The gist of the book is that in the age of distraction, knowledge tasks are going to be harder to accomplish and yet they are much more sought after now than at any other time in history.
There is one largely indisputable fact about the age in which we live, and that is, it is fraught with distractions. I needn’t bother with the statistical evidence of this reality because at a basic level, every individual has at one point or another felt themselves drowning in a sea of emails, wedding messages, network reminders and the mother of it all, social media. This is often conflated by, at least for the working class, the “tyranny of the urgent” and your garden variety “adhocism” (sic).
Cal Newport is a tenured Computer Engineering Professor of repute in his field and is widely published. He also leads a functional family life with a wife and children. He uses his personal example as a symbolic demonstration of how to thrive in the context of a highly demanding work and family life.
Overall, if you are sufficiently motivated to undertake Deep Work, the tools in this book will be indispensable to getting you well on your way there.
Paradoxically, the supply of knowledge work and its demand are moving in divergent directions. Cal posits that those people who will harness the lessons of Deep Work will over the long term be able to produce knowledge outputs on a scale that is unprecedented. It is because this skill will be premium that these very people shall own the future.
Newport’s book provides a plethora of examples and neat practical tools that we can implement to realize the benefits of deep work and produce valuable outputs over the long term. In particular, I was interested in the tool he calls ‘Time Blocks’. These are blacked out periods, pre-planned or prescheduled for maximum concentration on a singular task. It might be arduous at first but over time, these blocks become longer, more focused and ultimately more effective.
He also gives other empirical ideas for enhancing deep work such as; scheduling distractions like walks to the bathroom, checking emails, consultations, phone conversations etc; and quite obviously he advocates strongly for the absolute abstention from social media in any way, shape or form.
4.75/5
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Draman Victor - A happy member of the Dangala Bookclub at our last meeting
