AMAZON BEST BOOK IN BUSINESS & LEADERSHIPWALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS BESTSELLEROne of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you’ll achieve extraordinary results.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 … 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.
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.
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I am on a non-fiction quest to find the answer to the question of the meaning of life. I did not find it in Deep Work, but that’s because the meaning of life isn’t Cal Newport’s point. The book pairs beautifully with Greg McKeown’s Essentialism if you’re looking for reinforcement of an already-held believe/desire/need to clear out the chatter and focus on what is of value *for you*.
I finished this book and immediately reopened it to begin taking notes. Newport’s idea of “deep work”—intensive work or study done at the limits of ones cognitive abilities—hit home with me both as a deeply meaningful way to live and as something I struggle to spend enough time doing. As with most books on work habits, much of the content here is applied common sense, but there a lot of good tactical ideas on carving out space for depth in a distracted culture. After reading this, I’ve got a list of next actions and ideas that I’m excited to try out.
My only beef with the book lies in Newport’s attitudes towards social media as a whole: he’s curmudgeonly and strays into old-man-yelling-at-cloud territory. He largely ignores the real positive efforts coming from people using networked apps to share the results of their deep work. That said, his stance in the end comes out to “make sure you’re getting enough value of the tools you choose to offset their costs”, which I’m onboard with.
This book has revolutionized the way I approach my craft, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Amazing research on the power of working in concentrated periods of time! Well written.
I just started reading and really enjoying it so far. This book has a great perspective on creating valuable work.
Frankly, this one is a bit on the scholarly side, but well worth the read. It has changed how I write novels for the better. It can improve pretty much anything in your life if you let it! Recommended.
I live in part of the world where everyone seems to be connected all the time. This book gives the opposite view – why it’s a good idea to disconnect in order to do deep work, and how to set that up. I found this book life-changing, and recommend it to everyone I can.
As a writer I really loved this book. It brought me back to what I’ve known for years, but “social media” has tempted me out of the habits that have helped me craft. This is a book I will send to my kids. . . everyone needs to read it, so that we think about how technology both helps and stops us from thinking deeply and doing the work we’re meant to do.
If you want to perform at an ELITE level, this book is a must-read. Cal Newport has inspired me to change the structure of my day so that I prioritize thinking, writing, and creating with a fresh and well-rested brain. It is a must-read for creators, writers, innovators, and entrepreneurs … or anyone who wants to rise above average.
Good book
Incredible book. One of the most important I’ve read in recent years. Inspired me to make some significant changes in my approach to life and work.
Fantastic advice for how to find passion in your work. Never settle for less.
I took away several simple steps that have made a difference in my day (stress). Much of the material may seem “obvious”, but they were things that had not gotten my attention until Cal presented them as he did. Glad I read it!