
Deep work in practice: reimagining my workflow for radically less distraction - sevenironcows
https://alexdenning.com/deep-work-in-practice/
======
smcguinness
I recently had to go through the process of "re-learning how to work." I
didn't realize how bad I was at deep work, as the article references it as,
until I quit my job and set out on my own full-time.

I found that I was replacing the normal interruptions of the office -
meetings, email, phone calls, lunch; with getting distracted on social media,
general reading, checking alerts, etc. It was like my brain was conditioned to
expect a distraction and thus made me seek it out.

It took some effort, but making sure I am organized for the week has really
helped as I know what I need to get done. Also, I've now been able to use my
"distracted level" as a litmus test of how organized I am. I know when I'm not
focused as much as I should, I need to spend some time on my planning.

edit: grammar

~~~
peterbsmith
whew! you're nailing it, good thing you're not taking silly breaks like going
on hacker news and posting comments instead of working!

~~~
s3arch
Deep work is not only about spending maximum time on what you really want to
do. It more on how you get the maximum efficiency out of it.

And oh yes, "deliberate distraction" is highly recommended while doing deep
work. So there is nothing wrong posting comments related to deep work on HN.
:)

------
anotheryou
I think self-control should be valued higher than self-restriction. With self-
restriction I mean blocking bookmarks (hindering you), not muting the phone
(removing outside distractions). To me this self-improvement through shedding
responsibility is scary. It's the same for fitness tracker that tell you when
to do. (I have to admit there is some grey area in between though. Some habit
forming can be beneficial ((e.g. _allways_ riding the bike to work))

Personally I like small breaks between the tasks, but only if I change work
contexts anyways. Do people really have a problem just riding the flow and not
heading off to hackernews mid-task (honest question)?

edit: here I especially don't get the "pomodoro" technique where you are
interrupted by your own alarm every 20 min.

Btw: noisy music works wonders for me sometimes (other times it's Bach I
admit, but even than: loud Bach)

~~~
kareemsabri
It's a nice sentiment, but the products/sites/apps that aim to suck our
attention are designed to exploit human weaknesses via dopamine release,
variable reward etc. (see the book Hooked), making it exceedingly difficult
and potentially expending your finite store of willpower on things you could
much more easily avoid altogether.

Personally, cultivating the self-control to avoid checking facebook.com is
less interesting to me than editing my hosts files to block it, and using my
willpower for more rewarding tasks (exercise, learning piano etc.)

With that, I'm turning my block back on HN :)

~~~
anotheryou
I kinda block my facebook newsfeed via CSS, but just to be able to access chat
without having to read the feed if I don't want to (remaining just one click
away from toggling it back on). (you can also do that my typing an invalid url
and setting it as your facebook bookmark, e.g.
[https://www.facebook.com/asdfgwhatever](https://www.facebook.com/asdfgwhatever)
)

~~~
sevenironcows
News Feed Eradicator is really good for this. You can also use messenger.com
to access chat without any other notifications -
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-
eradicat...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicator-
for/fjcldmjmjhkklehbacihaiopjklihlgg)

~~~
anotheryou
oh thanks, the web version looks good. I just tried the windows metro app and
it failed to notify on new messages all the time...

------
hal9000xp
Since February 2016, I started working with a timer.

I have an agreement with myself that if a timer on my phone is set for 15, 30,
60, 120, 180 minutes, I should work non-stop without any distractions (no
food, no music, nothing except my work).

Since then, it's much more easier for me to work really hard and be very
focused.

If I'm too lazy to set timer for 3 hours, then I set for 15 minutes. It's easy
to convince yourself to work hard during 15 minutes. Then I usually become
warmed up a bit and set a new timer for 30 minutes, then for 60 etc.

I also keep track of how much time I spend daily. For example, in October, I
worked purely on algorithms like this:

01.10.2016 4

02.10.2016 6

03.10.2016 1.75 2

04.10.2016 2 0.75

05.10.2016 0.5

10.10.2016 0.5

11.10.2016 0.5

12.10.2016 1

13.10.2016 0.5 1

14.10.2016 1.5

15.10.2016 1 2.5

16.10.2016 0.25 2 2.5

17.10.2016 1.25

18.10.2016 0.5

Numbers are hours. I.e. 0.5 = 30 minutes. Several numbers mean that I had
pause/time gap in between.

