Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time.
~ Day 4 of the 28 Day Self-Growth Plan
Deep Work, by Cal Newport
First, let me thank you for your patience. I am also thanking myself for my own patience. This 28-day project isn’t just an attempt to achieve a new level of growth using 28 possibly well curated executive summaries. In fact, it isn’t that at all.
It is an attempt to prove that I can, in fact push publish every day. I think that sounds easier than what it actually is.
In my brain, there is A LOT that goes into pushing publish. There is content, appropriateness, ancillary repercussions, images, readability, relatability, accountability, spelling, grammar, attribution, keywords, excitement, time, snippets, fear, love, explanation, context, word count, timing, completeness, structure, reception, clarity, purpose, intention, the white spaces…
See, my brain is a super fun place…
However, I have a theory that it isn’t really all that complicated. I have a theory that suggests I have made it that complicated so I can have a ready-made excuse for not doing it. See, I got rid of all my legitimate excuses some time ago. What I didn’t let go of fully was my fear. But that can’t be the reason because, well, I have made a commitment to not let fear run my show. So, let me make this other reason.
It isn’t that complicated to push publish. Images and all that website stuff are easy – find them or *gasp* just don’t use them. Most of that other stuff assumes I make money doing this – I don’t. I mean, wouldn’t that be fine, but I write because it is who I am, not because it is what I do. So, if it sucks sometimes, so what? Don’t like it? Whatever, you got it for free. We can both try again tomorrow.
And that’s kinda what happened yesterday. I was in a headspace that was a tad overwhelming. I had a few choices that ranged from faking it to quitting and skipping the day. I decided to just say it – I can’t even today, I have given you what I have, I have given myself what I had, I’m going to go do something else now, we will try again tomorrow. And then I hit publish.
Then I started to work on clearing out the clutter in my brain. Fun fact, it didn’t work – but it did improve and that’s good enough for me. There’s no reason to think I can fix whatever in a day. More importantly, I am not broken. I am wondrous just the way I am and just happen to be the kind of person who regularly wonders, “How much better can I be?”
So as the universe is apt to do, today’s executive summary suggests that distracted work (shallow work) and multi-tasking are counterproductive to real cognitive work (deep work).
This is tough for me because my day to day is not typical. I have several work environments in my home and office. I am the COO of our home and our business. I am a full-time college student with a hybrid online/in person schedule. I have children, employees, friends. I have a husband who may or may not still be 15 years old and is the poster child for ADHD. In short, the only thing that is definite on my calendar is kid drop off and pick up from school – and even that isn’t always my responsibility.
For instance, right this very second, my assistant sent me a text about a work related issue, the dryer played its “hey, I’m done come get your clothes out before I wrinkle them” song, and my coffee needs a warm up. But I am in the middle of a sentence here and if I get up, I know there is a good chance I won’t be able to pick up this thought again because it’s a real time thought. But priorities…and now I am ankle deep in a dilemma of where to focus my attention.
In all honesty, I like it this way. So, I don’t like ALL of it. But when I consider the alternatives, this works for me. What I lose in structure and security I gain in freedom and flexibility.
But I don’t think Newport is wrong:
Deep work requires a distraction-free environment, a high level of concentration, and it ultimately improves your skills, which in turn leads to value addition…
When an individual switches from task A to Task B, his 100 percent attention does not automatically switch to the new task, some remains stuck at the original task A. This is attention residue…even if you complete task A before switching, part of your attention will still remain on task A for a while. Working in a semi-distraction state is counterproductive…you create a new target for your attention, and by seeing a task B you cannot accomplish at the moment, you will be switching back to task A, with task B left unfinished.
The answer in my opinion – block scheduling.
What’s the one thing that will not ever work in my life – block scheduling.
You may think this would frustrate me. In another life it would have. Not in this one. In this one, I understand that there is more than one answer. I also understand that while Newport is right, he is not the ONLY right.
I am thankful for this particular attention getter today. It has reminded me that it is time to consider my planner choice for 2021. In 2020 I switched from a paper planner to a digital planner using GoodNotes and BOSS Personal Planner. I am not opposed to this setup again. I am opposed to not checking out other options. So, it went on my list of things to do today.
Block schedules don’t work for me. But lists do and I have gotten much better at using them (damn dryer is making noise AGAIN – I can HEAR the clothes wrinkling!) Robust planners with daily pages and monthly overviews keep me focused without being confining and flexible without forgetting. The digital piece works for me because I take my iPad everywhere. Literally, I picked my newest handbag based on this singular fact.
Newport suggested that life be “rituals and routines.” I understand the premise. I am not interested in the implementation. There is almost always more than one way to do the thing…