Electronics — Be Gone!

Deep work at play

I’ve been reading this book ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport.

As a society, we’re losing the ability to truly focus and work deeply with the constant distraction of electronics, along with everything else going on in the world.

For some types of employment, less ‘deep focus’ works just fine. In fact, the book even mentions that CEOs of companies can work in the ‘less deep’ arena.

But for those creating programs for say, sophisticated AI, it is essential. These workers have learned deep work from their time as students in this field and now use it in their work.

Now I’m not implying that we as writers need quite that level of intense concentration, but I do fancy the concept of digging a few layers deeper than I have and seeing how well it works.

So, I’m trying this with a vengeance, not just in my work but in my everyday life. I think it’ll be good for me.

Today I had to turn my phone on, as I was taking our new addition to the pet family to the vets. My housemate’s cat in fact, so just in case she called for updates I had my phone with me.

I didn’t look at the news, I didn’t look at any emails, I just was with the kitten. She certainly appreciated that.

I’m now sitting at my desk, phone off, iPad off, and just being single-focused on this article.

Each interruption takes up to 25 minutes to bring me back to the workflow I’m in. It doesn’t take many interruptions to turn what could be a one-hour effort into three. And I want to get more done than that in my day.

When I go for a walk later, even though I’m in the habit of counting my steps with my iPhone, as well as making voice notes on it, I’m going to leave it at home and simply take my old Garmin GPS watch.

I will take a notepad and pen for any inspiration that comes to me, but I’m looking to see what a distraction-free walk feels like. And I truly have no idea! I’ve never done this before.

So this is my experiment. And for someone as gadget-reliant as I’ve been (always under that ‘weighty’ mantle of work, naturally), this will be a fascinating exercise in new habits.

Historically, I was always very impressed by others who seemed to be able to sit at their desk, computer screen off, and thinking. “How do they do that?” I’d ponder.

That was great for them perhaps, but not what I prided myself on. For this eager little worker-bee, that was time thinking instead of actually getting things done.

And yes, that was the way I thought. Action… All the time… Justify my existence… By deeds done.

I’m not even sure I had the ability back then to think deeply. So entrenched was I in micro-achievements on my to-do list, I couldn’t sit still enough long enough to enter a deeper state of focus.

There were goals, but they tended to be short term, not many steps ahead, and I certainly didn‘t apply any strategic thinking to my career.

I assumed I was hired for my actions, and less my thinking, so worked like I was that machine.

I would hear others in our department meetings with a more strategic mindset and was blown away that they had this sophistication and ability to pull back. Seeing that BIG picture, whereas I was scrabbling around in the weeds.

I was handcuffed to my devices, responding or sending emails, which in turn, garnered more emails.

But that was the bind I got myself in, and this work-style was part of my belief system, my raison d’etre.

And technology was always a perfect tool for this somewhat introverted worker. I would dive into any tech that encouraged communication via typed words, not actually speaking. God forbid.

And the more tech encouraged emails and texting, I found the less I wanted to speak to people on the phone.

But I’d be immersed in my trusty Blackberry wherever I was. In the doctor’s office waiting room, replying to emails, on the doctor’s slab, responding to emails — up until the moment he needed to take my pulse, then back at it while he was writing the prescription.

And specifically in NYC, I thought this was the way to work.

Frankly, at the time, I loved it.

Not a moment for myself.

Always on.

How great to be in such demand. (Surely this also meant job security right?)

We were at the forefront of the always-on generation. We fancied ourselves as super-achievers, and that there’s be recognition for that.

If we’re working 4–6 hours more a day after we leave the office, surely that moves the needle? But as we all did it, the rising tide of more productivity meant none of us outshone the others.

We’d simply been ‘generously’ given these fancy smartphones and then expected to be on call, whenever.

I feel exhausted even describing those days. I was lost in my work, in more ways than one.

And now… A new life.

Thankfully the Universe, as it’s wont to do, had its way with me, and I no longer had that career. I didn’t go easily, kicking and screaming all the way. Then nursing those wounds of not being wanted any longer… Taking it personally? You bet.

But how often in life do we not know what’s actually good for us, until far later.

I have a real appetite to see how this deep focus could work in my writing life.

The idea of using technology less (aside from typing on my trusty laptop, that is), closing all reminder and communication apps, looking to lose interruptions wherever possible is both appealing and intriguing. Can I even do this?

I’m giving myself the possibility to be at one with my work, undisturbed and deeply in it. It sounds luxuriating in these terms! We’ll see whether that’s the case.

If you suddenly see several articles in a day, you’ll know it’s working almost too well.

But I’m hopeful that we as a society are about to see a sea change.

Working from home, people are realizing how much work can be done during the day, and then picked up again the next.

Let’s face it, we are getting at least another hour - or maybe two, of work by not commuting every day. That’s a lot of found time.

Whether people will feel they still need to be on call for the remainder of the evening is debatable. I certainly wouldn’t be, had I been working for the entire day.

Social media largely due to politics has lost some of its luster. And this is a good thing.

It was only a short while ago that these platforms were presented to us as loving ways of staying in contact with friends and family around the world. It seems we weren’t ready as a society for such an all-pervasive and far-reaching medium.

I’m not being facetious — We have proven as a population to not be able to use what could have been a platform for love. Instead, it has created unimaginable divisiveness in this country.

So society is coming to grips with being overly available and overly stimulated, of their attention being owned by powers other than their own.

And if they’re smart this is a time for a reset and an improved focus on things that matter.

I’ll let you know how mine goes.