Today we tackle Rule #4 of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. The chapter’s title is Drain the Shallows. During both my reads of this chapter I have been struck by the amount of shallow work that creeps into my day even after the experiments and tweaks tried over the past several weeks. Perhaps I should focus on the amount of deep work rather than the amount of shallow work. One of the ideas Newport suggests is using some form of big visible chart to track deep work. I am drawn to the big visible chart idea; it was one of the early techniques used in agile. Unfortunately, it has fallen out of favor as addiction to tracking tools has increased. Tools all have transparency issues. Data goes into the tools only to be served to mere mortals by the priests and priestesses of the tool. Gone are the days of hand-drawn flip charts on the wall for all to consume. Earlier in the book, Newport recounted Seinfeld’s tactic of tracking deep work by crossing off days on a physical calendar. When I began considering tracking deep work time, I mentally pictured a chess time clock sitting next to me as I worked. That picture has faded and has been replaced this week by a daily tracking column in my notebook which I use EVERY day. I am considering a hand-drawn chart as a statement about transparency. The chart might be overkill as the only other person in my office is my dog. 

Another topic this week is a warning that the title of the chapter, Drain the Shallows, is not a call to remove all shallow work. Rather the author is asking us to “dial it down”. During the past few weeks, I reviewed some of my older notebooks. At one point I felt so overwhelmed by email that I tracked how many I was getting and disposing of daily. How much time was I investing in the whole email experience?  I don’t recollect precisely but I suspect it was a lot. The issue in my mind is not that I had to deal with email but that I spent so much time doing it at the expense of deep work and sleep. The chapter includes several ideas for attacking the email beast including making the writer do more work before hitting enter and not answering unsolicited emails. I would add unsubscribing from email lists and the liberal use of the delete key. While email is still a tidal wave, since the publication of Deep Work, texting and collaboration tools have added to the over-communication problem. I use quiet periods (I turn my phone, Teams, and Slack off) to deal with these. 

Another idea Newport suggests is fixed-schedule productivity. In this approach, you use a calendar to schedule all work. If you need three hours to write this weekend’s blog post, you put it on the calendar. If it takes four, you replan. I have struggled with scheduling everything since I originally read about this approach in Kevin Kruse’s book 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management. I use a form of fixed-schedule productivity. I block chunks of time and then work my prioritized backlog. In any fix-schedule approach, you need a disciplined work intake process or things will jump the queue.

One final topic, I have been using the hard daily cut-off for over a month. Having a hard end to the work day is a forcing function. At a specific time, each day, I review my calendar for the next day, create my priority list (5 items), block time on my calendar, reflect on the day, and then chant “mischief managed.” Maybe I don’t chant, but I do shut down the laptop and leave my office. I am not sure I am re-charged by the next day, but I do spend more time hanging out with my wife and dog.  

The re-reading of Deep Work is drawing to a close. Next week we will tackle the Conclusion and a few thoughts to wrap things up. Suggestions for what is next?  

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 

Week 6: Embrace Boredom – https://bit.ly/3JoBDIB 

Week 7: Quit Social Media –https://bit.ly/3Wk1dWK