Deep Work

In "Deep Work", Cal Newport discusses how it has become difficult to perform work that requires a long attention span. He furthermore explains why he (and many others) believe that this is exactly the important work that will help your career, the company your working for and humankind in general.

This is certainly not the only or the latest book that discusses this material. This book has a little less scientific discussion on the matter and much more practical advise.

There were some tricks that you will find in many books (eg "reduce the amount of time you spend answering email") but there are also many great and useful insights.

I think every one should read this book or similar ones (for instance, [b:Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again|57933306|Stolen Focus Why You Can't Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again|Johann Hari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626718328l/57933306.SY75.jpg|90770433] that I recently read) from time to time. Just to get a refresher so you can focus back on what really matters.

Cal has a lot of good ideas but I hate how he presented them.

I pretty much skimmed through the first section that was trying to convince me that deep work was worth it. Of course, I know it's worth it, why else would I be reading this book? As a computer scientist, I don't mind that the examples he spouts off are largely tech-related and usually intended for office/self-employed workers. However, there's a lot of anecdotes in this book. There are some mentions of studies here and there but the evidence is still lacking.

When it comes to social media, he comes off as pretentious and snobby even if he is mostly right. I've read some of Cal's blog posts before and I had the same impression of him back then. I am a bit defensive over the usage of my social media even though I know I'd probably be better off without. But Cal brings up the point of, think what you could be doing in your time instead. And I agree.

Regardless, there's a lot of things I want to try out from this book.

Commit to a rhythmic philosophy of deep work
Ritualize where and how I will work
Follow 4DX (quick note, this largely taken from another author)
* Focus on just the important goal
* Measure new behaviours that drive success AKA keeping track of deep work hours (i.e. lead measures)
* Keep a scoreboard (like a streak)
* Create accountability with weekly reviews
Take breaks from focus over distractions (schedule hours dedicated to the Internet instead of hours dedicated to work)
Quit social media (almost)
* Re-evaluate the social networks I'm a part of (including Goodreads)
* Take a month-long "sabbatical" from social media and see if anyone misses me
Schedule every minute of my day
Finish work by 16:30 (in the book Cal says 17:30 but I'm assuming he starts work at 9:00 whereas I start work at 8:00)
Become hard to reach (e-mail and phone only, maybe Discord still?)

Yes, there are good things to try out with this book. Cal takes until the very end to say deep work is not for everybody (with his usual pretentious air). I'm going to take a crack at it. I've found that ever since I've graduated and started working, my hours are incredibly limited. After careful attention, I've realized that much of my day is dedicated to shallow activities. I want to get things done (yes, I've read David Allen's GTD).

First sentence: In the Swiss canton of St. Gallen, near the northern banks of Lake Zurich, is a village named Bollingen.

Last sentence: And hopefully now that you've finished this book, you agree too.