Deep work

By Cal Newport

The few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. - Cal Newport

Neuroscientists have discovered that intense periods of focused work cause myelin to develop in relevant areas of the brain. Myelin is a white tissue that develops around neurons, allowing brain cells to fire faster and cleaner. Practicing deep work upgrades our brains so we can do more work with the same effort. The brain upgrade from deep work enables us to connect more ideas and uncover creative solutions to complex problems.

• Opposite - Shallow work
• Two core abilities for thriving in the new economy
  • The ability to quickly master hard things
  • The ability to produce at an elite level, in terms of both quality and speed
  • Technology is ever-changing, this means over time, we will have to learn and relearn a never-ending language quickly
• Most workers engage in visible busyness or busyness as a proxy for productivity.
• Attention residue
  • When an individual switch from a task A to task B, his 100% attention does not automatically switch to the new tasks, some remain stuck at the original task A. This is attention residue, and it is strongest if task A was unbounded, or low intensity in nature before making the switch, even if you complete task A before switching, part of your attention will still remain on task A for a while.
  • If you want to perform at an optimum productivity level, work for long periods on a single task, with full concentration and zero distraction - working deeply.
• Rules of deep work
  • Work deeply
    • We have finite willpower, as it gets depleted, we tend to favor shallow work
  • Embrace boredom
    • To simply wait and be bored has become a novel experience in modern life, but from the perspective of concentration training, it's incredibly valuable