If you’ve ever felt intensely focused on one activity, you’ve likely experienced a state of deep work. Maybe you didn’t realize how much time passed while completing a task. Or maybe it was your level of engagement in the task that surprised you. Either way, this ability to block out distractions is a sign of deep work.
Mastering deep work can help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. It can improve your productivity and time management skills and keep you from procrastinating. However, it requires some training. Understanding what deep work does to your brain and the habits you can form can make it a more sustainable practice.
Below we’ll cover the details of what deep work truly is, how it differs from typical work, and how to leverage it in your day-to-day life.
What is deep work?
Deep work is a state of complete concentration that enables you to handle cognitively demanding tasks. It can help you quickly learn new skills and engage in activities that require deep focus such as problem-solving and creative thinking.
Author Cal Newport coined the concept of deep work in 2015. His book, “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World,” is considered one of the best books on productivity.
Newport believes that deep work is a skill that’s becoming increasingly valuable and rare. He theorizes that deep concentration is uncommon because digital distractions plague the modern workplace.
Deep work goes hand in hand with flow state, which occurs when you are so absorbed in an activity that you don’t think about anything else. Flow states are often referred to as “getting in the zone” and are associated with losing track of time (in the positive sense).
Examples of activities that might require deep work to complete include the following:
- Research
- Writing
- Coding
- Strategizing
- Data analysis
- Graphic design
- Mathematical calculations
Deep work vs. shallow work
Deep work and shallow work both describe states of concentration. However, shallow work requires less effort. These tasks are usually easy and routine and don’t take much concentration to complete.
Examples of shallow work include time spent on the following:
- Doing the dishes
- Scrolling on social media
- Scheduling meetings
- Browsing Amazon
- Chatting with a coworker
Including shallow work and deep work in your schedule each day can help you maintain balance and increase your personal well-being. Too much deep work can lead to signs of burnout, while too much shallow work can leave you feeling unproductive and unfulfilled. Having an equal amount of both types of work can ensure you have time to rest while also getting things done.
How to practice deep work
Engaging in deep work has many benefits. However, just like learning a new skill, deep work requires practice and patience. Deep work training can improve your focus and concentration and enable you to swiftly master new, more intricate skills.
Applying some deep work strategies like the ones below can help you hone your attentiveness and stay motivated.
Choose a deep work philosophy
There are four main deep work scheduling philosophies you can use to guide your journey:
- The monastic philosophy: The monastic deep work philosophy encourages you to focus solely on deep work by cutting out all shallow work. This means choosing only high-focus activities to do all day for consecutive days while rejecting any shallow work. The idea is to hone your deep work skills by going all-in at the start. This philosophy is great for professionals who require constant focus, such as data scientists.
- The bimodal philosophy: This philosophy involves splitting your schedule to carve out blocks of time for deep work. You only engage in shallow work outside of those times. The time blocks can be hours, weeks, or months. For example, you could devote your entire summer to shallow work and the rest of your year to deep work. The bimodal philosophy might work best for someone who needs long periods of time without interruption to progress, such as an author.
- The rhythmic philosophy: The rhythmic philosophy argues that turning deep work into a consistent, sustainable practice requires making it a work habit. The deep work sessions you schedule should happen consistently every day for the same amount of time. This philosophy discourages skipping any days in order to develop a deep work routine. If you’re a professional who only has certain blocks of your day available to do deep work, such as a college professor, this is likely the philosophy for you.
- The journalistic philosophy: This philosophy involves fitting deep work into your schedule whenever you have the time or motivation. For example, if you catch yourself mindlessly scrolling the web, switch modes to pursue progress toward your goals. The journalistic philosophy approach focuses more on managing your energy rather than managing your time. While this theory may sound the easiest on paper, it can be a challenge as it requires being able to dive into your deep work mode on a dime. The journalistic philosophy is best for professionals whose jobs require quickly switching gears, such as those in public relations.
There is no right or wrong philosophy to follow. However, some philosophies may work better in some situations than others.
Schedule deep work sessions
Once you’ve chosen a philosophy, it’s time to schedule your deep work sessions. This requires time blocking and advance planning.
