We’re apparently more busy than ever these days. Yet so many people are not doing fulfilling work. We spend our days wondering how we’re so busy, and yet feel so unaccomplished.
The answer, I believe, lays in the difference between the so-called “deep work” and “shallow work.”
Shallow work is lots of small tasks, often disjointed, that are relatively easy to complete and can usually be done while we are distracted by background noise and also permit us to take frequent “Facebook breaks.” (The brain surgeon cannot pause surgery to scroll Instagram!)
Deep work is the process of shutting out all distractions, technology connections, social media, and background noise. In that stillness, you spend hours or days immersed in your work and you make real value and deliver important work to your community. Stuff that makes real change.
The more we do only shallow work, the more we lose the capacity to do deeper work. We become addicted to the fast-paced, distraction-filled shallow work. As with other addictions, it feels good at the moment but leaves you wondering what exactly happened shortly thereafter.
The more we do deep work, the more we increase our capacity to sit for longer periods of time and be focused on one thing.
Prioritize large, long periods of distraction-free time in a place that is conducive to focus to get more deep work done and make a greater impact in your life, study, and art.