article

Deep work in practice: reimagining my workflow for radically less distraction

[WHAT]

by Alex Denning - Deep work in practice: reimagining my workflow for radically less distraction

[WHY]

]

[WHERE]

] READ THE FULL ARTICLE

] https://alexdenning.com/deep-work-in-practice/

[WHEN]

] 2016-10-18

[EXAMPLE- SUMMARY]

] 1 of the more embarrassing and self-indulgent challenges of our time is the task of relearning how to concentrate. The past decade has seen an unparalleled assault on our capacity to fix our minds steadily on anything. To sit still and think, without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine, has become almost impossible. ] OP has discovered that he has a serious problem with "deep work"
] Deep work refers to Cal Newport’s thesis (he expands on it vastly in his excellent book) that:[Deep work is] cognitively demanding activities that leverage our training to generate rare and valuable results, and that push our abilities to continually improve… [. Deep work results in] improvement of the value of your work output… [and] an increase in the total quantity of valuable output you produce.
] This is contrasted with “shallow work”, the tasks that “almost anyone, with a minimum of training, could accomplish” such as checking emails, ? planning ?, social media etc.
] I read Deep Work more or less in one sitting on a twelve hour flight from Tokyo and it summarised much of my pre-held thoughts on productivity I just hadn’t adopted to the same extent as Prof. Newport advocates. I think the basic thesis is very strong and I’m yet to find a better blueprint for work in the modern economy.
] Deep work requires prolonged periods of concentration on hard problems. For me that typically means writing of some kind and project planning. we’ve experienced an unparalleled assault on our capacity to fix our minds steadily on anything in recent years and this is a problem.
] the US output per hour (a standard measure of labour productivity) has decreased from an annual rate of 3% between 1945 and the 1970s to 0.5% since 2010. The latest annualised productivity growth rate was minus 0.4%.
] The internet “is designed to be an interruption system”, and we are “addicted to distraction”, Social media and apps use the same principles as slot machines: intermittent reinforcement. When you pull to refresh Twitter or Facebook or your email you don’t know what you’re going to get – it may be nothing or it may be a really cool email. The randomness makes the action of checking addictive. Technology companies know and use this and we are ill-equipped to defend ourselves.
] identified two problems ] The type of work that is valuable in the modern economy involves long periods of serious work and focus. ] We are easily distracted and find prolonged period of focus difficult.
] Trying to break the “distraction habit” is hard and this is what I’ve been doing and what has worked for me: ] Delete social media apps from my phone (that aim to be addictive). I can still access from the mobile browser if I want, but its inconvenience puts me off. ] Ban my phone from the toilet. Yup. This is actually a big one. ] Stop keeping my phone near my bed. Check your email before you get out of bed? If you can’t reach it, you can’t. ] Stop carrying my phone in my pocket. Keeping it in my bag instead makes it less convenient and me less prone to picking it up.
] at work - ] Recognise when I’m doing deep work and need to focus (this is useful for stopping yourself when you’re tempted to change tab). ] Install Timewarp for Chrome. This doesn’t aggressively block websites (although you can if you wish), but puts up a timer for selected sites, showing you how much time you’ve spent on a site that day. Much more useful than sweary alternatives*. ] Put my phone on do not disturb and keep it off my desk. ] Use full screen mode in app and browser. ] Remove the bookmarks bar from Chrome. ] Close my email app and only open at set times. ] Listen to more classical music.
] long time fan of the Pomodoro Technique and relied on it almost exclusively for the last two years of my degree, but I’ve not found it such a useful ally in the quest for deep work. It’s a prop for concentration rather than an outright fix
] How do I get deep work done? consider 1] Your work schedule and 2] what you’re working on. 1] set aside time for working out what you’re working on, so when you sit down to work it’s just a case of getting on with the deep work. 2] The second appears simple but is more complex to fix: you need to be working on projects interesting enough that they can demand your attention. Something to think about.
] Embracing Deep Work

] Distraction is a problem. We’re probably reliant on or addicted to the internet more than we’d like to admit. Fixing this will be a work in progress, but acting now, recognising the problem and consciously trying to fix it is as good a first step as any. Certain apps are especially bad for this.
] Deep work requires prolonged focus on hard things.
] Reducing distractions in general and at work is helpful.
] Timewarp for Chrome is helpful.
] Plan your schedule in advance.
] This is all a lot easier if you’re working on interesting and important things.