Deep Work - Cal Newport Pt 2

Topics:

The rules of deep work:

Rule #1 - Work Deeply
- Find/create a work environment of isolation that allows you to have a distraction free space to let your mind think deeply
- Move beyond good intentions and implement good routines & habits. Setting aside set times to accomplish deep work becomes a duty, rather than an option
- The four depth philosophies: Monastic, Bimodal, Rhythmic & Journalistic
- Some strategies to consider: Ritualizing patterns, making grand gestures
- The importance and contradiction of collaboration
- The four disciplines f the execution framework: focus on the wildly important, act on the lead measures, keep a compelling score card & create a cadence of accountability

Rule #2 - Embrace boredom

- Treat deep work as a habit.
- Embrace your ability to be bored
- Indulge in laziness/idleness - allows the brain to reset and allows the subconscious to think
- Don’t take breaks from distraction, instead take breaks from focus. You need to rewire your brain to not crave distraction.
- It’s not about eliminating distractions, it’s about allowing distractions to hijack your thoughts
- Give your deep work a hard deadline and commit to it, this will increase your intensity to get the task done.
- Productive meditation - you are occupied physically, but not mentally and focus on a single well defined problem.
- Be aware of distractions and looping
- Structure your deep thinking

Rule #3 - Quit social media
- This is not a binary solution, it’s about acknowledging they exist and are not inherently evil.
- Don't fall into the 'any benefit mindset' when evaluating tools
- Take the craftsman approach to tool choice
- Structure your free time, this won’t actually lead to you feeling ‘relaxed’ the goal is to live and not just exist
- Re-energize the human spirit by doing something meaningful with your waking hours. Don’t bathe in semi-conscious activities

Rule #4 - Drain the shallows
- Don’t underestimate the damage that shallow work does to your life and don’t overestimate the productivity that it brings
- Schedule every minute of your day. Don't be on autopilot
- Quantify the depth of every activity
- Set a time to stop working
- Become hard to reach.

Finally, it’s not about demonizing the distractions, but making deep work more important

If you missed part 1 of Deep Work, check it out here: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/mindsettoolkit/episodes/2017-10-22T20_26_40-07_00

Get audible: http://goo.gl/AjqkEB

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