Deep Work: How to Develop the Most Valuable Skill of the 21st Century

High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus)

• Deep work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. Creates value.
• Shallow work: Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. Doesn't create value.

• Monastic: maximize Deep Work by minimizing or removing shallow obligations. Isolate yourself for long periods of time without distractions; no shallow work allowed
• Bimodal: divide your time into some clearly defined stretches to deep pursuits and leave the rest open to everything else. Reserve a few consecutive days when you will be working like a monastic. You need at least one day a week
• Rhythmic: involves creating a routine where you define a specific time period — ideally three to four hours every day — that you can devote to Deep Work
• Journalistic: alternate your day between deep and shallow work as it fits your blocks of time. Not recommended to try out first.

• Where: identify a location used only for depth, such as a conference room or a quiet library
• How Long: set a specific time frame for each Deep Work session. 
• How: your ritual needs rules and processes to keep your efforts structured. 
• Support: to maximize success, you need systematized support — so you deplete willpower — your efforts to go deep. 

• Use Headphones: Coworkers will think you can’t hear them and the barrier to interrupt you is much higher
• Work Remotely: start by asking for a half-day, preferably mornings
• Email: treat email as a to-do and schedule it in your calendar twice per day
• Disable Phone Notifications: disable all notifications. If it’s truly urgent, people will call
• Schedule Internet Time: schedule in advance when you’ll use the Internet and avoid it outside of those times. 
• Clear to Neutral: at the end of the day, close all your tabs and programs, delete or move all the files from Downloads, empty the trash, and shut off your computer. 

• New Insights: as your conscious mind rests, the unconscious mind takes over and provides valuable insights or creative ideas and consolidates memories
• Recharge: rest fills up the energy needed to work deeply. You restore your ability to direct your attention by giving this activity a rest
• Evening Work Is Usually Not Important: work that you fit in your downtime isn’t normally high-value activities that really advance your career but rather low-value shallow tasks.

• Quit Social Media: all those notifications hurt your ability to focus and stay focused. Social media isn’t all bad but it’s definitely a bad habit.
• Practice Saying “No”: be selective when deciding what opportunities to go after. 
• Meditate: 10 minutes of meditation in the morning will greatly increase your ability to focus throughout the day