The Tactics
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Silence Distractions
Before you sit down to work, you should eliminate all distractions. You cannot do deep work if you allow distractions.
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Focus on One Thing
Work on one well-defined task. Single-tasking is the most powerful way to make progress on the things that actually matter.
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Take Non-Destructive Breaks
You need to take breaks. However, your breaks shouldn’t derail you from your work. Take breaks that rejuvenate you without making you waste hours on something irrelevant.
Why Deep Work?
If you want to do your best work, you need to work undistracted. You need to work on the same thing for extended periods of time, again and again. This is the most reliable way to make breakthroughs in your work.
Deep work simply means doing single-task focused work without distraction. This allows you to get deep into your work. This allows you to get into ‘the zone’. This allows you to gain deeper insights than you otherwise would have.
Not many people can work distraction free on one thing for a long period of time. If you can do this, it becomes a massive competitive edge. People will notice. You will get results.
Silence Distractions
Before you sit down to work, you should eliminate all potential sources of distraction. Cognitively intense work is like building a house of cards. Each card needs to be placed carefully in a controlled environment, taking the surrounding cards into account at the same time. Distraction is like the wind blowing across, undoing your hard work. You can’t just continue where you left off. You have to start from scratch.
Put your phone on silent. Close email and social media tabs. Don’t have Netflix on in the background. Don’t even have music on if it distracts you. Silencing distractions doesn’t last forever, but it should last for the time that you intend to work.
Focus on One Thing
If you want results, you should focus wholeheartedly on one thing at a time. This allows you to direct all your mental faculties onto one single issue with great intensity. Intense focus allows you to practice more deliberately, get things done more quickly, and make connections and breakthroughs that shallower work does not allow.
What does ‘one thing’ actually mean? It means the constellation of activities surrounding one particular pursuit. When I make YouTube videos, it means writing the script, setting up the recording equipment, editing the video, and everything else that goes into making a YouTube video. Most importantly, it means I don’t jump between studying or scrolling facebook and making a video. When I work on a video, I just work on the video.
Take Non-Disruptive Breaks
Everyone needs a break. However, your breaks shouldn’t disrupt the work you still have to do. You shouldn’t end up in a social media rabbit hole. You shouldn’t occupy your mind with something new. Stare out the window, lie on the ground, listen to your favourite song… Whatever you do, do not mindlessly go on your phone or a social media website. Breaks should make it easier for you to focus later.
