Ambidextr Media

The rise of hustle culture has put a pressure on us to constantly be doing something. Slacking off has become unacceptable, and the importance of rest is something we’re now prone to overlook.

Enter deep work. 

Coined by Cal Newport, it is when your brain functions at its full capacity free from any distractions at a prolonged period of time. Newport believes that the maximum amount of deep work each day is four hours. 

Despite our best intentions to be productive, we occasionally procrastinate or become sidetracked. Thus, it makes the concept of deep work more intriguing than ever. But, is four hours really enough to get things done when we’re so used to working for eight hours a day and pulling all-nighters?

What is considered deep work?

For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that we only have two types of work. One is shallow work, while the other one is deep work. What’s the difference between those two?

Tasks that are considered deep work are those that need significant concentration. It can include writing a report, designing collaterals, and preparing a presentation. Basically, these are the tasks that require your utmost focus so you can produce favorable outputs. You must also engage more of your brain here since deep work necessitates extensive thinking in order to completely comprehend your task objectives.

On the other hand, shallow work requires less concentration, and you can even do most of it with distractions. Some examples are sending emails, scheduling your week, and administrative tasks. These are essentially lighter tasks that take less time to complete.

How to get into deep work

Practicing yourself to commit to deep work is truthfully difficult. Often, we find ourselves checking our phones or doing other things after working for a bit. If you want to start practicing deep work, here are some tips that can help you.

Establish your goals: Before starting your task, you must know how much progress you want to make. This can help you in organizing your to-do list and setting some time limit per task.

Remove distractions: Whether it’s a digital or physical distraction, avoid all of these near your working area so that nothing can interrupt you from your deep work. Putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and keeping a modest working space are some of the ways you can do to avoid distractions. 

Start slowly: You don’t need to commit to hours of deep work during your first try. Start small and slowly work your way up. Don’t feel pressured to go all in if you’re still testing the waters.

Why 4 hours of working is already enough

You may be thinking how much deep work is possible to do. While Newport suggests it can go from ninety minutes to four hours, it might seem insufficient for us considering the amount of tasks we have to do everyday.

But keep in mind that our brain can only handle so much because beyond those four hours, we might start feeling exhausted. This can lead to loss of focus and consequently, mistakes in our jobs. If you feel like you can’t be productive anymore, maybe it’s a sign to step back.

Fundamentally, the choice whether to exceed those four hours is up to you. Each of us has a different level of concentration. Sometimes, it can also vary per task. You might unintentionally find yourself working longer depending on how tight the deadline is. So, ultimately, there’s no absolute answer if a four-hour deep work is enough to call it a day. 

Learn how to take a deep rest

Regardless of how long you decide your deep work should be, don’t forget to go on a deep rest from time to time. Being productive is important for us to feel accomplished. In a fast-paced world, all we want to do is to get things done. However, if we focus too much on our work and less on ourselves, we might eventually feel the burnout from our jobs and lose the capacity to do deep work.

Blog by Maria Bernadette Torda