If you’re following the rhythmic philosophy, you could try to block out the same time period each day for deep work hours, such as noon to 4 p.m., seven days a week. With the bimodal philosophy, you might reserve every other day for deep work, filling in the gaps with shallow work.
Whatever the case, set realistic goals based on your schedule, workload, and personal time to position yourself for success. A time-block planner can also help you organize your schedule by designating blocks of time to certain tasks.
Create a deep work environment
If you feel like you lack focus at work, you’re not alone. A new research report shows that 79% of employees say they can’t go a full hour without being distracted. Additionally, 11% reported that they get distracted every five minutes. Deep work can help you avoid interruptions at work and set the stage for deep focus.
Deep work requires a calm and quiet environment. To achieve this setting, consider the following:
- Set your smartphone, email, and messaging tools to “do not disturb” to create a distraction-free environment that limits incoming notifications
- Make a list of non-urgent questions you might have for your manager and save them for meetings
- Set aside a specific time to handle inevitable disruptions, such as the 30-minute window after your lunch break, and manage all of your notifications then
- If you work remotely, shut your office door when possible to help minimize distractions related to pets or kids
- Schedule meetings outside of your deep work periods as much as possible
Prime your mind for focus
A lack of focus can lead to no motivation to work. Preparing your mind can help you transition from shallow to deep work.
You can train your mind to focus using the following activities:
Batch similar tasks
Task switching happens when your brain stops focusing on one task so that it can switch to another. Doing this too often can lead to mental fatigue and diminish your concentration. This is because your brain must work extra hard to switch contexts.
The best way around this is to group similar tasks together and do them simultaneously to reduce context switching. For example, let’s say you have to write three reports on the following topics:
- How to run better virtual meetings
- Ways to improve team collaboration
- A highlight report on the computer programming industry
It’d make more sense to batch the first two topics into one deep work session since they relate and share the same context. Some of the content may even overlap. Switching to the report about computer programming immediately after an article on collaboration can throw your mind for a loop.
Plan strategic breaks
Long blocks of deep work require you to take occasional breaks. Remember to nourish your body with the nutrients it needs to stay focused, and don’t skip meals. Short rest breaks can also help give your mind a needed break to reenergize.
When you do take breaks, make sure you plan them strategically. Try to avoid doing something that could distract your mind when you get back to your deep work, such as checking your emails or texts. Also, plan your breaks for a specific length of time so you stay on schedule.
Track your progress
Like other habits, deep work should get easier the more you do it. Be sure to track your progress. If you don’t, gradual improvements can be easy to miss.
Seeing how far you’ve come can also motivate you to keep at it. This can help make deep work a more sustainable and routine practice.
Habits that make deep work easier
Aside from practicing deep work, you can prioritize additional habits to help keep you in the right mindset for progress. Here are a few things you can do to make deep work easier to achieve:
Is there a best time of day for deep work?
The best time for deep work is the time when you have the most energy. Some people believe they have greater willpower and concentration during the first half of the day. If that’s the case, a morning time block may work best for you. Others, however, may feel more productive in the afternoon or evening.
If you’re engaging in deep work for professional reasons, you might choose a day or time when you’re least likely to have meetings. If you work odd hours or overnight shifts, your preferred schedule and focus time may look different.
Think about what time of day you tend to get the most work done and start there. You can always adjust as needed.
Does deep work rewire your brain?
Deep work has the ability to rewire your brain for improved focus. It does this by strengthening and creating new neural pathways through the reinforcement of positive habits.
However, research shows this benefit is associated with deliberate practice rather than passive efforts. You might not see the same benefits if you aren’t intentional about building deep work into your life.
Master deep work to unlock your potential
Deep work enables you to reach a higher level of performance in your personal and working life. This can lead to a sense of accomplishment, increased fulfillment, and a greater sense of purpose. A life coach or career coach can help you identify the best deep work philosophy and scheduling plan to achieve your goals.
Learn how to unlock your potential with a BetterUp Coach to stay on track and go deeper than you ever thought possible.
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