June 24, 2020

Insights From the Book Deep Work by Cal Newport: Part 2 | The Get Over Yourself Podcast

Check out The Get Over Yourself Podcast Episode Page & Show Notes

“Neil Postman, who wrote prophetically back in 1993, warned against the culture of technology where anything representing technological progress was deemed as good instead of weighing the pros and cons” – Brad Kearns
- Technology isn’t a simple binary of good/bad, we must consider its consequences without making blanket statements
“Those who are able to disengage from the cultural momentum toward distractability, busy-ness, and all that can create a huge competitive advantage for themselves by being more productive than those immersed into busy-ness” – Brad Kearns
- “The skillful management of attention is the key to living a good life”
Deep work advice:
- Schedule time for deep work and commit to it
  - Commit at least 1 hour of every day to deeply engaging work without distractions
- Be comfortable not responding to people immediately
- Protect time that makes you more creative
  - Time for both relaxation and deep work is necessary to achieve maximum creative potential
- Track time you spend on activities throughout the day
  - You will probably be surprised at how much time you’re wasting on meaningless activities
- Inspiration is for amateurs
  - If you have to wait for inspiration to strike before acting you’ll always be stuck in the amateur divisions
“Human beings are at their best when they’re immersed into something that’s deeply challenging” – Brad Kearns

“Neil Postman, who wrote prophetically back in 1993, warned against the culture of technology where anything representing technological progress was deemed as good instead of weighing the pros and cons” – Brad Kearns
Let’s take the Apple Watch, which many buy into as a great boon for humanity, and consider its effects
- Pros:
  - Elderly are able to easily call for help
  - Encourages fitness by tracking your steps and heart rate
- Cons:
  - Constant Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF) exposure right next to your wrist
  - Physically cannot ignore notifications from your phone
- Technology isn’t a simple binary of good/bad, we should consider its consequences without making blanket statements
Elon Musk has stated on the Joe Rogan Experience that people might as well already be cyborgs considering how we can’t live without smartphones
It seems to Brad that the enthusiastic adoption of social media by large media companies self-sabotages journalistic quality by forcing media companies to focus on clickbait headlines and quick quips for attention

“Those who are able to disengage from the cultural momentum toward distractability, busy-ness, and all that can create a huge competitive advantage for themselves by being more productive than those immersed into busy-ness” – Brad Kearns
- Also, by removing sources of distractability which provide cheap dopamine you make your productive endeavors even more meaningful and fulfilling
Be incredibly selective of what you choose to focus on
- Even the tiniest activities chip away at the finite amount of energy you have to spend during the day
Focusing on events out of your control is mentally draining
- People who pay less attention to the 24/7 news report feeling happier and have more time to spend throughout the day
Even when events out of your control force themselves into your focus, how you respond is entirely within your control
- When Winnifred Gallagher was diagnosed with cancer, she reported that her situation was quite pleasant despite the circumstances
  - You probably don’t have cancer, so you have even less of an excuse to dwell on negative thoughts
“The skillful management of attention is the key to living a good life” – Brad Kearns

“Human beings are at their best when they’re immersed into something that’s deeply challenging” – Brad Kearns
- The greatest satisfaction in life comes from activities that require effort and time, whether it’s being a parent, starting a business, or reading a good book
- Activities that provide instant gratification, like scrolling social media or doing drugs, don’t lead to longterm happiness
Schedule time for deep work and commit to it
- Commit at least 1 hour of every day to deeply engaging work without distractions
Be okay with not responding to people immediately and possibly annoying them
- Don’t allow yourself to pick caught up in the unsustainable pace of social media everyone else is caught up in
Protect time that makes you more creative
- Time for both relaxation and deep work are necessary to achieve maximum creative potential; don’t let others take away from the time that maximizes your human potential
Track time you spend on activities throughout the day
- This includes seemingly benign activities such as scrolling Amazon or Twitter while “working”
- You will probably be surprised at how much time you’re wasting on meaningless activities
Inspiration is for amateurs
- If you have to wait for inspiration to strike before acting you’ll always be stuck in the amateur divisions