Deep work is a concept coined by Cal Newport, a renowned author and computer science professor at Georgetown University, in a 2012 blog post and expanded upon in his 2016 bestselling book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.
By Newport's definition, deep work refers to: "Professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate."
This likely isn't the form of work that naturally fills your day. On the contrary, if you aren't intentional about how you spend your time, your work hours slip away towards activities that Newport refers to as "shallow work":
"Non-cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create new value in the world and are easy to replicate."
The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. Cal Newport
Unfortunately, as valuable as deep work is, it can't be done indefinitely. Newport suggests the upper limit for deep work per day to be four hours. Beyond this, our ability to direct focused attention diminishes. As such, there is plenty of time in the evening to make room for the downtime that will serve your deep work sessions the following day.
The following are the highlights from the full guide referenced below:
Examples of deep work:
Examples of shallow work:
Examples of high quality forms of leisure:
Examples of low quality forms of leisure:
You can read The Complete Guide to Deep Work: How to master the #1 job skill that will never be obsolete on the Ambition and Balance by Doist blog.
Founder of SOFTKUBE, lead developer, and getting things done addict. Passionate about open source, user interface design, business development, and the tech world.
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