Deep work should be the goal of all of us in higher education. As Cal Newport convincingly argues in his book of the same name, deep work is focused work in a distraction-free environment that brings value. The challenge, of course, is how to implement deep work into our daily routines. In addition to discussing the broader concepts, Newport also suggests ways to achieve deep work in our daily lives. In today’s post, I want to share some key takeaways that I believe will help when implementing Cal Newport’s deep work.
As I discussed in my last post, shallow work takes over in the absence of clear feedback and immediate rewards for deep work. Shallow work is easier and the appearance of busyness makes us feel more productive.
Although he offers far more suggestions than I outline below from the simple to the more controversial (quit all social media), I believe these six ideas will get you well on the way to implementing the deep work philosophy.
1. Develop rituals
As with most activities from getting dressed to commuting to work, rituals make things easier. For implementing a session of deep work focus, think about your rituals. Where will your work? How long will you work? How will you work once you start? Thinking through these ideas- and adjusting them as needed over time- will set you up for success.
2. Embrace boredom
Like most people, I hate to be bored. Fortunately, technology today makes it easy to avoid boredom. In line at the grocery store, pull out your phone and check Facebook. Driving to work, turn on a podcast or audiobook. I’m always doing something and technology helps me stay busy. Yet, busyness is the enemy of deep work. Newport argues that we should embrace boredom. Instead of check Facebook, the weather, or sports scores while you wait, embrace the boredom. Let your mind wonder and think about big ideas that you’re struggling with in your deep work sessions.
3. Don’t take breaks from distraction, take breaks from focus.
This simple phrase is easy to say, but hard to do. I love how it changes the focus to focus. Why am I forcing myself to avoid distractions? Instead, what if I scheduled my break from focus to check email or Twitter. This slight reorientation can prove useful for reorganizing your day and how your think about your work.
4. Work off of a fixed schedule
I’ve long been an advocate of working with a fixed schedule. At times I have found myself having to work late at night or on the weekend for a major deadline, but I don’t do this nearly as much now as I did early in my career. And I’m more productive now than I was then. When I know that I only have 40 hours to get everything done, I buckle down and get it done. As the adage goes, work will expand to fill the time allotted. So allot less time!
5. Schedule every minute of the day
Along with a fixed schedule, I’m a big fan of scheduling every minute of the day. Of course, no day goes exactly according to plan and that’s okay. However, I know what I’m supposed to be doing and when. This helps me keep the easy, shallow work at bay because I know that’s not what is on my schedule for that moment.
6. Home internet use impacts work
Of all of his tips, this was the most profound for me. If I’m watching a ballgame, I’m checking stats online and what fans on Twitter are saying. Television shows aren’t that demanding of my attention, I can check email while I watch. Heck, I can check stats, follow Twitter, check Facebook, and do a little email all at the same time. What’s the big deal? I’m training my brain to crave distraction like crack. How do I expect to focus for long periods of time at work if I’m training my brain every evening to get a new input every 15 seconds?
Implementing Deep Work
Deep work is so important, yet so hard to achieve. I believe these tips will help you and Newport offers many more if you’re interested. What is clear to me is that this is a journey not a destination. I suspect I will be working to implement these ideas for the rest of my career. The goal is to get started, get better, and do work that matters.
