In This Episode…
After working through the first chapter of Cal Newport’s excellent book “Deep Work” I got re-inspired by the concept of concentrated effort on a single task for long periods of time.
Today I thought I would conduct my own experiment in Deep Work by applying myself to a task that hasn’t been going too well because I have been doing it in small chunks.
In this episode I explain what the experiment was about and how it went [Spoiler Alert – I am delighted with the results!]
Episode Show Notes
00:16 – The Background to today’s episode. Just reading the first part of Deep Work has given me a kick up the backside and reminded me of the value of a work ethic that has worked for me before.
01:13 – Today I decided to conduct my own experiment into deep work – memorising scripts for a video series on productivity.
02:17 – Why I feel it is important to learn my scripts so I can deliver them to camera from memory:
- I will be able to deliver them more effectively with confidence
- As a memory specialist it is something I can do
04:10 – I have encountered problems trying to do the task in 20 minute chunks in between my other tasks which left me frustrated and not making any progress.
05:32 – Today I applied myself to 4 hours of Deep Work with no distractions or interruptions.
06:01 – As a result of doing this work in a deep fashion the following happened:
- I got completely absorbed in the task.
- I developed a new approach to memorise scripts that wouldn’t have emerged from working on the task in small chunks.
- I felt stimulated and completely satisfied, even though I found the work challenging at times.
- I am reminded of the value of working in this manner – it is addictive.
07:55 – My challenge to you – what task do you have that you could apply yourself to in a Deep Work fashion.
09:49 – My embarrassing experience of forgetting the name of an important phenomenon relevant to today’s episode that I only learnt about yesterday!
