This week has been Deep Work week for me. Which means it’s a week where I turn off email, divert the phones and work on the strategically important things in my business. Without distraction or interruption.
And even though I set a typically ambitious list of what I wanted to get done, I’ve almost managed it, and certainly the most important things are satisfyingly ticked off. (#overachiever!)
But I would never have gotten through as much as this before I discovered Deep Work.
What is Deep Work?
Earlier this year I read a book that I can honestly say has had more impact on me, my business and my clients than anything I’ve ever read before, and opened my eyes to the reason I’d always found it hard to get the important stuff done.
Deep Work by Cal Newport (you can find more details further on) dives into some fascinating ideas about the world of distraction we’re living in. We’ve so much coming at us all day every day – a constant stream of emails, texts, social media, phone calls, interruptions; a more hectic lifestyle than ever before. And this is leading to a permanent state of frenetic shallowness.
The problem is that to achieve the big stuff we need to concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time. Worryingly there is scientific evidence coming out of places like Harvard showing that our shift towards the shallow is not easily reversed and that we’re becoming hard wired to live in a state of distraction. I know I find myself clicking on email and social media when I’ve got something difficult to do – my brain is looking for a distraction. The research is saying that we will permanently lose our capacity for unbroken concentration if we carry on like this.
So deep work is time when you can work without distraction to get the important stuff done – the thinking, the planning, creating new products, creating new strategies, and thinking about problems that need solving.
What Deep Work allows – time to actually think
In the book, there are dozens of examples of people who have achieved great things, including Bill Gates, Carl Jung, who all understood they needed real time out to work on that the things that mattered, the things that would create the real value.
The hard research also shows when we work in a state of distraction-free concentration, we push our cognitive capabilities to their limit. And these efforts create new value, improve our skills, and are hard to replicate. I particularly love this one – if everyone else is running around reacting, and I’m taking time to do the hard thinking, planning and developing, then I know who’ll end up further ahead! (not that I’m competitive or anything!)
This shift toward the shallow word of distraction is creating a massive economic and personal opportunity for those who recognise the potential of resisting distraction and prioritising depth of work instead. Shallow work is non-cognitively demanding and usually performed while distracted. This sort of work doesn’t tend to create new value in the world and frankly anyone can do.
Business is faster and more competitive than ever, so to succeed you have to produce the absolute best stuff you’re capable of – and this needs depth.
Deep Work – the super power of today?
I see and talk to a lot of business owners, and I’ve been in business myself for over 16 years now. Looking back with reflection I can see there really has been a massive shift from achievement to distracted activity. Very few businesses make time for the important things to happen – they seem to be dragged from one month to another and before you know, wham – another year has gone by without doing all those things they promised. I used to be one of them – living in a permanent state of reaction, never prioritising the things that would move my business and life forward, and never putting time aside to develop all the big ideas I have in my head.
This ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it’s becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. So I believe that the few who can cultivate this skill, and then run their business around it, will see incredible results. I’m also convinced that this level of focus on the important will lead to businesses being financially stronger and more successful.
My clients using Deep Work
Deep Work is at the core of how we train our clients now, and it’s something we major on during our financial retreats. 80% of my retreat clients have made deep work part of how they run their business and they are already seeing a change. They’re getting more done – more of the important things, and these are already leading to better financial results.
But they didn’t find it easy. One client, who’s found it so successful he’s rolling it out across his whole team, said in the early days he found it almost impossible to focus for more than a few minutes at a time – but he understood this just showed how hard-wired he’d become to distraction, so he’s forced himself to stick at it, and is gradually building his capacity to think again.
So what did I do with my Deep Work week?
• Finished implementing our new project management system Basecamp
• Planned out all of our projects through December, January and beyond for the whole team
• Got my next retreats booked
• Some important client work that needed real clarity of thinking
• Finalised our 2017 marketing plan, including when I’m writing my e-book
• Went on a one-day stress management retreat
• Spent a day in London with the most uplifting group of entrepreneurs I know
• Helped a friend model up her business plan for next year
• Spent half a day studying
Deep Work – getting practical
I won’t pretend you can just flip a switch and get into Deep Work mode unless this is something you’re already used to – chances are you’re like most of us – easily distracted!
Start small and build up your ability to focus by setting yourself small tasks that really need your concentration say for half an hour, and earn your trust in yourself that you can nail a difficult task without reaching for your phone to check emails, LinkedIn or Facebook!
I keep a list of Deep Work tasks and projects that I’ve prioritised – then I block out Deep Work time. Sometimes this might just be an hour or two, but for me personally I find the best way is to block out whole days.
Whatever works best for you, whether it’s a week, a day or an hour at a time, the key is that it MUST be blocked out in your diary in advance, and you need to have planned what you’re doing with your next block of time – hence I keep my list that I reach for when it’s Deep Work time. I try to get between half a day and a full day each week, and a full week each quarter.
Here are my rules for Deep Work
• Keep a list of deep work tasks and projects
• Time must be blocked out in advance
• Make sure the people around you understand what you’re doing and the importance of it
• Put Out of Office on, and close down your email
• Turn off all social media and alerts
• Ideally don’t have your phone within reach
• Divert your phone and put your mobile on silent
• Ideally work away from your office – somewhere where you can guarantee you won’t be interrupted by anyone. I have clients who go to local hotels, coffee shops, even the gym to create a bubble where they won’t get distracted.
And from now on, just try to be very aware of shallow work. The work that doesn’t add any value and doesn’t make any difference to your business. And then try to ruthlessly cull this shallowness from your business.
Most people will read this, maybe think it’s interesting then get back to the important work of reacting – imagine what would happen if you actually did something. Why not just block out some time next week and do something important with it? I’d love to hear how you get on!