Something incredibly valuable is going extinct, and it’s not the European Badger. It’s your ability to concentrate without breaking focus for a long period of time. Our fading ability to practice intense concentration is what computer science professor Cal Newport calls "deep work." Newport defines deep work as “the act of engaging in hyper-concentrated cognitive labour on a demanding task, free from distractions and fragmented attention.” AKA “concentrating really hard on your work for a long time without looking at your phone.”

“It's the state of intense focus and flow that enables maximum productivity, creativity and skill acquisition. The mind is able to work at full capacity, making connections and allowing breakthrough insights to emerge.” For most of us modern workers, spending more than a few minutes in the state of deep work is proving to be an immense challenge. How can we expect to find this state of divine concentration, when we are constantly being pulled out of productive focus by an influx of Whatsapps from group chats trying to organise pub at the weekend, Slack dings, meeting notifications, the boss interrupting with “have you got 5 mins?", or the relentless need for a coffee and a sweet treat.

Newport's insight in the importance of deep work highlights how critical it was to work with uninterrupted focus for founders like Bill Gates - who taught himself how to program. That’s great Newport, but I’m just trying to write this email and get it sent off in less than an hour.

The difference defined by Cal between "deep work" and "shallow work" simply put is that deep work would be writing a research paper or book and shallow work would be responding to an email. Guess I'm just a shallow girl, then. 😔

Being in a true state of deep work is draining but all the evidence points to it being absolutely vital for creating impactful work. The good news, according to Newport, is that our cognitive capability for intense, extended focus still lies within all of us, buried somewhere deep under TikTok sound bites and what you’re thinking about having for dinner.

So how do we get into a deep work state? Lock ourselves in a windowless room with nothing in for an hour a day? Do we put our phone in a block of ice? Do we ask our co-workers to stop playing hyper-pop on a Monday morning? Maybe! Or maybe it’s about taking yourself away from your desk and out to a library once a week, seeing as there’s nowhere else that I can think of that’s quiet anymore. If you find somewhere quiet, keep it to yourself.

Cal, being the deep work legend he is, created these four scheduling philosophies for maximising productivity by dedicating uninterrupted time to focused, high-cognitive-demand tasks:

‍1. Monastic Philosophy‍

‍Description:

Completely eliminate or minimise shallow work and distractions to focus solely on deep work.

‍Implementation:
Drastically limit or eliminate email and social media usage.
Create an environment that supports deep work, such as a secluded office or workspace.
Dedicate entire days or weeks to deep work without any interruptions.

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2. Bimodal Philosophy‍

Description:

Divide your time between deep work and other tasks, dedicating substantial blocks of time to each.

Implementation:
Set aside multiple days, or at least one full day, each week for deep work.
Use the remaining time for shallow work, meetings, and other responsibilities.
Ensure clear boundaries between deep work and other activities to avoid interruptions.

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3. Rhythmic Philosophy

Description:

‍Create a regular, consistent schedule for deep work sessions.

‍Implementation:
Block out specific times each day for deep work (e.g., 9 AM to 12 PM every weekday).
Make deep work a habitual part of your daily routine.
Use a calendar or planner to maintain this rhythm and ensure adherence to the schedule.

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4. Journalistic Philosophy

Description:

Fit deep work sessions into your schedule whenever you have free time, similar to how journalists write stories on tight deadlines.‍

Implementation:
Be opportunistic about deep work sessions, fitting them into gaps in your schedule.
Requires a high level of discipline and ability to switch into deep work mode quickly.
Keep a lookout for free blocks of time and seize them for deep work activities.

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‍Key Concepts across all of them:

Rituals and Routines: Establishing specific rituals to transition into deep work mode, such as a particular setup of your workspace or a pre-work routine.‍

Focus on High-Value Activities: Prioritise tasks that yield the most significant results and require the most cognitive effort.‍

Distraction Minimisation: Actively eliminate distractions by turning off notifications, setting clear boundaries with colleagues and family, and using tools like noise-canceling headphones.‍

Time Blocking: Schedule blocks of uninterrupted time for deep work and protect these blocks from any intrusions.‍

Tracking and Reflection: Regularly assess your deep work habits, track the time spent in deep work, and reflect on how you can improve your scheduling and focus.

Whatever method, ice block or otherwise, there’s immense value in rediscovering our cognitive ability for really concentrating properly hard and not watching mukbangs. Maybe then Mummy will be proud.