Where Things Began
In a world teeming with distractions, the quest for deep focus and productivity has become a personal and kind of a never ending journey for me. This blog is simply a way for me to more effectively document my journey. I'm hoping this helps me, more importantly, I hope this helps someone other as well.
Awakening to Distraction
My journey with Deep Work commenced with Cal Newport's popularization of the term. Days slipped away in a haze of browsing, email-checking, and endless meetings, leaving me with a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction. Newport's book vividly illustrates the detrimental effects of shallow work. However, I believe the implications extend into one's personal life, relationships and even physical health.
The Power of Deep Work
As I delved deeper into Newport's insights, I realized the transformative potential of deep work. Newport demonstrates how the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks is not just a skill but a superpower in today's knowledge economy. His research-backed arguments and real-world examples underscored the importance of prioritizing depth over superficial productivity. Again, this isn't about being productive for me. It's about something deeper.
Being addicted to work is always a risk in the digital space. The work can't be great than life itself. It can't be greater than the people in your life. Even worse though is the idea of being addicted to distractions.
The Dichotomy of Productivity
While productivity is often equated with output and efficiency, Newport helped me challenge this notion by emphasizing the value of deep, meaningful work or even focusing in general. His warnings against the allure of distractions and the dangers of shallow work prompted me to reassess my priorities and embrace the discipline of deep work. In other words, I'm more interested in the skill of organically focusing. I say organically because there are drugs that produce high levels of focus but it can be compared to steroids in muscle building; not sustainable.
Finding Sanctuary the Present
One of the most profound insights I drew from "Deep Work" is this idea of ranking activities. I identified activities such as prayer, reading, writing, and creative pursuits as avenues for achieving deep focus and presence. In our society, we have labels with nutritional facts on all consumable items. I suppose that's what I'm doing; labeling activities.
What's the Point?
I have no idea, I'm also not in a rush to get there either. I'm enjoying the journey. When I was a child I loved coming home after school to watch my favorite show. Then we got cable and I'd stay up watching shows and movies because it was available. Then we got internet. Then social media became a thing. You see where I'm going with this. At some point I had to acknowledge the fact that information is unlimited and ever accessible. This combination makes it a perfect recipe for addiction. An addiction to consuming information didn't sound so bad until I realized it directly competes with producing.
