Stirring Point

I’m reading Cal Newport’s Deep Work as I write this, and the ideas, while easily distilled down to a concentrate, require a closer look. The below is my partial summary of the text, and for those interested in exploring more, read his book; it’s time well spent.

What is “deep work?”

“Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide a sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep—spending their days instead in a frantic blur of their e-mail and social media, not even realizing there’s a better way.” 

– Cal Newport

Why it matters:

Countless elements compete for our time. Emails compete, texts compete, television and social media compete—everything wants a piece of our minds. Most of these items are selling products. Some are educational. Some are transactional. Some are connection points to our family or friends. All of them, though, are easier to attend to than the undistracted, hyperfocused “deep work” we may aim to do. It’s not to say those connection points don’t matter or that transactions should be ignored. These messages vie for our attention closer to the surface and require less effort to reach—so we default to them over and over, ignoring the effort it takes to go “deep” and create something cognitively demanding.

Why do “deep work?”

The idea of deep work isn’t a foreign concept, but it is a sound reminder. The library on a Wednesday night in college; a closed office door with a “do not disturb” sign dangling; transcendental prayer or meditation eclipsing the outside world—these are the environments where concentration thrives. Deep work is Mark Twain siloed away in a shed for hours writing Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, only stirring when the horn blew for his supper.

Intellectually, and in our guts, we know distractions degrade the quality of our attention. The world has drawn and quartered our minds, yanking the lobes and hemispheres apart in a game of tug-of-war. Our days are filled with sports scores, breaking news headlines, emails, tweets, likes, and comments. At first, breaking free of these pings is downright painful. None of us understood that creeping progress, from flip phones in the early 2000s to smart phones in the 2010s, would leave us this dependent on the technological teat. The apps, the lights, the dopamine hit—there’s no shortage of research showing what these things are doing to our attention. And yet we clutch at them with a white-knuckle grip. 

We are now aware of what’s happening to us, and most of us want to break the spell. Liberating ourselves from the technical chirps is an important step toward reaching serious, productive depth. This doesn’t require severing all of the shallow tasks our present technological age implies. But it does require allocated time to be set aside with an explicit commitment to distraction-less work. Music, writing, creations in the kitchen—doing these things with an unhindered mind allows for the highest level of our productivity.

How to start:

The easy answer is to leave your phone in the other room, ringer off, and spend 60 minutes working without distraction. This sounds easy, but try it and see how your mind behaves. If you’re working on a computer, create a focus-mode perimeter where apps and emails are unable to infiltrate. Choose a place where children, partners, roommates, and friends can’t access you. The world won’t collapse without you, and if it does, you’ll see the smoke from your room and know something is off.

A few ideas to frame your concentration:

• Set a silent timer. A start time and end time provide guardrails for your work. 
• Earplugs — if you’re in a noisy home or location, settle into the quiet of your mind with earplugs. The first moments can be challenging, but the mind will take over to fill the void.
• Noodle around — if you’re having a hard time getting started, grease the wheels with some artistic play before leaning into the focused work.
• Follow threads of inspiration — deep work is about separating the wheat from the chaff and getting to the heart of your premise. What are you creating? Why does it matter? Pin the idea to your mind and let it pull you in deeper and deeper without distraction.

Some research indicates our minds maintain focus for 90 minutes of deep concentration before fatigue begins showing. This varies from person-to-person, the time of day, how well-fueled the body may be, etc. But the concept is clear. Our minds, when free from distraction, are masterful at solving problems and assembling ideas. Without distractions, their productive potential is endless. Stay within the 90-minute window and aim to repeat the process once more that week.

Try it. Find time today to put down your phone, close the door, and pick up that guitar. Or dive into string theory like you promised yourself you’d do 6 months ago. Or sit and think about the challenges in your relationship that need resolutions. Whatever it is, the mind is waiting to be free of distractions and to access its greater capacity. Today’s a perfect day to start.