The 'new' age of productivity coaching

Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog where I share my thoughts on the deep life - books, movies, and anything else that catches my interest.

I want to talk about a book that I recently finished reading: Deep Work by Cal Newport. This book is all about how to achieve more focus and productivity in a world full of distractions and shallow tasks. As a professional 'knowledge worker' my self I found this book very relevant and insightful, and I want to share some of the key takeaways and tips that I learned from it. And, a note about how I know the deep life is not novel.

First of all, what is deep work? According to Newport, deep work is "the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task". It's the kind of work that requires your full attention and mental energy, and that produces valuable and meaningful results. Examples of deep work are writing a research paper, solving a complex problem, or learning a new skill. On the other hand, shallow work is "the noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted". These are the tasks that don't require much thought or creativity, and that can be easily interrupted or multitasked. Examples of shallow work are checking emails, attending meetings, or browsing social media.

Newport argues that deep work is becoming increasingly rare and valuable in our society, while shallow work is becoming more common and less rewarding (I agree). He claims that the ability to perform deep work is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to succeed in the 21st century economy, where knowledge and innovation are the main drivers of value (I agree). He also says that deep work is not only beneficial for your career, but also for your personal life, as it can enhance your sense of satisfaction, happiness, and meaning (I agree).

So how can we cultivate the habit of deep work? Newport offers four rules that can help us achieve more focus and productivity:

1. Work deeply. This means setting aside blocks of time for uninterrupted and undistracted work on a single task or project. Newport suggests scheduling your deep work sessions in advance, and sticking to them as if they were appointments. He also recommends finding a location that is conducive to concentration, and avoiding any sources of distraction such as phone notifications, email alerts, or online temptations. He advises to start with shorter sessions of deep work (such as an hour or two), and gradually increase them as you build your mental stamina and discipline.
2. Embrace boredom. This means resisting the urge to fill every minute of your day with stimulation and shallow entertainment, such as social media scrolling. Newport argues that constantly switching between tasks and stimuli reduces your ability to focus and perform deep work. He suggests practicing mindfulness and meditation to train your mind to be comfortable with silence and solitude. He also recommends taking breaks from technology and social media, and using them only for specific purposes and at specific times.
3. Quit social media. This means minimising or eliminating your use of platforms that offer low-value information and high distraction potential. Newport claims that social media is one of the biggest enemies of deep work, as it fragments your attention span, lowers your quality of thinking, and wastes your time. He challenges you to ask yourself whether the benefits of using social media outweigh the costs, and whether you really need them for your personal or professional goals. He advises to quit or limit your use of social media platforms that don't add much value to your life, and to be intentional and selective about the ones that do.
4. Drain the shallows. This means reducing or eliminating the amount of shallow work in your schedule, and focusing on the most important and impactful tasks. Newport suggests doing a time audit of your activities, and identifying which ones are shallow and which ones are deep. He also recommends negotiating with your boss or clients about the expectations and priorities of your work, and delegating or outsourcing the tasks that don't require your core skills or expertise. He advises to plan your day in advance, and allocate specific time slots for each task, especially for shallow ones such as email or administrative duties.

I found these rules very helpful and practical, and I have been applying them to my own work routine. I have noticed a significant improvement in my focus, productivity, and quality of work. I have also experienced more satisfaction and enjoyment in my work, as I feel more engaged and challenged by it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to do more meaningful and valuable work in less time. It's not an easy read, as it requires you to rethink some of your habits and assumptions about work and life. But it's definitely worth it, as it can transform the way you approach your goals and projects.

If you have read this book or are interested in reading it, let me know what you think in the comments below. And if you have any other book recommendations for me, please share them as well.

It is worth noting - and here is how I know this is, really, nothing new... here is a passage from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:

"I never saw a busier person than she seemed to be; yet it was difficult to say what she did: or rather, to discover any result of her diligence.  She had an alarm to call her up early.  I know not how she occupied herself before breakfast, but after that meal she divided her time into regular portions, and each hour had its allotted task.  Three times a day she studied a little book, which I found, on inspection, was a Common Prayer Book.  I asked her once what was the great attraction of that volume, and she said, “the Rubric.”  Three hours she gave to stitching, with gold thread, the border of a square crimson cloth, almost large enough for a carpet.  In answer to my inquiries after the use of this article, she informed me it was a covering for the altar of a new church lately erected near Gateshead.  Two hours she devoted to her diary; two to working by herself in the kitchen-garden; and one to the regulation of her accounts.  She seemed to want no company; no conversation.  I believe she was happy in her way: this routine sufficed for her; and nothing annoyed her so much as the occurrence of any incident which forced her to vary its clockwork regularity."

Plainly, Ms Bronte had experienced the deep life - she wrote this in 1847.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, keep working deeply!

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre (p. 226). Pandora's Box. Kindle Edition.