#deepwork ### ([[Written By GPT]] ) [[Deep Work Protocol#(ORIGINAL)|Jump to original]] The protocol described here has been instrumental in achieving over 7 hours of focused deep work daily. These strategies, inspired by Cal Newport's "Deep Work," are highly personalized. While the overarching principles might be universally beneficial, the specifics of my approach should serve as a springboard for you to experiment and discover what suits you best. - **Establish a Deep Work Ritual** - Before each session, close all unrelated apps and tabs. - Start a timer for the session. - Wear over-ear headphones and play focus-enhancing music. - Clearly define your workspace and duration. I currently do two 4-hour deep work sessions daily, but began with 1-hour increments. - **Structure Efforts with Strict Rules to Eliminate Distractions** - Avoid any non-essential activities during deep work. - Close all irrelevant applications and websites. - Use tools to block non-essential apps and websites (e.g., Slack, Twitter, Gmail). - Activate Apple's Focus Mode to silence all notifications. - Organize thoughts in a structured notebook: - Divide it into three sections: Deep Work To-Do, Shallow Work To-Do, Ideas. - Note down any tasks or ideas in the relevant section without deviating from your current focus. - Keep your phone out of reach. - **Maintain a Scoreboard** - Monitor deep work sessions. - Use tools like Rize to track total focus time. - Consider making your progress public for additional motivation. - **Implement a Shutdown Routine** - Power off your computer to mark the end of your workday. - I typically conclude by addressing any pending customer service messages. - **Do Not Cut Deep Work Sessions Short** - View distractions as opportunities to strengthen your focus. - **Adopt Rooseveltian Intensity** - Challenge yourself with tasks, setting ambitious completion times. - Concentrate intensely until the task is completed. - Aim to progressively enhance your focus and concentration capacity. - **Time-Box Your Entire Day** - Avoid autopilot mode by scheduling your day in strict segments for various activities (deep work, shallow work, gym, etc.). - Include daily planning and review: - Analyze tasks and notes from the previous day. - Allocate shallow work to your "work" reminders. - Assign deep work tasks to tools like Linear, prioritizing as needed. - Catalogue ideas in Linear or Obsidian, depending on relevance. - Plan each deep work session and select 2-4 shallow work items for the day. - **Segment Your Day** - Incorporate midday exercise to boost deep work capabilities. ### (ORIGINAL) The Following protocol has helped me average 7hrs + of focused deep work per day. I learned many of these strategies from Cal Newport's [Deep Work](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/25744928). This protocol like, like all of the protocols I share here is of course very personalized to me. I think the high level points will be helpful to most but the details of my protocol should be used as inspiration to test and find what works best for you. - **Create a deep work ritual** - Close all apps and tabs before starting each session - Start the timer in session - Put on over ear headphones and play some sort of focus music - Strictly define where you will work and for how long (make sure to timebox, give yourself a discrete challenge for how long to work do not leave it open ended) I currently chunk deep work into 2, 4 hour sessions each day but I started with 1 hour sessions and worked up from there. - **Apply rules to keep your effort structured, ban all distraction generating activities** - Do not access or view anything that is not required for that work - Close everything that is not required for that work before starting to minimize the chance of becoming distracted - Use session to block non deep work related apps and websites (slack, discord, twitter, gmail, ect...) - Use apples focus mode to block **ALL** notifications - Notebook structure to avoid context switching - Create 3 columns in the notebook - Deep work TODO - Shallow work TODO - Ideas - If you think of something that I should do or want to do while in deep work I write it in the appropriate column and refocus immediately - Remove your phone from your vicinity - **Keep a scoreboard** - Track Deep work sessions in session - Track total focus time usage in Rize - Make it public for extra motivation - **Create a shutdown routine** - Shutdown computer to signify the end of the day - I always finish my day by responding to any remaining customer service messages before shutting down my compute - **Never end Deep Work sessions early** - Use desire to give in to distraction as practice to strengthen the "focus muscle" - **Practice Rooseveltian intensity** - Occasionally pick a task and make an estimate on how long it will take to complete. then choose a target time thats less than your estimate and commit (publicly to completing it in that time) then *“Attack the task with every free neuron until it gives way under your unwavering barrage of concentration.”* - the goal is to systematically improve capacity for concentration and focus - **Time box the entire day** - *“We spend much of our day on autopilot—not giving much thought to what we’re doing with our time. This is a problem. ”* - Create a schedule that breaks down the day into strict blocks, deep work, shallow work, gym, ect... - Daily planning and review - Review all tasks and notes from the previous day - Add shallow work todos to "work" reminders - Add deep work todos to linear and [[Prioritization|prioritize]] - Add ideas to linear if project related or to obsidian - Plan what you will do in each deep work sessions for the day - Plan to do 2-4 Shallow work items for the day - **Break up the day** - [[Fitness|Exercising]] midday significantly enhances my ability to engage in deep work Notes(Uneditied): **Notebook Structure** structuring notebook during deep work sessions to avoid context switching. A lot of my productivity is lost from context switching that is created when I am woking and suddenly remember something I need to do or think of a new idea and switch from whatever I was working on to the intrusive new thought. To avoid this I've started a new notebook technique at the beginning of the day, I write down what I hope to accomplish and assign each task to a deepwork session. these will be the only things I am allowed to work on during a deepwork session. if i finish one of the tasks early I simply move on to the task that was scheduled for the next session. if I have an intrusive idea, I write it in the notebook in one of three columns. Ideas, shallow work todo, or other todo quit all open apps to start fresh for every deep work session I need to physically remove my phone from the immediate surroundings. I find myself looking for something to distract me sometimes, and will subconciously grab for my phone, even if its hidden in the desk or something. Improve by removing the phone from my working location. Tomorrow phone will stay downstairs all day and i will only use it during tracked breaks I also need to increase friction of using unnecessary sites during focus hours. tomorrow I will add website blocks to session timer Need to be better at shut down sequence and get into the habbit of writing here everyday before shutdown first attempt at rooseveltian intensity did not go that well, I think i need to attempt it over a shorter period with a more realistic goal