Change Your Life In 6 Months (My Deep Work Routine)

Summary

In this insightful video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of deep work and offers practical strategies to enhance productivity. Addressing common challenges like distractions and overwhelm, they share personal experiences of balancing work and family life. The video highlights the significance of creating a conducive environment, prioritizing tasks, and setting intense deadlines to achieve focus. Additionally, the speaker encourages viewers to reflect on their motivations and overcome procrastination. By adopting these techniques, individuals can unlock their potential, work smarter, and achieve their professional and personal goals.

Takeaways

• 😀 Embrace the concept of working smarter, not harder, to achieve your goals.
• 📅 Prioritize tasks by identifying the three most important things to accomplish each day.
• 🧠 Distinguish between shallow work (low brainpower tasks) and deep work (focused, high-concentration tasks).
• 💡 Create a dedicated workspace for deep work to minimize distractions.
• ⏰ Set strict deadlines for tasks to boost productivity and encourage deep work sessions.
• 📖 Develop a rhythmic schedule for deep work sessions, utilizing your peak energy times.
• 🔇 Use noise-canceling headphones or quiet environments to enhance concentration.
• 📚 Reflect on your goals and the reasons behind procrastination to overcome mental barriers.
• 🚫 Schedule specific times for handling distractions like emails and social media.
• 💤 Establish a proper evening routine to prepare for restful sleep and the next day’s tasks.

Q & A

What are the common feelings experienced by people overwhelmed with work?

Many individuals feel overworked, exhausted, and burdened by a never-ending list of tasks in various areas of their lives, including career and family.

What realization led the speaker to change their work approach?

The speaker realized that they were underestimating their potential to get meaningful work done, leading them to seek a smarter way of working rather than being busy for the sake of it.

What is the difference between shallow work and deep work?

Shallow work refers to tasks that require minimal cognitive effort, such as checking emails, while deep work involves intense focus and the ability to produce high-quality work without distractions.

How did the speaker improve their productivity and transition to working at Google?

By adopting a focused work method, the speaker was able to cut down their learning time in marketing, which enabled them to transition from unemployment to working at Google and delivering successful marketing training.

What is the concept of 'deep work' introduced by Cal Newport?

Deep work is the ability to perform tasks that require high levels of concentration and brainpower without distractions, leading to more significant outputs and better quality work.

What strategies does the speaker suggest for creating an optimal work environment?

The speaker recommends setting up a dedicated space for deep work, minimizing distractions by separating from devices, and utilizing noise-canceling headphones to enhance concentration.

How does the speaker recommend prioritizing tasks?

The speaker advises identifying the three most crucial tasks to accomplish each day that align with achieving personal and professional goals, helping to clarify focus and direction.

What role do deadlines play in productivity according to the speaker?

Deadlines are essential for enhancing productivity, as they create a sense of urgency that can lead to greater focus and the completion of tasks more quickly.

Why is scheduling distraction periods important?

Scheduling distraction periods helps manage the inevitable interruptions from emails and notifications, allowing for focused deep work sessions while still addressing necessary tasks at designated times.

What is the significance of a proper evening shutdown routine?

A proper evening shutdown routine is important for ensuring good sleep, which is crucial for effective deep work the next day. Writing down unfinished tasks helps clear the mind for a restful night.

Outlines

00:00

😩 Overcoming Overwork and Finding Focus

This section discusses the challenges of feeling overwhelmed by work, personal responsibilities, and distractions in modern life. The speaker shares their personal experience as a busy parent running a business, emphasizing the need to work smarter rather than harder. They introduce the concept of 'deep work' as a method to maximize productivity by focusing on high-quality, distraction-free tasks. The speaker also reflects on the societal pressure to appear busy, and how this can lead to shallow work that lacks depth and fulfillment. By adopting focused work strategies, individuals can achieve their goals and realize their potential.

05:05

🛠️ Creating a Productive Work Environment

In this part, the importance of establishing a conducive work environment for deep work is highlighted. The speaker suggests designating specific spaces in the home or office for focused work to minimize distractions. They recommend using quiet locations like libraries or cafes when necessary. The speaker also discusses the significance of removing distractions, such as putting devices in another room and using tools to block distracting websites. Additionally, they emphasize the benefits of wearing noise-canceling headphones to signal a focused working state. The speaker shares their personal strategy of working during school hours to maintain family presence while maximizing productivity.

