Most of us experience distractions all day long. Multitasking, communication, and technology have made it almost impossible to stay focused on a single task for a long period of time. In this post, we look into some of the most practical methods to avoid distractions and let you know how to fight them. Thus, this article is for you if you get distracted during the day.
What Is Deep work?
Deep work is concentrating deeply on a single task for a long time without getting distracted. The term deep work was first created by Cal Newport, who was an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University. According to recent research, most of the worker’s time is spent on coordination rather than on skilled tasks they were hired to do. Indeed, deep work is a flow state that helps you focus intensely on a task and overcome distractions.
Deep vs. Shallow Work
Deep work and shallow work stand against each other. Deep work is a focused activity at the maximum cognitive function, while shallow work is an activity or duty that can be done when distracted. Although the ability to perform deep work is becoming rare, deep work is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. It is not realistic to eliminate shallow work, but reducing time spent on shallow work can be helpful.
What are the benefits of deep work?
Deep work creates an intense and out-of-body kind of concentration that helps you do your best. Deep work isn’t an easy task to do. Indeed, it is a kind of skill you need to acquire to boost your productivity. The most common benefits of deep work go as follows:
Deep work reduces distractions
Deep work is an excellent way to get rid of distractions. Eliminating the causes of distraction plays a vital role in establishing a deep work. When you check your phone while working or switch between different tasks, your mind gets stuck in the primary task, and as a result, you may find it difficult to refocus on what you are doing. According to the studies, it takes 20 minutes for your mind to get back to what it was doing after an interruption.
Deep work helps you to learn faster
Deep work rewires your brain and helps you learn new skills faster. When you focus deeply on a task, your brain strengthens the connections between neurons so they can fire faster. In other words, when you focus intensely on a specific job, you are literally rewiring your brain to perform that task better.
How to get to deep work?
Deep work plays an important role in increasing productivity and creative thinking. Once you dive into focused work, you will be fully immersed in what you are doing, and consequently, you can get complicated tasks done easier. Simply put, if you want to succeed and accomplish big things, deep work is a great option for you. If you don’t have any ideas on how to make deep work happen, read the following suggestions:
Eat the frog
Eating the frog is the concept of performing the most important task first. When you put the significant tasks first, you can make progress on the most important tasks before the other concerns of the day push their way in and distract you.
Figure out what distracts you
Distractions like checking your phone, notifications, or answering your emails kill deep work. It is impossible to concentrate when your brain constantly moves from one thing to the next. In order to be more productive while working, you have to kill the distractions. We highly suggest you put your phone in airplane mode while working.
Set big goals
Deep work doesn’t happen by accident. You can’t achieve deep work if you don’t set big goals. You can get many tasks done while multitasking or messing around on social media, but big goals demand great concentration.
Read More: Why Are You Distracting Yourself?
How to avoid distractions?
While technology has many advantages, it comes with some disadvantages too. Some days you are constantly interrupted at work due to emails, calls, colleagues, and meetings. Here are the most practical ways to stop getting distracted:
- Make a to-do-list
- Limit interruptions
- Keep personal communications in your free time
- Avoid multitasking
- Make time for breaks
- Create an email schedule
- Shut the office door
Why multitasking doesn’t work?
Many of us think we can multitask, but we actually can’t. When we try to multitask, what we are really doing is task-switching. According to the research, the human brain can’t perform 2 tasks at the same time because it lacks the cognitive and neural building blocks for multitasking. Indeed, task switching decreases productivity and comes with some disadvantages. The most common pitfalls of multitasking go as follows:
- Increasing errors
- Reducing productivity
- Decreasing productivity
- Reducing attention span
- Causing distractions
- Creating stress
Last Word
Deep work is one of the most practical ways to increase productivity and maximize creative potential. Working deeply can be more than productivity. It helps you feel good and empowered to face everyday challenges. We can’t solve complex problems without having space for deep thinking. In this post, we have discussed the benefits of deep work and provided you with the most practical solutions to get to deep work.
Frequently asked questions about deep work
Deep work increases work quality and brings satisfaction and meaning to your daily tasks.
The significant principles of deep work are prioritizing your tasks and distancing yourself from social media.
Deep work is rare for many reasons, including open-plan offices, instant massaging, and social media.
The ability to work deep is a skill. If you practice it, you will become more proficient like any other skill.
Email, texting, the internet, social media, smoke breaks, and meetings are the most common distractions.
