Our society has a concentration problem. I was recently in line at Costco and as I was waiting to check out I pulled out my phone and began deleting emails. After a few moments, I remembered Rule #2, Embrace Boredom. I put my phone back in my pocket and looked around, everyone else was looking at their phone or actively interacting with others. A better use of the time would be contemplating a large essay I am writing on how different roles interact with the Nine Core Principles of Work Intake. Parts of the topic are clear cut while others are nuanced. Instead of spending my time in “high-stimuli/ low-value” activities, mind candy, the time would be better spent thinking about a deeper issue. Newport’s idea in this chapter is less to be bored than to create space where you can do deep work. The pings, dings, and kitten videos need to be pushed aside.
One of the solutions Newport suggests is to partially back away from the internet. Deep Work was published in 2016 and probably written in 2015 before many tools moved to the cloud. Several of the tools I use assume a continuous connection to the internet which hampers my ability to cut the cord. In 2016, the year Deep Work was published this was less of an issue. The combination of COVID and distributed teams accelerated this trend. The new world context does not negate the idea that Newport is driving at. My compromise is to suppress or turn off notifications from interrupters (Outlook, Gmail, Slack…you know the usual suspects), close everything I am not using, and put my phones in the other room or desk drawer. It has been fairly effective. I use the term fairly because by late afternoon I seem to have depleted my pool of resolve (see our discussion of Rule 1).
Another idea that I have been experimenting with is scheduling time for distraction rather than scheduling time for deep work. Over the past few days, I have kept a rectangular yellow sticky note next to my workspace. When I am about to start a stint of deep work (for example writing or data analysis) I write down the time I will schedule a break for distraction. I am currently working with 45 – 60 minute increments. These blocks are larger than the 25-minute pomodoros I have been leveraging. In almost every case I have found that I can concentrate enough not to check the clock and look up 5 or 10 minutes after my scheduled break. Outside interruptions are a problem.
I look at both ideas as concentration calisthenics, and exercise, which is helping me to withdraw from interruption addiction and build up my ability to focus.
An idea I am having trouble implementing is using my morning run or one of my dog walks to think. Several years ago, I did my daily run (I was running 6 – 10 miles) without listening to a book or music. My phone battery was impaired due to the cold. Listening to anything sucked the battery dry. This became a forcing function. After a few miles of slogging along, I would get bored and start thinking about more than it was cold or snowing. Note, that this did not happen on shorter runs. I remember that time as being VERY productive. I have not been able to recreate the no-headphone zone consistently in the past year. When I contemplate the reason, I rationalize. For example, I first listened to Deep Work while running therefore listening to books is important. Whether running, walking the dog, or weeding the front garden, using the time to force boredom is powerful and useful.
The bottom line of this chapter is that we need to find space to work deeply. Boredom is the blank canvas you can fill with thought and deep work. The world in 2024 treats boredom like a vacuum that wants to fill all sorts of bright and shiny things. While reading Deep Work, I am constructing forcing functions to create space that does not immediately get filled. Some have been remarkably easy while others are more difficult. Making them a pattern of behavior, a habit is the next hurdle. Identifying and suppressing the systemic interrupters is part of finding time for boredom.
Remember to buy a copy of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World and read along.
Week 1: Logistics and Introduction – https://bit.ly/43fGAMX
Week 2: Deep Work Is Valuable – https://bit.ly/3TznAVd
Week 3: Deep Work Is Rare – https://bit.ly/4afglsG
Week 4: Deep Work Is Meaningful – https://bit.ly/3vRso09
Week 5: Work Deeply – https://bit.ly/4aQ5Uvq
