Books like Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows have lamented the loss of focus that comes with our increasingly technological society. Cal Newport builds on this insight in Deep Work, and suggests potential ways forward.

Shallow work is defined as “Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate (6). Deep work is the opposite of this. Deep work consists of “Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate” (3).

Seven years after this book was published, artificial intelligence is much more powerful and prominent. AI can do shallow work. It’s deep work that requires human agency. If your job can be handled while surfing social media, it’s a pretty good indication that it could be handled by technological intervention.

Newport offers four ways to engage in deep work:

1. Work Deeply: Figure out how to integrate distraction-free focus into your schedule.
2. Embrace Boredom: Train yourself to resist distraction.
3. Quit Social Media: While this is unthinkable for many, it is absolutely essential.
4. Drain the Shallows: Find ways to minimize the amount of shallow work you perform.

The rules may seem extreme, but Newport does acknowledge the competing demands of professional work and suggests ways to integrate deep work into your life without the need to become a Luddite or a hermit.

Deep Work is an exemplar of the business/self-help genre. It’s clearly written, tightly argued, focused, and challenging. Agree or disagree with his methods, knowledge workers in particular should read this book.

Newport, Cal. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central Publishing, 2016.