How much time do I think is deep work?
- Writing, 2h/day on weekdays
- Reading, 1 article/day for 1h/article at least
- Cultural, 1h/day everyday
Why deep work?
The ability to work undistracted for 2h at a stretch is superpower. Furthermore, it’s beyond what most people can do. This means, one who can has a distinct advantage at work.
Writing and reading are closely related. Reading scientific articles is necessary to stay on top of one’s field.
Cultural reading, i.e., novels and non-fiction not related to one’s work, mainly give pleasure. The classics are most suitable for learning good English, for exercising the imagination, and for learning models on how to deal with people. Non-fiction books are excellent for all kinds of models. With an app like Evie I can “read” while painting or driving.
But the real WHY of deep work is to learn the language of the world, expressed through science and art and through work itself. Thought and action, not all thought as armchair theoreticians believe. But work has to be concentrated for it to be productive and for it to significantly affect one’s mind and morals. Even when I’m enjoying a leisure activity such as reading cultural books, painting, or music, I wish there to be absolute no other thing on my mind.
The real job here is the focused attention. It’s like prayer, an activity of the spirit. It is prayer, and it is meant to be a prayer that involves no other conversational partner. When I read, especially, I’m conversing with another writer. When I paint I converse with the subject.
Why mix painting and reading? Because they are part of the same conversation. Painting is one side of the brain, reading is the other side, at least the way I see it. Another way I see it is that working with one’s hands improves cognitive skills. Even a light activity like cultural reading that does not involve deep thought is deep work. Bring these learnings to conversations with real people and one will see why reading has often been recommended as an exercise to improve interpersonal communication in general.
As to music, isn’t that hand work? And it’s something I truly love.
Deep work is done alone. So what about class work? Giving a lecture is not deep work. Deep work is also creative. Thus, editing or checking papers is not deep work. But they can be meditative.
The goal of deep work is that for at least 4 hours in my day I am in total concentration. The conversations, lectures, and other matters in between are not only rest, but the application of the fruits of deep work.
(QC, 3 April 2021)
jaylazzo 