Deep Work was popularized by The author Cal Newport in – Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. “Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep. Spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there’s a better way.”
This idea was also cultivated in an article called, 5 Strategies for Your Most Productive Workday by Amantha Imber. “…Cal Newport suggests that because of the distractions technology imposes on us, we spend the majority of our time doing “shallow work”. Work that is non-cognitively demanding. Because of the constant distractions, we have forgotten how to truly engage in “deep work”. That is, focused thinking where we make meaningful progress on our most impactful projects.”
Deep Work for Small Business Owners
All successful companies begin by people focusing on a product or service that they believe people want. We get bogged down by the countless “shallow activities”, as we become successful. For example, answering emails or phone calls, doing paperwork, putting out fires and attending time-consuming meetings.
Then there’s our trusty smartphone. A ball and chain if ever there were one. Constantly reminding us of what needs to be done or what we’ve missed. Kind of hard to focus with the buzz-buzz or chime-chime of phones going on around us.
Let’s be honest.
- When did we last spend a long period of time focusing on growing your business, or coming up with new marketing plans or getting ahead of your competition?
- Have you let technological gizmos get in the way of developing the mental processes that made you successful?
- Does your phone, ipad or computer distract you on a regular basis?
- Have you stepped back from your business to truly think things through recently?
- Could you focus on one given task for a few hours, without getting side-tracked?
- Have you become so lazy that you rely on digital technology to remember everything for you?
- Are you more concerned with followers, likes, and social media presence than you are with the bottom line?
If you cant answer or answered an affirmative to the above questions then maybe its time to get back into mental shape.
Master the Ability of Deep Work
First, all us small business owners must decide if the constant pressure of ‘shallow work’ has lessened our ability to focus deeply on mentally demanding tasks.
Second, by now we should all know ourselves well enough to understand what steps we need to get on track.
Third, maybe its time to hire a personal assistant. As a business owner, I too found myself swamped by things someone else could do for me. Finding the right personal assistant or administrator was the best business decision and hire I’ve made.
Finally, maybe its time to stop making excuses, realize where we went wrong and literally remove distractions that keep you from going deep. To master the ability of deep work!