Chapter 1, Deep Work Is Valuable, begins the first part of the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. Part 1, The Idea, comprises the book’s first three chapters and focuses on making the case for Deep Work.
One of the interesting arguments for the value of deep work is that we are in the throes of digital transformation. Combining that trend with position internationalization and incrementalism yields all-or-nothing jobs. These are the high-skill, high-value, and highly remunerated jobs in knowledge work. The proliferation of consultants and gig economy workers is a visible reflection of this trend. Organizations leverage top-tier performers, the gurus, whom they recruit from anywhere. While this idea is a confluence of trends most of us began to recognize in the heady days of the early to mid-2010s, the adoption of remote work since COVID and workplace automation has normalized hybrid teams. What was a new trend early in this century has become an embedded pattern. It is no longer rare for teams to include permanent or temporary members resident in different cities, states, or countries. Being the big fish in a small pond is not an effective career strategy. In today’s market, organizations “harvest” the top talent for their needs, and everyone else has to fight for what is left.
The author infers that getting to the top tier is an effective career strategy. Getting to the top tier, the top table, is not magic. The formula includes a growth mindset (See Carol Dweck’s boo Mindsets and our read) and constant deep learning. The point made multiple times through the examples in the chapter is “to learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction.” While focus is necessary to filter out distractions, feedback is equally important. Feedback bridges the gap between where you are and provides the impetus for correcting the learning path.
The author quotes Adam Grant’s formula of “High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus).” I suggest that real life is not as deterministic as the formula suggests, however, the concept is still useful. to do real work means putting in the time while applying focus. Even most overnight successes are the result of hard work. Focus, focus, focus.
Another topic in Chapter 1 that resonates is the idea of attention residue. The basic premise is that every task you take adds to your cognitive load. That load does not release, builds up, and reduces your ability to focus. This idea supports the call for monotasking or at least reducing the reliance on the cult of multitasking. Recognize that even when you put a task down to take on something new, some of your attention continues to be focused on the original task. For example, consider the impact of the corporate practice of back to back to back meetings on different topics. Look at your calendar and consider how fractured attention becomes over a day.
Chapter 1’s bottom line: To achieve peak performance you need to focus. To focus you need time without distractions and to stop starting and start finishing work.
Experiment for the week: I will carve out three hours, put both phones in a separate room, and turn off Outlook, GMail, Teams, and Slack to create space for focus. I see a problem.
Remember to buy a copy of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World and read along.
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