Summary

The article outlines four strategies to enhance productivity by engaging in deep work, as inspired by Cal Newport's book "Deep Work."

Abstract

The article discusses the challenges of maintaining productivity in distracting environments like open-space offices. It emphasizes the importance of deep work, a concept introduced by Cal Newport, which involves focusing on high-priority, creative tasks that require significant brainpower. The author provides four immediate actions to improve productivity: eliminating distractions, scheduling every minute of the workday, recharging mental batteries, and minimizing shallow work. These actions are aimed at optimizing work efficiency, fostering creativity, and increasing one's value in the job market, especially in an era where machines are replacing routine tasks.

Opinions

The author acknowledges the difficulty of concentrating in open-space offices due to constant interruptions.
Instant reactions to phone notifications and emails are seen as a significant source of distraction.
Scheduling every minute of the workday is recommended to avoid spending time on unimportant tasks.
The author suggests that creativity and high-level concentration require intentional recharging and a change of environment.
Shallow work, such as checking emails and attending meetings passively, is considered low-output and should be minimized.
The article posits that the ability to perform deep work is crucial for future job security in the face of automation and competition.

4 Things You Can Do Immediately to Become More Productive

If applied, they will transform your life and career

Working in open-space offices is challenging. It is almost impossible to concentrate on actual work. Someone always walks around, holds meetings in common areas, or talks over the phone.

What a disaster for those individuals involved in deep work, like me. I often have to come up with new marketing strategies, conduct research, or produce content for blogs.

I was wondering if there is a better way to concentrate on work and become more productive. Likely, I’ve stumbled upon a word bestseller by Cal Newport called “Deep Work,” which helped me to optimize the way I organize my office life and treat my working time.

Cal Newport explains the concept of a deep worker as an individual involved in creative, highly brain consuming activities. Deep workers manage to complete the challenging, creative tasks with high quality, faster than others.

Wondering how to master deep working skills and nail your tasks like a pro? Here are the most valuable insights from the book that you might find helpful as well. When put in practice, these recommendations should help to improve concentration, increase productivity, and your value on the job market.

1. Eliminate Distractions

How often are you disturbed by your phone or email during the day? I should admit, I instantly react to phone notifications and emails, assuming there is something important.

Very often, there is nothing. It is just another disturbance that prevents me from working effectively during the day.

Cal Newport explains that our brain gives the highest level of priority to these interruptions because we perceive them as “things that can’t be delayed” and if we delay checking our phones or emails, it causes anxiety or a mental disorder.

“What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore define the quality of our life.“ — Cal Newport

It gets too difficult to focus on other tasks if our brain continually reminds us of a new email or a message. The author suggests to clean up the workspace, create a schedule for tasks, and allocate energy-consuming activities to your most productive hours.

2. Schedule Your Day Time

A lot of people spend most of their day on autopilot, not thinking about what they should be focusing on. When it’s 6 pm, you might get surprised that the working day is over, but there are so many tasks left on your plate.

Cal Newport suggests scheduling every minute of a working day to focus on deep work and leave almost no free time for shallow, unimportant stuff.

For instance, I usually schedule my working hours via Google Calendar on Fridays, before a new working week. It helps to evaluate the backlog and organize the remaining tasks according to the level of priority.

“Decide in advance what you’re going to do with every minute of your workday. It’s natural, at first, to resist this idea, but you must overcome this distrust of structure if you want to approach your true potential as someone who creates things that matter. “ — Cal Newport

Cal Newport suggests developing a new habit of finishing one task at once (if it is feasible). The author assures that it will help your brain to eliminate the effect of attention being passed over to another task.

3. Recharge Your Mental State

Deep work requires a high level of concentration and creative solutions. Creativity is an abstract, mental state that does not appear on its own.

To come up with nonstandard decisions, unique content, innovative business models, etc, people need to continuously get an inspiration flow and new ideas.

Newport suggests recharging our mental batteries from the intensive day periods by changing the activity and environment. It is essential to give your mind power off-hours and switch to other, less intensive tasks.

I am full of energy and new ideas in the mornings, after the weekends, and holiday trips. Moreover, after a short 30 mins walk outside, my brain can continue working on energy-consuming tasks too.

Nature reduces mental stress and anxiety. Image by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

People can’t continuously perform deep work without refreshing the brain. The key book takeaway is to start listening to your body and learn your pick productivity hours.

4. Minimize Shallow Work

The shallow work includes non-cognitive, low-output, monotonous activities that do not require much brain capacity and easy to replicate. It covers checking emails, passively attending meetings, browsing the Internet, filling out the forms, updating reports, etc.

These activities could fill out the whole day, but they rarely contribute to the personal and business objectives.

I rarely feel satisfied after shallow working days. I often leave the office thinking I have not done anything meaningful.

Repetitive negative thoughts develop an anxiety that adversely influences our mental state. It is not possible to avoid routine activities; thus you need to be mindful of how much time you dedicate to them.

After all, “Not every email needs acknowledgment “ — Cal Newport.

Start Working Faster Without Sacrificing Quality

We are living in a dynamic world, and we do not know how tomorrow will look like. Will we have enough jobs for everyone? What kind of workplaces will be replaced by machines? What kind of new jobs will appear?

Deep work teaches self-discipline, creativity, leadership, as well as thinking. Those who challenge and train their minds today are creating a successful future, albeit all uncertainties.

If we are unable to function as knowledge workers, we risk being outperformed by a cheaper labor force or even machines.

So far, creativity and nonstandard decision-making processes make humans superior to machines. Hopefully, it will stay like this in the future.

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