Unlocking your potential for heightened productivity and satisfaction doesn't have to be a mystery. Discover the art of finding your flow, a state of effortless concentration and enjoyment, and learn how to achieve more in less time.
Flow
It’s that ultra sweet spot in our day when we hit a rhythm and our work hums optimally and we find “the zone” of productivity
- Finding our flow may not come naturally or easily
- Training ourselves for deep work doesn’t happen with a snap of the fingers
- Our always-on, distraction-filled days and nights stack the odds against deep work despite our best intentions
- There’s no restrictive, unilateral regimen to get better at deep work
- The practice of learning it can accommodate a variety of schedules and personality types
- Three to four hours a day, five days a week is the threshold of deep work
Journalist: Deep work on demand
Fit deep work into your schedule whenever you can
- The ability to “switch on” your deep work muscles is less challenging than resolving to do more intentionally productive work
- Journalist philosophy: deep work is found when you redirect attention away from social media scans
Bimodal
This philosophy asks that you divide your time, Newport writes, dedicating some clearly defined stretches to deep pursuits and leaving the rest open to everything else.
- Dedicate a four-day weekend to deep work, say, or take a summer sabbatical. Afterwards, return to regular accessibility.
Rhythmic
When you need to achieve deep work in a standard office job
- Set a time and a place for deep work, and make it a habit
- Remove obstacles to deep work by removing “when” and “where”
- Get up early and get the most challenging task of the day done first