Algorithms/math and problem solving olympiad problems require a lot of really
hard work. With a timer, I'm working much more effectively like I never did
before.

P.S. Why timer on a phone instead of a computer? Well, it's easier for me to
just click and close window on the computer. If timer rings on phone, I have
to get up and walk to the phone (I intentionally put it on the next table).

By the way, it's very good to keep a journal because overtime your collected
data about yourself become valuable. For example, I plan to draw a graph with
moving average, so I would see overall picture how dedicated I'm. If you don't
have such data, it's easy to fall into trap convincing yourself how good you
are (like I did before).

------
Arun2009
A key skill in focusing on something is _realizing_ when you have become
distracted and bringing your attention back to the task at hand. The sooner
you do this, the better. Usually we tend to get carried away by stimuli and
become "lost" for long times at stretch. This not only eats up time, but also
consumes mental energy that we could have otherwise used for productive work.

I have been successfully using meditation as a "model problem" to train my
ability to become aware when I have become distracted and bring my attention
back to the object of focus. A classic analogy of mindfulness meditation is
that of an elephant (your mind) tied to a post (your breath or whatever is the
object of your focus) through the rope of mindfulness. When the elephant
strays, the rope pulls it back to the post.

While there seems to be some scientific evidence that meditation does indeed
improve your ability to concentrate on any general task, my own conviction
arises from seeing first hand the similarity between countering distracting
stimuli during meditation and during general work.

------
adambmedia
The irony of Hacker News articles on productivity and focus is not lost on me.

------
neovive
I tend to fall into the distraction trap for days/weeks at a time. It's hard
to notice until you take a step back and realize how little was accomplished
over a given time period.

"This is all a lot easier if you’re working on interesting and important
things." Definitely one of the more important points made at the end of the
article and, unfortunately, not always something within our control.

I was recently reading about learning theories (during a period of
distraction) and noticed a possible relationship between Vygotsky's Zones of
Proximal Development [1] and distraction. There must be a point of inflection
between "completely distracted" and "deep working focus" where we feel
compelled to switch off a current task or procrastinate. Maybe a similar
scaffolding approach can be used to ease you back on task.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development)

------
cerrelio
My experience is pretty similar to the author's. The number of distractions
that exist in my life have been pretty constant since I started using dial-up
BBSes in the early 90s. I could chat with friends instantly, download
games/porn, war-dial and find new systems to (unlawfully) play with.

However, when I was away from my computer I was less distracted and could get
a lot of (high school) work done. Cell phones are pretty much the only
technology that has made distraction ever-present. That giant box with the
12-lb keyboard that used to sit on my desk at home is now shrunk down and
within arm's reach at all times. It does pose a problem.

Also, the modern office is a place of distraction; especially open-format
offices. I work in one of these and I generally avoid coming into the office
if I have some detailed work I have to do. Managers don't seem to realize what
an awful place those types of offices are for actually getting work done. High
ceilings that bounce noise, inconsistent temperatures, seeing frequent
movement out of the corner of your eye, people goofing off two rows away.

I've already picked up some of the behaviors the author details. I don't use
social media (except LinkedIn, very infrequently). I silence my phone while
working. I take breaks every 90-120 minutes. I keep a calendar of all my
appointments and meetings, in and outside of work.

One other suggestion I think is good: have a "work" computer and a "play"
computer/device. If you have a work laptop, then this is pretty easily done. I
equate this to the advice given about beds. Beds are only for sleeping and
sex. Don't study in a bed, don't eat in a bed, don't work in a bed. I find
when I'm in front of my "work" machine, that I'm more naturally prone to doing
"work" things and not "play" things.

------
amerine
This is the first I've heard the term "deep work". Is this a more common term
or something coined recently?

~~~
mattkrause
I feel like the hype around deep learning is slowly spreading to all "deep
[Noun Phrase]" phrases.

