Conclusion and Final Thoughts, Deep Work, Re-read Saturday WK 9

Newport concludes Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World with a reminder that working deeply is a skill for getting important stuff done. We can learn and hone the skills needed for deep work by putting in the effort. The author suggests that deep work is not a moral or philosophical statement, I am not sure. Aristotle stated the most important virtue is wisdom. Deep work is required to develop wisdom. 

 

Rule #4: Drain the Shallows, Deep Work Chapter 7, Re-read Saturday WK 8

Today we tackle Rule #4 of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. The chapter’s title is Drain the Shallows. During both my reads of this chapter I have been struck by the amount of shallow work that creeps into my day even after the experiments and tweaks tried over the past several weeks. Perhaps I should focus on the amount of deep work rather than the amount of shallow work. One of the ideas Newport suggests is using some form of big visible chart to track deep work. I am drawn to the big visible chart idea; it was one of the early techniques used in agile. Unfortunately, it has fallen out of favor as addiction to tracking tools has increased. Tools all have transparency issues. Data goes into the tools only to be served to mere mortals by the priests and priestesses of the tool. Gone are the days of hand-drawn flip charts on the wall for all to consume. Earlier in the book, Newport recounted Seinfeld’s tactic of tracking deep work by crossing off days on a physical calendar. When I began considering tracking deep work time, I mentally pictured a chess time clock sitting next to me as I worked. That picture has faded and has been replaced this week by a daily tracking column in my notebook which I use EVERY day. I am considering a hand-drawn chart as a statement about transparency. The chart might be overkill as the only other person in my office is my dog. 

 

Rule #3: Quit Social Media, Deep Work Chapter 6, Re-read Saturday WK 7

Rule #3 of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, asks us to quit social media, sort of. Deep work requires space to think without distraction. To find that time, like space in a desk drawer, something needs to be cleared out. The author suggests spending less or no time on high-distraction, low-value work. In most of our careers, social media fits that bill. The point is less a rant about social media but rather a need to evaluate the cost of an activity and compare it to the benefit. 

 

Rule #2: Embrace Boredom, Deep Work Chapter 5, Re-read Saturday WK 6

Our society has a concentration problem. I was recently in line at Costco and as I was waiting to check out I pulled out my phone and began deleting emails. After a few moments, I remembered Rule #2, Embrace Boredom. I put my phone back in my pocket and looked around, everyone else was looking at their phone or actively interacting with others. A better use of the time would be contemplating a large essay I am writing on how different roles interact with the Nine Core Principles of Work Intake. Parts of the topic are clear cut while others are nuanced. Instead of spending my time in “high-stimuli/ low-value” activities, mind candy, the time would be better spent thinking about a deeper issue. Newport’s idea in this chapter is less to be bored than to create space where you can do deep work. The pings, dings, and kitten videos need to be pushed aside.

 

Rule #1: Work Deeply, Re-read Saturday WK 5, Deep Work Chapter 4

The second part of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport contains the rules and ideas for learning to work deeply. Chapter Four, Rule 1, is titled Work Deeply. When I read this chapter for the first time I was listening to the audiobook while jogging. I initially felt that the chapter title was trite. The title reminded me of the Steven Martin joke, “You can become a millionaire and never pay taxes.” After announcing the name of the joke, Martin states with a deadpan face, “First you get a million dollars and not pay taxes. When the tax person comes you tell them two simple words. You forgot.” (Link) Fortunately, Newport follows the title with ideas for avoiding the superficial and making space for deep work. 

 

Deep Work Beats Shallow Work Re-read Saturday WK 4, Deep Work Chapter 3

Chapter 3, Deep Work is Meaningful completes Part 1 of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. If you are reading this chapter for the first time, my interpretation of the author’s intent is not to prove that deep work is meaningful but rather to argue that it is more meaningful than shallow work. If that ethical dichotomy is true, spending more time on deep work is better than less. Note, that later chapters will show that a simple tradeoff is not straightforward. 

 

Conformity Wins – Least Effort, Most Follow, Re-read Saturday WK 3, Deep Work Chapter 2

I was not in the workplace in the 1950’s so I can not remember the classic 1950s open office. But I have seen ghosts of approach over the years, ranging from cube farms to agile team rooms. The most startling was an office with 12 small standing desks around the perimeter and a four-person table in the middle (two chairs were missing because they did not fit). This horror story was presented as an agile team room that fostered collaboration and serendipity. The two times I walked by the room, at least half the team was somewhere else and the rest had noise-canceling headphones on and a little sign that said: “Do not disturb”.  This is not apocryphal. Chapter 2 of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport, Deep Work Is Rare, describes a work environment where deep work is difficult. 

 

Deep Work Thrives in Digital Age, Re-read Saturday WK 2, Deep Work Chapter 1

Chapter 1, Deep Work Is Valuable, begins the first part of the book  Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. Part 1, The Idea, comprises the book’s first three chapters and focuses on making the case for Deep Work. 

 

From Wasted Time to Deep Work: A Re-Read Journey Begins, Re-read Saturday WK 1, Logistics and Introduction

I ran across the quote “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me” Shakespeare, Richard II as I was listening to Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport while jogging/walking the dog. The quote and the content of Newport’s book made me decide to feature my second time through Deep Work in our Re-read Saturday feature. Today we begin. I am reading the Kindle version, it is hard to take notes and think deeply while jogging. The book consists of an introduction, seven chapters, a conclusion and end matter. We will re-read this book over 10 – 12 weeks which equates to a projected end date in early June.  Get a copy and read along. 

 

Re-read Saturday, Actionable Agile Volume II, Week 13, Final Thoughts

Actionable Agile Metrics Volume II, Advanced Topics in Predictability (AA Advanced Topics) introduces and reinforces several ideas for using metrics in software-centric programs. If you are working in the software world, the ideas and concepts are still useful in any scenario where the flow of work is important. The bottom line is that I highly recommend this book.