
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
Key Takeaways
- “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
- Schedule time for deep work and commit to it
- “Human beings are at their best when they’re immersed into something that’s deeply challenging” – Brad Kearns
Books Mentioned
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
- Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life by Winifred Galligher
- The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains by Robert H. Lustig
Intro
- Host: Brad Kearns (@bradleykearns)
Culture of Technology
- “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
- Pros:
- 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
Focus & 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
- When Winnifred Gallagher was diagnosed with cancer, she reported that her situation was quite pleasant despite the circumstances
- “The skillful management of attention is the key to living a good life” – Brad Kearns
Deep Work
- “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