⏱️ The book in three sentences
The state-of-mind often labelled as "flow", is the most important and productive psychological state for producing what Cal Newport describes as "Deep Work" - truly valuable insights, discoveries, products or ideas.
Today's global, internet-driven labour marketplace, coupled with email, instant messaging and the popular open-office workspace, means that the mental state of "Deep Work" is both increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
"Deep Work" is also the place where we, as humans, can derive true meaning from our lives, therefore, we must find ways to enter this space as frequently as possible.
🪞 Reflections
Cal Newport is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and a believer in the necessity of absolute focus. His book, Deep Work, dives deep on what focused work really means, what we are capable of when we obtain total focus, and how to rip this focus back into our lives from the claws of distraction.
The book is made up of two distinct sections. The first is theoretical - a collection of three essays outlining how success in today's world, more than ever, demands deep work. With the interconnectivity of the internet, competition for skilled labour is at an all-time high. Why would a business in your town hire you, when they could outsource that labour to a more skilled worker elsewhere? To stand out and thrive, we must be able to produce truly valuable and desirable work. Without the ability to focus on what's actually important, you cannot compete.
Unfortunately, as Cal explains, this desired state of focus is also becoming increasingly rare. While the birth of the internet and smartphones undeniably led to major progress in the field of computational productivity, it also brought with it a host of other undesirable features. Namely, distraction. Email notifications, instant messaging, the ever-growing trend of open offices, and worst of all, social media, have invaded all our consciousnesses to the point that reaching "flow" is near impossible. The blame, to some extent, lies at the feet of these businesses. The programs are designed to parasitically latch onto your psyche and keep you coming back. But we are also to blame. Our culture, perhaps due to the internet's obvious benefit and the subtly of its shortcomings, has collectively agreed that anything "Internet-y" is good. More connection? Good. Faster connection? Good. Constant connection? Must also be good. We do not allow ourselves to consider the negative side of internet services. Instead, we haphazardly accept these services as inherently advantageous.
Together, a massive problem emerges. We as individuals need more time to focus. Yet, we are collectively designing our world to seize this focus at increasingly frequent opportunities.
While these two essays are powerful enough, Newport's third essay stands out as the highlight of the book. Breaking the state of "Deep work" down into three components, the essay tackles the age-old topic of meaning or purpose. Cal explains the science of "deep work" from a neurological perspective. Explaining, for example, how the neural networks of axons, synapses, and myelin sheaths of the brain respond, grow and strengthen with intense focus. He continues on with a discussion of psychological aspects of "deep work" and concludes with a beautiful examination of the philosophy behind work itself. Referencing a book titled "All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age," the author explains how the enlightenment movement revolutionized our culture's approach to determining the metaphysical value of our actions. In other words, the disassociation between intrinsic worth and ideological proximity to God meant that we as individuals were now forced to decide, for ourselves, the worth of everything. This is no easy task. In fact, the overwhelming impossibility of the idea itself, to some level, validates nihilism. Yet, meaning can be found. We find meaning in the act of conscious sacrifice and purposeful effort towards completing a difficult task to the absolute utmost of our ability.
Driving the point home, Cal's whole discussion is elegantly wrapped up in the story of a blacksmith and his careful process of forging a perfectly strong and balanced sword. The excruciatingly difficult labour, despite its lack of glamour and nobility, commands respect from all. We can all appreciate the effort he dedicates to perfecting his craft because it is undoubtedly meaningful to him. Meaning is therefore not found in what we spend our time doing, but in how intensely we endeavour to succeed.
With the desirability of "deep work" established, the second half of the book goes on to suggest and describe how can we find more time for this focused state. Cal outlines techniques for building "deep work" habits and email etiquette for politely but effectively reducing email clutter. He describes his end-of-day routine, allowing him to actually stop working at 5:30, as well as why, in reality, this is more productive than the alternative. Deep Work even gives some guidance on the best ways to relax - truly relax, not just mindlessly consuming media until bedtime.
This book is outstanding. It's very logical, explanations of complex topics are sophisticated, yet rounded out by simple and relevant examples. The advice, tips and tricks in the latter half of the book are detailed and actionable, and the most frequently asked questions are given consideration. Although not every tip is applicable for everyone, I'm confident that anyone can find something in this book useful, maybe even life-changing.
💥 Personal impact
I usually consider myself skilled at avoiding distraction. I've had most notifications on my phone turned off for years and I've ensured to banish all social media-related apps from the device. My self-imposed rule is that I'm allowed to use these services, but not on my phone. I'm not perfect; sometimes I cave and download Instagram for a few days. But for the vast majority of the year, these apps have no place on my home screen. Nonetheless, despite all this effort, Newport's book still hits home. The essays in the first section of the book are relatable and indisputably true.
How many of us can relate to struggling to get into a focused state, then once we finally start to produce good work, our phone buzzes or we receive an email instantly pulling us out of that state of mind? I have no clue where I read this, so I don't have a source, but I remember reading that even if we are able to ignore an incoming message, just the knowledge of a message waiting for us, drastically reduces our ability to focus. Sounds about right to me. In fact, in a sense, Newport touches on this too. Referencing a study, he explains the existence of "attention residue" - a term dubbed to the phenomenon of an ongoing disability to properly focus that occurs for a substantial time after we are interrupted. Since reading, this phenomenon has been one of my main focuses.
I'm acting more consciously to keep my phone in another room for large portions of the day and to resist the urge to check it when I wake up. Keeping it away from my bedside table has helped, as well as implementing the use of a Pomodoro timer in my day. If you haven't heard of that before, it basically just means setting a timer for a certain amount of time to focus. During that time, you just work on what needs to be done and then after, you're free to take a break.
The section on email was also impactful. If you read my review of The 4-Hour Workweek (You can read it here), you'll know that while I thought the premise of Tim Ferris' email argument was sound, the advice was unreasonably extreme. Cal's approach was much more balanced and felt more modern. I've already created a template for the "process-oriented" email technique and my experience with first attempts has worked marvellously.
If you can't tell already, I really loved this book and absolutely recommend it to each of you.
🗣 Top three quotes
"If you don't produce, you won't thrive - no matter how skilled or talented you are."
"We who cut mere stones must always be envisioning cathedrals."
"When it comes to email..., it's the sender's responsibility to convince the receiver that a reply is worthwhile."