“Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport allows us to understand how deep, uninterrupted focused work is extremely valuable. This book is a great reminder of how a distracted mind can lead to nowhere. Once you start reading this book, it will make you want to put your phone away more and more.
This informative read features real life examples of people who have become influential by controlling their ‘digital time’ and transforming their lives by thriving and being more valued. It takes you on a great journey from average to great, so that you’re able to achieve person success and fulfillment. It inspires us to be able to work alongside super intelligent machines, without being sucked into meaningless, time wasting scrolling and searching. It makes us face the reality that when looking for a job or wanting to progress in a certain arena, we need to be the best as employers and consumers now have access to a global plethora of options, people and talent. So make sure you focus on what you want to accomplish and become a leader and visionary in your niche. It shares proven success stories of ‘rock stars’ in niche sectors.
Deep work wants its readers to ‘work deeply’ by living their life’s purpose and focusing on one thing at a time and bypassing unnecessary distractions. You can apply these ideas by optimising your efficiency, having total focus and uninterrupted work flow. One of the suggestions is to focus for 90 minutes on one task and then have a break before doing another 90 minute uninterrupted work session.
It unveils our current reality of office work areas that are distracting with open space offices and supervisors that place an emphasis on replying to multiple shallow emails.
We all need systems in place to be able to concentrate and just turning away from superficial things is not as easy as it seems. It reveals how people’s desires often give way to will power, eg. Eating, sleeping, sex, listening to music, surfing the web or watching tv. We are often bombarded to do anything and everything except deeply focus on our work, projects or passions.
One of the rules suggests that you take the lead and quit social media. This will be an opportunity to unplug and adjust to a ‘disconnected’ life even for a period of time eg. 1 month and understand that all network tools demand your time. By switching off you will gain personal wisdom and empower your great authentic self. Don’t accept your current distracted state. Also, after you complete an ‘unplugged period’ accept that networking tools aren’t ‘evil’ but you need to have a threshold as to how long you spend on these tools and apps.
Find entertainment that doesn’t involve internet connectedness:
- Read
- Do some journaling
- Interact with your friends (in real life)
- Meditate
- Do some exercise
- Hold a party!
- Take some time out to relax at a beach or day spa
- Make something with your hands
- Play with your kids or pets
Don’t be mindlessly distracted again.