Deep Work

I think how much you get out of this book depends on how much you want to practice focusing on the tasks that require deep concentration. I myself have an online job for two hours a night, novel writing and freelancing writing besides. This means that I am used to working deeply, and allowing myself to get lost in the assignment at hand, only emerging to go to the bathroom or get a fresh cup of coffee. This means that I have already become proficient at ‘Deep Work' and find that this book doesn't hold as much information for me as I would hope.

Not that a new person wouldn't find something of value. Newport spends the first half of the book showing the reader the value of deep concentration on a task, by showing different people throughout history who have benefitted from the prolonged isolation that the process demands. These people he chose (famous artists and writers, CEO's and other content creators) allow the reader to understand that deep work can help a person to achieve excellent results in their field.

The second portion of this book outlines the major rules one must follow in order to achieve this period of deep work. These include such tips as setting aside time to work and creating a space for that work, using either headphones to block out noise, or a cabin to block out the world altogether. Another example would be to quit social media, as it serves as a distraction more than a help.

Newport writes these tips for those who want to get more work done at their job, or for those who want to work better on tasks at home. This means that, while his tips are nice, one has to wonder what types of tips one can follow if their work demands they are attached to their email or social media all the time.

Also, I have to call into question the book itself. The author seems to have a habit of piling on example after example in both the first and second parts of the book. This makes me wonder if he thought up this idea as blog posts, then just kept adding stuff until he got a fully-fledged book. At best, this provides the reader with many different examples to use as a mentor of sorts. At worst, this means the author just keeps adding in examples, to the point where it seemed ridiculous.

In the end, this book may not present many new ideas, but the ones it does talk about are done well. I give it a three out of five.