



Deep Work
Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
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4.6 • 592 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2O16 PICK IN BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP
WALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS BESTSELLER
A BUSINESS BOOK OF THE WEEK AT 800-CEO-READ
Master one of our economy’s most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this “exciting” book (Daniel H. Pink) from an “exceptional” author (New York Times Book Review).
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep Work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there's a better way.
In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four "rules," for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill.
1. Work Deeply
2. Embrace Boredom
3. Quit Social Media
4. Drain the Shallows
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 no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.
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
Read it !! It’s worth it
This book goes from inspiring to very practical. It’s a well written insight to a new way of thinking about productivity. Anyone interested in doing meaningful or fullfilling work should at the very minimun read the sample. It’s a great read and definitely worth your money !!
Excellent book!
A good way to commit a sizable time each day to doing something meaningful and producing usable content.
On point!
I have been struggling to continue working in a job i have had for over 30 years. This job has always provided challenges and great satisfaction until recent years. I now realize this is because I have allowed far too much shallowness into my routine and cannot focus on anything meaningful.
This book woke me up to this fact and I have already made significant changes (before I even finished reading it!).
So far I am much happier and, as I continue eliminating distractions, I expect to only be more satisfied in my work.
Thank you Cal for a wonderful wake-up-call!
Joe