What is deep work?

When you walk into an office during morning work hours, you'll find a hectic hustle and bustle — a cacophony of fingers on keyboards, mouse clicks, and blabbering on the phone. But how many of these hectic activities actually benefit the company? How many of these employees are doing work that requires full concentration and makes optimal use of their skills?

What is deep work?

The idea of deep work (in German: “focused work”) was first developed by Cal Newport presented in a blog from 2012.

The computer science professor described the concept of deep work as an activity that requires full concentration and is carried out without distraction.

Usually that's not the kind of work people do every day. Even if they describe their day as busy, it's usually filled with repetitive, distracting tasks that can be done with minimal concentration and don't really benefit either the individual or the employer.

Focused work vs. superficial work

Focused work or superficial work is perhaps best described as busyness or productivity. You can productive and busy But being busy doesn't mean you're productive.

Let's take a look at a typical working day as an example:

• Check emails
• Watch a webinar
• Review and confirm tasks
• Data entry by copying and pasting
• Enter time sheets

It's work and it keeps you busy. But it's not demanding, doesn't require your full attention, and you can do it even when you're distracted.
On the other hand, a day of intensive work can look something like this:

• Write a memo that is sent to the entire office
• Create a detailed proposal for a new project
• Prepare a presentation
• Analyze data patterns to assess the success of a recent project

Of course, that doesn't mean that superficial work is pointless. You still need to check those emails and attend those webinars. But when these tasks are completed without distraction and with more focus, you can complete them quickly and move on to more challenging and valuable tasks.

What are the benefits of Deep Work?

We have already addressed the question of what profound work is and how it differs from superficial work. It's pretty clear that deep work gets the job done faster and at a higher level. But there are other benefits of deep work:

• It increases organizational productivity
• Encourages creative thinking
• Increased employee commitment to their projects
• Improves job satisfaction
• Discourages distracting and unfocused work

How to get started with deep work

If you've done research on this topic, you might have seen a few mentions of strategies. So what is a technique of deep work? Well, it refers to techniques that you can use to get into a deep working state.

The easiest way is to free your work space from distractions (emails, phone notifications, social media) and tackle a task that requires full concentration.

There are also specific strategies for integrating deep work into your daily life:

Monastic philosophy

Like a monk, you must push aside all meaningless tasks and focus exclusively on the things that matter. This requires long and intensive work phases without any distractions.
Don't be tempted by emails on your computer or social media messages on your phone. Switch everything to “Busy” or “Absent,” use “Focus” mode when you have it, and focus on the task at hand.

Rhythmic philosophy

Get used to a regular rhythm where you combine deep work and superficial work. This can be a specific day of the week or, preferably, a specific time of day. It will be difficult at first. Your attention will wander again and again. Over time, however, you'll find a rhythm and deep work will become second nature to you.

journalistic philosophy

If you have a busy schedule that doesn't allow for regular, pre-planned breaks, try the journalistic approach. The idea here is that you use the free time whenever you can get it, whether that's working on a project while everyone is on lunch break, or spending a few hours at home when the kids are at school.

Bimodal philosophy

Bimodal philosophy combines long phases of superficial work with intensive phases of deep work. It requires a high level of coordination, especially if you're working in a team. You must plan for periods of time where you are completely free of distractions and can work profoundly until your concentration decreases.

How to do deep work in an open plan office

The average office is busy, but it's also full of distractions and repetitive tasks. With the constant noise of telephones ringing, typing keyboards and clicking mice, as well as colleagues trying to chat about last night's game, it can be difficult to concentrate.

But there are tools that can help with that, for example Flexopus. Flexopus is a desk sharing solution, which allows employees to book desks, meeting rooms and parking spaces. This allows them to do all the superficial work in the morning, book a meeting room in the afternoon and then do in-depth work calmly and with full concentration.

Not only do employees benefit from this, but also employers, who can benefit from a more productive workforce. They can give their employees the freedom to work without distractions and enable them to express themselves creatively and make full use of their abilities.

Click here to find out more about our packages and get in touch to order a Book a demo.

Synopsis

Deep work is simply a deeper and more comprehensive way of working that enables employees to make full use of their abilities while increasing the company's productivity. In a world full of distractions and an office full of repetitive tasks, deep work can be a game changer.

When you walk into an office during morning work hours, you'll find a hectic hustle and bustle — a cacophony of fingers on keyboards, mouse clicks, and blabbering on the phone. But how many of these hectic activities actually benefit the company? How many of these employees do work that requires full concentration and makes optimal use of their abilities?