The Deep Work Experience
It was the summer of 2017 and my
days were packed with multiple things. Co-organizing a Summer Camp for kids
with my friends was one of the major work those days. There were regular
meetings in the evenings and I would often work for the Summer Camp preparation
in between office hours too. There was always a challenge to shift between
multiple works and sometimes perform multiple tasks simultaneously. In simple
terms – “Life was messed up”.
Thankfully, it was during this
time I came across the book “Deep Work” by Cal Newport through a
super-voracious (literally) reader friend. Implementing the techniques
suggested in the book not only helped me in successfully organizing the Summer
Camp, but it also gave me a direction to manage my personal work efficiently.
First, please keep in mind that
this is not a book review. I am just sharing a few of my experiences after
implementing the techniques of Deep Work.
Not going into the technical
definition of Deep Work given in the book, in my simple words, it is giving
your full concentration and effort on a particular task by shifting all your
focus on it. To achieve this state of mind, it is incumbent to free yourself
with all possible distractions. Speaking of distractions, I am sure nobody can
deny the threat of our mobile “Notifications”. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
WhatsApp, etc, etc., it is all right there in your small handheld device to
keep you distracted as much as possible. As a result, you end up doing “Shallow
Work” – the exact opposite of what Deep Work is all about. It is the practice
of Deep Work, which actually produces the best works by Script Writers,
Academicians, Philosophers, Scientists, and others. As a matter of fact, this
article too is a result of a few hours of Deep Work.
The time spent on Deep Work
depends from person to person and from profession to profession. My personal
experience with Deep Work is an hour’s cycle repeated 4 to 5 times a day. So it
is 45 minutes of Deep Work followed by 15 minutes of break and the cycle
repeats. However, let me also tell you that it took me close to two months to
master this technique. The hardest part that I feel for the starters of Deep
Work is detaching themselves from their phones. To achieve this, I had to make
a very difficult decision – quitting social media, especially Facebook and
Instagram. The fear of losing all my contacts revolved around my mind for a few
days. Finally, I took a brave step and permanently deleted my Facebook and
Instagram accounts. Today, I have realized that my real contacts are still
intact. On doing an estimation, I realized that I have saved myself at least 3
hours on a daily basis. To be honest, this had a huge impact on my personal and
professional life. I get more time to spend with my family and friends. In
addition, of course, more time for reading, writing, origami art, etc.
All I want to say is that, with
just a little conscious effort, we can take control of our lives and our
precious time.
Keep Reading! Keep Growing!
For more information on the
subject, read “Deep Work” by Cal Newport:
Watch Cal Newport himself
explaining why you need to quit Social Media in this TED Talk:
Really motivating! Keep writing.
ReplyDeleteThank You, Noaman!
DeleteThis is something many of our generation need to read and implement. Apart from turning off notifications, avoiding mobile phone distractions or limiting one's time on social media, what other techniques can one follow that deep work may be done?
ReplyDeleteTime Management too plays an important role in this. By time management i do not mean creating a time-table and strictly sticking to it. That will not make us live our lives to the fullness. We need to prioritize our works as per the situation. Prioritizing work is something we all need to develop within us. It is a skill that if mastered, we will be in a position to do bigger and better things in future.
DeleteAnother important thing that would help us in Deep Work is "Avoid Multi-tasking". Doing multiple works at the same time results in shallow work. If we want to produce the best results in the "little" time we have, then I suggest we take one task at a time and give it our best shot.
A close friend use to say "If you are sweeping the floor, sweep it like no one else does" :)
Detaching ourselves from mobiles is one thing we all need to learn. Keep writing
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteGood article Shoib. Something to ponder upon. These things are common sense but unless we are concious about them we will fall prey to them. Like me, I am plagued with Shallow Work. Your article has now motivated me to read the book and practice Deep Work in real life. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best, Mudassir.
Delete