How to Change Your Life With Deep Work
Deep work can permanently change your life. A deep focus on one cognitively tiring task among the noise of dreadfully shallow work and distractions is an increasingly rare commodity. If you feel stuck, lost, unproductive, overwhelmed, or like you’re floating around all day without purpose, this guide will present the groundwork to take the necessary steps to help you control your life again.
Stick around because by the end, not only will you understand the philosophy behind deep work, but you will also learn how to develop your own deep work system that will transform the results of your work, study, or creative projects.
You will become astounded by the targeting of shallow work, you will uncover the immense productivity of deep work, and you will figure out how to equip your brain to be productive in a distracting world.
Let’s begin.
The Philosophy of Deep Work
Deep work is not only a productivity hack, it’s a way of thinking and an approach to living that allows you to produce real work.
Conceptualized by professor and author Cal Newport, deep work is defined as:
“Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skills, and are hard to replicate.” Cal Newport
Now let’s look at shallow work, which Newport defines as:
“Non-cognitively demanding, logistical-type tasks, low in value and often performed while distracted. These efforts usually do not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate.”
Examples of shallow work might be answering emails, scrolling social media, or sitting in endless Zoom meetings. These examples of shallow work are low-bar, low-effort, low-engagement actions that give you the illusion of productivity.
However, deep work is where the magic happens, where great code is produced, where great books are written, and, ultimately, where great ideas are born. It is where world-class performers, thinkers, and creators show us how to do great work.
If you sincerely want to change your life through the practice of deep work, you will need to change habits, set boundaries, and train your mind.
How Deep Work Can Change Your Life
Deep work can change your life because it allows you to realize your maximum potential. We live in an attention economy, and your ability to focus is your greatest currency. Most people squander their ability to focus. Every ding, ping, or notification takes away from their mental leverage.
Here is why mastering deep work is life-changing:
1. You can accomplish more in less time. One hour of deep work often can yield as much as five hours of distracted work.
2. You learn faster. Deeply focusing on something better encodes information and leads to greater understanding.
3. You separate yourself in any field. In a world where most are addicted to multitasking, those who can focus deeply are a rare breed, and one not to take for granted.
4. You start to feel confident. Completing meaningful work adds to your self-respect, which leads to clarity of mind.
5. You feel fulfilled. Deep work is also the state where we feel the most joy of being deeply engaged in something significant.
In brief, when deep work becomes your default setting, everything changes from the way you perform, to the way you feel, to the way you develop.
My Deep Work System
Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty here. This is the exact deep work system that I use to train my brain, quit distracting myself and do important work every day.
1. Purposeful time blocking
Each day, I set aside some time and block out the next day in hourly increments. In these blocks of time, I will devote some of the time to deep work, usually 90 minutes in duration the first part of the day when my energy is highest.
I treat these blocks like they are sacred, meaning no phone, social media and distraction.If you struggle with maintaining attention, here’s a practical guide to train your brain to focus.
Tip:
If you are new to deep work, consider trying the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of focus, 5 minutes of break)
2. Eliminate distractions
If I have notifications of any kind (text messages, calendar, etc), I silence them. I will also close all open tabs and if necessary, I use apps like Freedom or Cold Turkey to help me. I also let friends and family know that I will be unavailable during these hours unless it is an emergency.
Take the time to train your surroundings to help you in doing deep work, rather than sabotaging your efforts.
3. Clarify Your Goal for Each Deep Work Session
Entering a deep work session without a clear goal is akin to going to the gym without a plan for your workout. I require that I articulate one specific task prior to each deep work session (e.g., “Write 1000 words for my blog post” or “Edit my lesson plan for tomorrow”).
Specific actionable goals prevent your brain from wandering, and assist you in developing your “deep work muscle.”
4. Track Your Deep Work Hours
What is measured can be managed. I maintain a deep work log where I track the number of deep work hours I complete each week. I have a goal of at least 20 hours of deep work each week.
Watching the numbers creep up over time is motivating, and reinforces the habit.
5. Embrace Boredom
Modern life conditions us to avoid boredom at all costs. But boredom is where deep work is born. I now go out of my way to spend time each day doing nothing. Just sitting, thinking, and allowing my mind to wander.
This rewires your brain to tolerate stillness, which is a prerequisite for going into a deep state of focus.
6. Protect Your Evening Wind-down
The ability to complete deep work the following day depends on your recovery the night before. I turn off all screens at 60 minutes before bed, read a book, and reflect on my day. This guarantees I get quality sleep and puts my brain in a position to perform at my best.
Bonus: How to Stick With Deep Work (Even When You Get Distracted Very Easily)
Let’s face it, deep work is not easy! If you find it hard to go longer than 10 minutes without multitasking or being stimulated, even forcing yourself to focus for 20 minutes can feel like torture. Here’s how to make it stick!
Start small: Work on deep work for 30 minutes a day. Then add from there to grow your capacity. If you’re unsure how to fit deep work into your current schedule, learn how to organize your day for maximum results.
Use rituals: Always start the same way each session with the same ritual (coffee, clear your desk).
Remove temptation: Log out of social media during your deep work hours.
Reward yourself: After a session, reward yourself with a small but meaningful treat.
Build consistency: The important part is not intensity, but consistency. Show up every day.
Over a period of time, your brain will adapt. What once felt hard over time will feel natural. And when that happens, you will unlock productivity and creativity that most people never do.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Deep Work
In order to truly change your life with deep work, please avoid the following mistakes:
1. Checking your phone “just for a second”. That “second” always turns into 20 minutes.
2. Trying to multitask – There is no way to do two things deeply at once.
3. Not planning your sessions – Deep work turns shallow quickly without design.
4. Letting people interrupt you – You should protect your focus as you would protect gold.
5. Working for too long without breaks – Burnout is very real. Rest fuels future focus.
If you can avoid falling into these traps of shallow work, you will stay on the deep path and have a more sustainable approach to your work.
Who Is Deep Work For?
Some people believe that deep work is only for writers, nurserymen, and researchers. This is false.
Deep work is for:
Students looking to earn better grades in less time
Freelancers looking to stand out and grow quicker
Entrepreneurs trying to build a business
Employees looking to earn promotions
Content creators looking to produce high-quality content
Anyone looking to live deliberately and not just exist.
If you are doing anything that requires a certain level of thinking, creativity, or problem-solving, deep work will elevate your outcomes, guaranteed.
Tools to Help You Go Deep
A few tools/apps I highly recommend:
Notion or Evernote – for planning and writing
Forest App – gamify your focus sessions
Cold Turkey / Freedom – to block distractions
Noise canceling headphones – silence the world
Time blocking planners – to schedule your deep sessions
But really: tools will not save you. It is your commitment to deep work that will be the reason for your transformation.
Conclusion:
Deep work goes beyond just a productivity technique. it’s the groundwork for a more engaged, meaningful, and successful life. In a time filled with noise, the ability to concentrate deeply is rare. Because it’s rare, it makes it even more valuable.
If you choose to develop your own deep work system, defend your focus and eliminate distractions, you will not only get better results, but you will also become the person who can do what others can’t.
So, are you ready to change your life with deep work?
