Summary of 'Deep Work' by Cal Newport. (2 Summaries in 1: In-Depth Summary and Bonus 2-Page PDF.)

Rhythmic deep work is the habit of performing deep work daily, ideally at the same time and place and for the same duration. An example is dedicating the first two hours of each morning to deep work.

For most long-term projects, hours of deep work are an important lead measure.

Professorial approach to emails The last approach is based on the behavior of many professors; they simply do not respond to emails unless the sender convinces them that a reply is worth the time and effort. The professorial approach calls for ignoring the email for a few reasons: The message is unclear or difficult to respond to The subject is uni

One solution to weaning yourself off of distraction is scheduling offline / online time blocks: a preset schedule for using the Internet. The rule is simple: you use the Internet only during online time blocks, while abstaining from Internet use during offline time blocks. Over time, if you adhere to the following 4 points regarding offline/online

Deep work: "Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit.

So Newport create a sender filter on his website as follows: "If you have an offer, opportunity, or introduction that might make my life more interesting, e-mail me at interesting@calnewport.com. For the reasons stated above, I'll only respond to those proposals that are a good match for my schedule and interests." Newport's sender filter

In the case of Internet distractions, the habit loop looks like this: Cue: boredom or frustration Routine: switch to Internet distraction (email, social media, games, news, etc.) Reward: feeling of relief, fun, stimulation and social validation As the loop is repeated, a habit forms which is reinforced by cravings.

the whiteboard effect: Creative energies produced by team members while bouncing ideas and experiments off one another. Social pressure to make progress towards a mutual goal.

The work sprint is a technique that practices intense focus. Applying the work sprint to a task has 4 steps: Estimate how long the task usually takes when working at a normal pace. Create a deadline that is significantly shorter than the estimate. If possible, make a public commitment to the deadline for accountability and pressure. Use a countdown