2020-04-21 Deep Work

Question 1

What is deep work?

Answer 1

Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit.

Question 2

What is shallow work?

Answer 2

Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted.

Question 3

What value does deep work provide?

Answer 3

New value

Skills improvement

Question 4

Which is the hardest to replicate (deep vs shallow work) ?

Answer 4

Deep Work

Question 5

What value does shallow work provide?

Answer 5

Not much new value

Question 6

Why should we master the art of quickly learning complicated things?

Answer 6

To remain valuable in our economy

Question 7

What is the deep work hypothesis?

Answer 7

The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.

Question 8

What is the superstar effect, and why does it matter?

Answer 8

In a world that is increasingly connected, people that are the best at their job are really valuable, therefore, these are the people that will thrive the most in the future

Question 9

What are the three groups of people that will thrive in the future?

Answer 9

Those who can work well and creatively with intelligent machines
Those who are the best at what they do
Those with access to capital

Question 10

Why does deliberate practice work?

Answer 10

By focusing intensely on a specific skill, you’re forcing a specific relevant circuit to fire, again and again, in isolation

Question 11

Why do distractions prevent you from efficient deliberate practice?

Answer 11

While distracted, you’re firing too many circuits simultaneously and haphazardly to isolate the group of neurons you actually want to strengthen

Question 12

How can you learn hard things quickly

Answer 12

Focus intensely without distractions (deep work)

Question 13

High-Quality Work Produced = __ + __

Answer 13

High-Quality Work Produced = Time Spent + Intensity of Focus

Question 14

What does our brain construct are worldview based?

Answer 14

Based on what we pay attention to

Question 15

What is the key to developing a deep work habit?

Answer 15

By adding routines and rituals to your working life that minimize the amount of will power needed to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration

Question 16

What is the chain method?

Answer 16

A good example of the rhytmic philosophy of deep work scheduling because it combines a simple heuristic (do the work every day), with an easy way to remind yourself to do the work: the big red Xs on the calendar

Question 17

What are the three questions you need to ask yourself to create an efficient deep work ritual?

Answer 17

Where you’ll work and for how long?
How you’ll work once you start to work?
How you’ll support your work?

Question 18

What is the ART (Attention Restoration Theory) ?

Answer 18

The theory that claims that spending time in nature can improve your ability to concentrate

Question 19

Why is it important to put more thought into your leisure time have an idea of what you are going to do before it starts?

Answer 19

If you give your mind something meaningful to do throughout all your waking hours, you’ll end the day more fulfilled, and begin the next one more relaxed, than if you instead allow your mind to bathe for hours in semiconscious and unstructured Web surfing

Question 20

What should you do when responding to an email?

Answer 20

Take a minute or two to think through a process that gets you from the current state to a desired outcome with a minimum of messages required