I had heard a lot about Cal Newport’s new book “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” and how it was well worth reading so I decided to pick up a copy. Since I have started reading it I have realised the advice that I was given was spot on. It is a very interesting book with some outstanding insights. In fact it motivated me to write this blog so it has worked wonders already!
The key takeaway for me is the concept of “Deep Work” and particularly the benefits of it. We are all guilty of flipping between various tasks and doing things like scrolling through social media when we should be working on one task. This is even harder if it’s something we don’t like doing or look forward to. While Deep Work is not necessarily suited for everyone for the vast majority of us we should look to introduce it into our lives. Newport shows the benefits of focusing solely on one task for a long period of time and allocating certain periods solely for work on one area. What I have noticed in Culture is that so many of our members say to me that when they come into the co-working space they get so much more work done here than at home and they are able to focus more on what they need to get done.
Even as a child growing up when you actually spend time and focus on what you were doing the results were better, whether this was your homework or studying for an exam. With so many distractions now in life we have possibly forgotten this. Deep Work isn’t easy and it requires work and effort to be put in but that is the case with everything in life. If you keep working at something you will get better at it and your performance will improve. As the comedian Eddie Cantor said “It takes 20 years to be an overnight success”. By introducing the concept of Deep Work into your life it should help you move towards where you want to be.
Andrew
