The Power of Deep work: Why Distraction-Free Concentration is Key to Success
When not having a smartphone in hand makes you the odd one out, it’s critical to understand what deep work is and why it is essential to success. Many scholars are researching the ways smartphones and, more specifically, network tools. In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport identifies these as “a category that captures communication services like e-mail and SMS, social media networks like Twitter and Facebook, and the shiny tangle of infotainment sites like BuzzFeed and Reddit.” Network tools have benefits such as allowing for the rapid spread of information, but they also have significant drawbacks.
The primary problem that results from network tools is the constant demand for the user’s attention. Most people are barraged by social media notifications throughout the day, which keeps them checking their phones, waiting for the next micro dose of entertainment. The same pattern is evident with email and SMS, except they often take on the façade of a productive task. Many professionals feel that they must make themselves perpetually available to be successful, but this is untrue.
Newport defines deep work as “Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive abilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” Conversely, Newport describes shallow work as “noncognitively demanding, logical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate.” Network tools distort our ability to focus on anything for an extended period resulting in mass amounts of shallow work in most professions.
Without realizing it, we give in to the desire to glance at our phones even while completing another task because it has become routine. This disruption is often given no thought by the user leading to a dangerous cycle that perpetuates shallow work. One thing that makes shallow work unappealing is that tasks in this category are likely to be replaced by digital technology, leaving many individuals struggling to find jobs. Newport identifies “the ability to master hard things” and “the ability to produce at an elite level in terms of both quality and speed” as the two core abilities for success with the advancement of digital technology.
The unique aspect of Newport’s work is that it applies to every industry and can also be applied to personal endeavors. He uses the following formula to explain this concept better: High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus). Many examples prove this to be accurate, and I found it to be true through my studies at the graduate level.
