Saturday Recommendation: Deep Work by Cal Newport
How many times have you sat down to work on a project only to become distracted after 15-20 minutes. Maybe its even shorter than that! Cal Newport argues that in order for us to make a difference in the world and to excel in our jobs, school, or other extracurricular activities is to engage in deep, meaningful work. I’m sure that most of us know this but if you’re anything like me it is difficult to put this type of focus into practice. One point that was helpful to me is that fact that deep work, or, intense times of focus, is a skill to be learned. Focus is not something that we can just sit down and do, especially if we are prone to distractions in the first place.
Thus, in this book Newport gives the rationale for developing the skill of deep and meaningful work. After giving this foundation he lays out practical, scientifically-backed, and very helpful ways to incorporate this into your life. I’ve implemented a number of strategies in my own life and am seeing a noticeable improvement.
Other posts related to Deep Work:
- Focus is Hard Work
- Setting Aside Time to Prepare for Meetings
- You Only Have Today: Writing as Thinking
- My Friday Review for a Better Monday