Cal Newport’s answer is simple: Deep Work – which gave the title to his best-selling book.
What is Deep Work?
It’s the opposite of shallow work. By his definition, shallow work is busy work.
It is “non‐cognitively demanding, logistical‐style tasks and (to-dos) that can be completed in a semi‐distracted state.”
These include processing email, organizing documents, attending most meetings (in person or online), sorting mail, and running errands.
Deep Work, by contrast, includes working on big, meaningful projects: a new business strategy, a large project, or an important proposal.
The problem is that some of the shallow work will one day be automated and commoditized. You don’t want to be a commodity. You do want to produce Deep Work.
Deep Work is “difficult but important intellectual work completed during long uninterrupted periods of time.”
This requires:
- eliminating all distractions – which very few people are capable of avoiding: social media, email, chit-chat, rings, dings, and pings.
- keeping your office door closed.
- a dedicated workspace. If you have everything you need within reach, you won’t need to leave your desk.
- a specific time frame – 60 to 90 minutes – seems to be a good range.
If you have the discipline to put these simple (yet not necessarily easy) guidelines in place, you will massively outproduce most people.
If you would like to learn how Chronos can help you and your team regain time and sanity, reach out to us. Simply click on the Discovery Call button above or visit www.ChronosVet.com
Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free certified
Co-Founder of Chronos