Deep Work
Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
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4.3 • 123 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results.
Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.
'Cal Newport is exceptional in the realm of self-help authors' New York Times
'Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy.
And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way.
A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored.
Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world. This book will point the way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this strong self-help book, Newport (So Good They Can't Ignore You) declares that the habits of modern professionals checking email at all hours, rushing from meeting to meeting, and valuing multitasking above all else only stand in the way of truly valuable work. According to him, everyone should practice deep work: "professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit." Newport calls on psychology and neuroscience, as well as common sense, to back up his recommendations. As to why people don't already work this way, he implicates a cultural narrative that stresses activity over concentration and that encourages workers to follow the path of least resistance. Newport encourages readers to take breaks from technology, recharge with downtime, leave social media, and reply to emails more purposefully. It's tempting to blow off the message as the complaints of an admitted non-technophile, but Newport's disarming self-awareness "Deep work is not some nostalgic affectation of writers and early-20th-century philosophers" and emphasis on a meaningful work practice that's "rich with productivity and meaning" makes for an excellent lesson in focusing on quality rather than quantity at work.
Customer Reviews
Actionable steps
A Knowledge Compound book club selection, I liked it more than I thought I would. I skipped over part one of the book as after a chapter, I realised I didn’t need convincing. I thought it obvious that concentrating and prioritising on a project would provide better results than not doing either of those things!
I really appreciate non fiction work that sets out clear actionable steps and have taken notes of what Cal Newport proposes. As a mother of a 5 year old and 7 month old my time is splintered and practically unplannable, but I took heart that I could utilise the journalistic approach and achieve some deep work slots when possible.
I liked his approach to social media, the lesson of assessing whether just ‘some benefit’ is enough to warrant your time (and your data) was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me.
I also liked his chapter on planning your day, in what I am calling the wet concrete approach. The point is not to set it in stone - but just to actually give it some thought. Any tool that allows for guilt free rewrites is currently a win in my book.
Deep work isn’t needed in every job, but the ability to concentrate and not fall prey to every shiny (smartphone) distraction is a life skill that may be in dangerously in decline. For that reason I think most people could get something out of this book.
Some points didn’t quite have the impact I thought they could of, there’s nothing profound in here and the writing is a bit long winded in places. In book club I gave it a 7 out of 10 which would translate to a 3.5 out of 5 in this star system. I rounded up rather than down as I do think it’s a worthwhile read.
Did
I’m
Very long winded.
The book takes a while to get the point, so much that when the point is delivered it is no longer as impactful as it was supposed to be. It starts off, quite frankly, boring. However it does become good in the middle for a little bit but then declines again.
Honestly I do not think I would recommend it to someone as a good self help book.