Technology has wreaked havoc on our collective attention spans. Most of us are on a constant IV drip of information, and information is a harder drug to quit than we think. It's hard to give up the feeling that the answer to every question we could think of, or the details of the lives of people we care about, are at the tips of our fingers. Yet quitting it, at least periodically, is necessary to get meaningful work done. What all online products and services are vying for is our attention. Attention is one of the most valuable commodities in the digital age because it's based on time, which is scarce by its nature. Therefore, it makes sense that the path to success in any personal or professional endeavor involves the ability to direct your attention towards one project for long periods of time. Deep work is sometimes described as a flow state, a heightened state of awareness that is [[Meditation|quasi-meditative]]. Deep work also implies focusing on one thing at a time. ## Criticisms ### It's not feasible Deep Work is a good ideal to strive for, but only the privileged can completely remove distractions for any amount of time. While Newport does mention less drastic ways to do deep work, he himself does not use or answer email or social media. He seems to prefer a lifestyle of periodic asceticism, which is not something the average knowledge worker can afford to do. [[Dealing with distractions#Helping yourself resist distractions|Resisting distractions]] is a much more feasible answer than getting rid of distractions entirely. ### Building a [[Minimum Viable Product]] shows results faster In commercial situations, such as in [[Software Development]], focusing on one thing at a time may be the best in terms of individual efficiency, but the team may still need to produce a deliverable. Working on an MVP requires significant [[Context-switching]], but it may be necessary to meet commercial deadlines. ## Related - [[Deep Work]] - [[Meditation]] - [[Productivity]] - [[Success]] - [[Adverse Effects of Technology]] - [[Having a mind like water is a flow state where the mind is free from the anxiety in needing to remember.]] - [[Make the question of willpower moot by changing your environment to remove inertia.]]