolutely necessary that we prioritize it if we ever want to make meaningful progress towards our career-related goals. If you are looking to start a business, write a book, or study to become a scientist, you will be greatly helped by learning the skill of deep work. 

To begin with, this skill requires a great deal of preparation. Sinking into a period of deep concentration on a difficult task can be challenging to say the least. For this reason, it is important that you law the groundwork that will set up your future self for success. Remove distractions like your phone or other unnecessary electronic devices—the more analogue, the better. Ensure that your working environment is suitable. Choose quiet spaces that are equipped with all of the tools that you need to work. 

Next, make sure that your task is crystal clear in your mind. Consider writing down your task in a notebook or your productivity management software of choice. Get specific. 

Finally, with your task chosen and environment prepared, you are ready to get to work. If possible, try to block out 90 minutes to three hours. Resolve to stay focused for the duration of the time to the best of your ability. 

At first, you will find your attention drifting and your anxiety growing. But if you can stick with it, working through the most high-priority projects as they arise with absolute attention, you will find yourself crushing procrastination and pseudo-work, replacing them with high value, high volume work that aligns with your values.