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Guide to Deep Work

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Re: Guide to Deep Work

#41

Post by abhiyerra »

ssivark wrote: post #6

The real challenge is attention management. Switching gears from an execution orientation (knocking off tasks) to a careful thinking orientation is hard. The hardest aspect of deep work (for people used to a structured form of productivity) is immersion in the task/topic without a concrete plan of "how" to tackle it. (The necessary immersion is what makes "deep" a good metaphor) Every such session is a risky investme…

I set aside a day of the week, Tuesday, for all my planning for that week. Basically the deep work for that day is figuring out the plan for the week. The rest of the week is accomplishing that work. Basically Scrum applies to deep work.

Re: Guide to Deep Work

#44

Post by sl1ck731 »

iandanforth wrote: post #4

If you're struggling with scheduling work time and getting things done I'd like to recommend https://www.focusmate.com/ You book 50 minute video sessions and are paired with a random other person who wants to get work done. You start by saying what you intend to work on, and you finish by saying what you accomplished. That's it, other discussion is strongly discouraged. I work from home and have nearly unlimited leew…

I wonder if there would be any merit in replicating the experience on a fully remote team.

Maybe something like everyone schedules Slack video calls once a day with a random team member. Or a quick Flask app to output a schedule for the day.

Re: Guide to Deep Work

#45

Post by stevenhuang »

thomk wrote: post #18

Does anyone else find the term "Deep Work" to be pretentious? Most people who say they were busy doing 'deep work' makes me feel like they are a bit self important. Why not just say you need to focus?

Ha. Yes, personally I feel there are some overtones. I keep it to myself, but I tend to smile and nod when seeing its use. I admit the term's useful though, as others have explained it does capture more than just a state of focus.

Re: Guide to Deep Work

#46

Post by john61 »

Learn a musical instrument. Without deep work you will get nowhere. Music teaches really deep work in an obvious manner and the very satisfying reward from it. That is why children should always learn an instrument.

Re: Guide to Deep Work

#47

Post by travisjungroth »

jordanpg wrote: post #19
thomk wrote: post #18

Does anyone else find the term "Deep Work" to be pretentious? Most people who say they were busy doing 'deep work' makes me feel like they are a bit self important. Why not just say you need to focus?

Deep work is to focus as enlightenment is to meditation. It's an asymptotic, unattainable state to strive for. You can be sure that if anyone is (humble) bragging about attaining it that they have not.

Uh, no. At least that’s not how most people use the phrase.

Re: Guide to Deep Work

#48

Post by sound1 »

ssivark wrote: post #6

The real challenge is attention management. Switching gears from an execution orientation (knocking off tasks) to a careful thinking orientation is hard. The hardest aspect of deep work (for people used to a structured form of productivity) is immersion in the task/topic without a concrete plan of "how" to tackle it. (The necessary immersion is what makes "deep" a good metaphor) Every such session is a risky investme…

Beautifully articulated! On a tangent, I always seem to have issues with my superiors because of the way I work. Most of the initial part of a project I do nothing but think about how to approach it, best ways to solve some of the problems and what pitfalls to avoid. During this period they don't get much of the status updates or progress and they get mad. Then in a short burst I finish off everything when they think that project may be delayed, and this gets them extra mad because according to them I have been secretly working hard but never told them. I really don't blame them but sadly I don't work like most people do and admittedly it is a bit of a problem for project managers..

Re: Guide to Deep Work

#49

Post by vinay427 »

vertline3 wrote: post #37
briankirby wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not quite, in the book it's clear that by "Deep Work" Newport is specifically referring to difficult tasks which create significant value. The book includes several heuristics for identifying this sort of work. It's true that the arrival of electronics has made "Shallow Work" easier to fall into, but by no means would going to work somewhere without a computer or a phone mean you are doing "Deep Work."

I think that the idea of prioritizing work that is adding significant value is not so new, to be fair. Professors would go on sabbaticals to finish their book for instance.

Right, but that's somewhat different from any "work" that existed before electronics arrived.

However, there was arguably less of a disconnect between "deep work" and "work" before electronics, compared to default "work" today.

Re: Guide to Deep Work

#50

Post by spraak »

xfitm3 wrote: post #39
hawaiian wrote: post #14

>For instance, if you’re working on an important project but feel constrained or unmotivated by your office setting, initiate a grand gesture by asking your manager to let you work from home for an entire week to get it done. I'm not surprised this conclusion was reached so quickly. I find it a bit dysfunctional that working from home has become the go-to solution for distraction-filled workplaces. How about we make…

My home office is distraction free and it's amazing. I'm extremely sensitive to sound - mastication, burping, talking, music. I need dead silence. I'll never work in an office again, unless I have to.

Don't compromise! Hold your ideals :) A recruiter asked me recently if I'm willing to relocate and I shared that I only work remotely. They then followed up with a different company that is remote.
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