~~~
imgabe
It's pretty unrelated to deep learning.

~~~
mattkrause
That's my point....

Remember how in the late '90s, everything was e-/i-/cyber, even things that
were only tangentially related to computers or networking? It feels like that.

Today, I've seen posts and ads for "deep work", "deep analytics", "deep
thinking", (not using anything recognizable as deep learning), and a few other
things. Most of these are more-or-less idiomatic, but I think they would have
been called something else 5 or 10 years ago.

~~~
imgabe
I can't really speculate on what might have happened 5 or 10 years ago, but
I've read the book and have been following Cal Newport for a while (I read his
previous book too) and it doesn't strike me as an attempt to capitalize on the
"deep learning" trend.

I mean, it's not even tangentially related other than that the author happens
to be a computer science professor (who works on distributed systems, not AI).

------
mitul_45
Recently, I have been working on something exactly similar - An app to
schedule your day: [https://github.com/mitul45/ta-
calendar](https://github.com/mitul45/ta-calendar)

Check it out and let me know what you guys think!

~~~
ChrisLTD
Looks good! I built a similar free app for iOS:
[http://longdayapp.com](http://longdayapp.com)

------
Disruptive_Dave
These are tricks and "hacks," which are certainly useful. But they are only
band-aid fixes. The external environment will continually evolve to find new
ways to blast stimuli at you. The only real defense is training your mind.

~~~
sevenironcows
Absolutely. I try and address this in the post when discussing the Pomodoro
Technique, which is probably the most frequently cited "band-aid fix". But –
these band aid fixes are a decent way of starting to train yourself to resist
distraction, so aren't to be immediately dismissed.

------
laredo312
Like what people are saying about mindfulness. Ideally, we can notice
ourselves drift and self-correct at that moment.

Also think fear plays a role. Hard work can be scary. This video on
procrastination from School of Life comes to mind
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QetfnYgjRE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QetfnYgjRE)

Personal favorite tip: Breaking things into bite-sized tasks! I have a
whiteboard for just this purpose.

Timewarp is going to help me. Set some wormholes up with quotes like "Stop
playing the slot machines"

------
J-dawg
I only heard the term "deep work" yesterday, listening to Cal Newport on James
Altucher's podcast.

It's a pretty good introduction and he talks about his own approach to work.
He's also a professor of computer science!

They talk about his other book first (also interesting), so you need to skip a
little way ahead for the deep work stuff.

[https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-james-altucher-
show/...](https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-james-altucher-
show/id794030859?mt=2&i=375568891)

[http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/09/cal-
newport/](http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/09/cal-newport/)

------
repeek
For macOS users, there is a very lightweight app called, appropriately enough,
SelfControl [1]. Add the domains you'd like to block to the blacklist, then
set the amount of time you'd like them blocked.

Another thing that helps me focus is Chrome's user profiles (and the main
reason I haven't migrated to Safari). I maintain both 'Work' and 'Play'
profiles -- that separation helps limit the urge to cycle through my bookmark
bar.

[1] [https://selfcontrolapp.com/](https://selfcontrolapp.com/)

------
awinter-py
He uses 'decline in productivity' as evidence. Output per hour is measured in
dollars, not %. I think he's giving us productivity growth. This is the wrong
stat to use.

------
notliketherest
Installed SelfControl app for Mac, and blocked every website that doesn't
contribute to my work for two 4 hour periods during the work day. The first
few days it's AMAZING how many instinctual visits to those blocked sites I
made. After a couple days I stopped with the distraction and it actually
helped me concentrate on my work.

------
rpastuszak
Just realised I was reading this article whilst listening to a TED talk in a
different tab. I guess he has a point here.

------
agumonkey
My takeout from this: positive unknowns are addictive to your brain. Everytime
you checkout a website too often you're mostly like a kid before christmas.
For a second it defused my own behavior pattern, I may be able to stop losing
hours of void refresh per day.

------
epitomix
I find that I am actually more productive with constant stream of minor
distractions. Although I do find real work distractions to be more effective,
e.g. background conversation, people walking by.

------
7402
Add to the list of distractions: work situations that have a policy requiring
a developer to keep a chat or messaging app open and monitored while working,
either at the office or at home.

