If you don’t know the power of deep work and you are only doing shallow work you are doing a big mistake. Whatever work you are doing while being distracted or semi-distracted. That work will be done by some Robots, Software, or Machines in the future.
If you won’t have the skill to do deep work then thousands of people will be ready to do it at a cheaper cost than you, due to overpopulation and unemployment.
Deep Work – A Must Skill for Bright Future
Let’s try to understand deep work with examples.
Bill Gates Founder of Microsoft and J.K Rowling author of Harry Potter is famous all over the world. There are programmers and writers all across but why only these two people are famous all over the world.
Because they used a technique called Deep Work.
These days this technique is very rare that people use it.
Now you may have the question that what is Deep Work. If we talk about work, then it is of mainly two types.
#1 Shallow Work
Shallow work is done with distraction. Like talking while doing office work,
Busy on mobile while taking in actual, Listening to songs while working on a Project.
This means all the work which you called multitasking is Shallow Work in actuality. With shallow work your productivity becomes low and time wastage gets more.
Scrolling again and again on Facebook and Instagram, checking emails, replying to messages these all are Shallow Work.
This means even if you do all your work for your whole life, no improvement will be there in your life.
While another is Deep Work.
#2 Deep Work
Deep work is an activity done by professionals in a distraction-free environment.
Deep work is a little hard but important intellectual work that can be done all time without distraction.
In deep work, you require a distraction-free environment.
That increase to thinking process as much as, it is very valuable and hard to replicate.
This means no one can steal and copy your that skill.
This means, your work will be unique and powerful by Deep Work.
If I tell some examples of Deep Work.
- American writer Mark Twain used to work in such an isolated room at his home, that his family member had to blow the horn to call him.
- Microsoft founder Bill Gates also celebrates Think weeks two times a year. In Think week he thinks about new ideas and reads books by living far from the people.
- The professor of MIT and award-winner novelist “Alan Lightman” goes to his small island where there is no internet and mobile.
You might think that our work gets finished by being distracted also.
Then what is the need for this Deep Work to have no distraction?
Here I tell you what the work you are doing while being distracted or semi-distracted.
That work will be done by some Robots, Software, or Machines in the future.
If you won’t have the skill to do deep work then thousands of people will be ready to do this multitasking work at a cheap cost than you, due to overpopulation and unemployment.
This means your shallow work will be automated in the future in some way.
Now let me explain to you with the help of a concept.
Why the Shallow work is so bad?
That concept is “Attention Residue“.
Let’s say you are working on a project with your 100% focus and now you started checking the notification that comes to your mobile suddenly.
But when you come to your work again, then in 100% focus, your 20-30% focus goes to mobile and only 70-80% focus comes back.
This means that 20-30% was your “Attention Residue” that was left in your previous work.
And to make 100 % focus again, you need much more time. And this way in multitasking you do many things at once.
While switching from one task to another, your much more concentration is wasted. Due to this, you never work with your 100% concentration.
If you want to make rare, valuable, and unique to yourself. Then you just have to learn to do Deep Work.
Because in the coming time due to digitalization people would have less than 8 seconds of attention span. And If you would have the ability to do Deep Work for hours.
Then your position will be a rare valuable professional who can produce world-class quality work.
Remember – Only 3 types of people will survive and go ahead in the upcoming tough skill-based digital economy.
#1 People with Big Capital
Who has a lot of funds and can invest in big companies.
#2 People who understand Technology
A people who can understand and work with Artificial Intelligence, Machines, and technology.
#3 People with Expertise in their field
People who have expertise in their field.
Obviously the best suitable for all out of these three is to become an expert in own field.
If you will become an expert in your field when you can do Deep Work with full concentration.
So let’s know 4 methods to do Deep Work.
4 Methods to do Deep Work
#1 Monastic Deep Work
In Monastic deep work, you get isolated to achieve your goal by leaving everything behind like a Monk.
Like in the 1970s, Bill Gates isolated himself from the world for 8 weeks and made the first version of BASIC.
That coding is the base for Million dollar company Microsoft.
Obviously, leaving everything aside like a monk (keeping yourself disconnected from the world) and going to work for a goal is possible for very few people.
But if you can do this then you will get a big advantage.
#2 Bimodal Deep Work
This means you can adopt the Monastic approach sometimes and live a normal life the rest of the time.
This approach is for those who can’t keep themselves away from the world.
Like J.K Rawling was facing so much distraction at home to finish the last book of Harry Potter. Because she was troubled by the barking of dogs, the noise of children, and many other distractions.
That’s why she followed this Bimodal approach. When she had to work on her book, then she used to write in the hotel away from the internet and people. And later came home and lived a normal life.
You can also do the same. Like to work on any project get out of contact for 2 hours. And when your work is completed then come and live a normal life.
#3 Rhythmic Deep Work
The basic idea of this approach is to build a habit of Deep Work on a Rhythmic basis in your life.
So in this, you have to fix a time, that you will do Deep Work every day at this time and Shallow Work is fine for the others time.
For example, you can decide that in the morning you will do deep work and for the rest of the time you will do shallow work.
#4 Journalistic Deep Work
If you remain busy the whole day then you can follow this approach.
In this, like a journalist when you get the free time it may be half an hour then you do Deep Work.
Like when you know, today you will be free from 3 to 3:30 PM.
Then close your phone at that time and go to some isolated place and do your work.
I prefer this technique and I used it multiple times.
Whenever I get time, I work in deep mode on that time or that day.
Means doing Deep Work with fully customizable and according to my situation.
An extreme example of journalistic deep work is “Peter Shankman“.
When Peter had to write a manuscript of a book.
Then he followed a different and powerful idea. He Booked a round-trip business class flight from America to Tokyo.
Because no one can disturb him there and after 30 working hours with full concentration on the flight, he completed that script.
He had to pay the cost of doing Deep Work at the height of 30000 feet.
But the quality of work he produced by doing deep work there, the cost of the flight was nothing before that.
So these are the different types to do Deep Work.
But the principle is the same, that work distraction-free.
You can also start doing Deep Work by using any technique out of these four according to your need.
Final Words
Work is mainly of two types – Deep work and Shallow work. Deep work is valuable and rare. Deep work can be done mainly in four ways that are a Monastic, Bimodal, Rhythmic, and Journalistic approach.
In this 21st century, If you can do deep work without distraction then you can also produce world-class work, like Bill Gates and J.K Rowling.
Now, these are all things I have learned from Cal Newport’s book “Deep Work”.
If you are still reading this article then congratulations. You are more focused than 90% of the people who read my blogs and for you, doing deep will be very easy.
Thank You & Happy Reading!