10:07

✅ Prioritizing Tasks and Setting Deadlines

This section focuses on the importance of task prioritization to enhance productivity. The speaker suggests reflecting on the most crucial tasks that align with long-term goals and encourages writing them down for clarity. They discuss the effectiveness of imposing tight deadlines to boost productivity, as humans naturally perform better under time constraints. By estimating task durations and then reducing these estimates, individuals can work more efficiently. The speaker provides a personal example of time management by outlining their available hours and focusing on high-priority tasks to maximize their productivity.

15:08

⏱️ Maximizing Deep Work Sessions

Here, the speaker presents strategies to enhance deep work sessions. They introduce the equation: high quality of work produced = time spent x intensity. The speaker advises scheduling distraction periods to manage incoming notifications and emails without compromising deep work time. They recommend setting a rhythmic schedule for deep work sessions, ideally during peak energy times, and starting with manageable timeframes that can gradually increase. Breaks are emphasized as crucial for maintaining focus and productivity. The section concludes with tips on how to effectively shut down for the evening to ensure a productive next day.

💭 Reflecting on Passion and Procrastination

In the final section, the speaker discusses the deeper reasons behind procrastination and the significance of loving one's work. They highlight that many barriers to productivity, such as fear, uncertainty, or perfectionism, may hinder progress. The speaker encourages self-reflection to identify personal beliefs that may be holding one back from reaching their full potential. They close by inviting viewers to embrace their journey towards personal growth, offering resources for further learning and support, including a newsletter and monthly office hours.

Keywords

💡Overworked

Feeling overworked refers to a state of being overwhelmed by excessive tasks, responsibilities, or commitments. In the video, the speaker describes this feeling as leading to exhaustion and a never-ending list of obligations in life, work, and family. This theme is central as it underscores the need for a more effective work approach to regain balance and manage responsibilities better.

💡Deep Work

Deep work is defined as the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks. The speaker emphasizes its importance by stating that mastering deep work enables individuals to produce higher quality output and achieve significant goals. Throughout the script, examples of how this method improved productivity and learning, such as transitioning from unemployed to working at Google, illustrate its practical benefits.

💡Shallow Work

Shallow work consists of tasks that are low in cognitive demand and often performed while distracted. The speaker contrasts shallow work with deep work, noting that tasks like checking emails and responding to messages do not require substantial brainpower. This differentiation highlights a significant issue in modern work life—spending too much time on shallow tasks can hinder overall productivity and effectiveness.

💡Environment

The work environment is crucial for productivity and focus, as indicated by the speaker's suggestion to designate a specific area for deep work. Creating a conducive environment minimizes distractions and enhances concentration. For example, the speaker recommends using quiet spaces like libraries or designated rooms at home to cultivate an atmosphere that supports intense work sessions.

💡Prioritization

Prioritization involves determining the most important tasks to focus on to achieve significant goals. The speaker discusses the importance of asking oneself what the top three tasks for the day are, which helps clarify what needs to be accomplished. This technique is vital for moving forward effectively, as it ensures that energy is directed toward tasks that truly matter.

💡Distractions

Distractions are interruptions that disrupt focus and productivity. The speaker acknowledges the prevalence of distractions in modern life, such as social media notifications and constant emails. To counter these distractions, the video suggests strategies like putting devices in another room and scheduling specific times for addressing them, thereby allowing for uninterrupted deep work sessions.

💡Flow State

The flow state is a mental state where a person is fully immersed and focused on an activity, resulting in heightened productivity and creativity. The speaker references psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's work on flow, suggesting that achieving this state can lead to a sense of fulfillment in work. By structuring deep work sessions effectively, individuals can more easily reach this optimal state of engagement.

💡Intense Deadlines

Intense deadlines are strict timelines set to enhance focus and productivity. The speaker shares personal anecdotes about how imposing shorter timeframes on tasks can lead to increased urgency and quicker completion. By creating intense deadlines, one can harness the pressure of time constraints to boost productivity during deep work sessions.

💡Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is the ability to control one's impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals. The speaker emphasizes that despite using tools to block distractions, ultimate responsibility lies with the individual. This concept reinforces the idea that personal accountability is essential in maintaining focus and achieving desired outcomes in deep work.

💡Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene refers to habits and practices that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep. The speaker stresses the importance of a good night's sleep as a foundation for effective deep work the next day. By suggesting activities like journaling before bed to clear the mind, the speaker highlights how proper rest contributes to better cognitive functioning and productivity.

Highlights

Feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities can hinder productivity, as many juggle work, family, and personal goals.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of working smarter, not harder, to achieve personal and professional goals.

There's a distinction between being busy and being productive; the key is focusing on high-value work.

Deep work, characterized by distraction-free concentration, is essential for achieving high-quality results.

Cal Newport's concept of shallow versus deep work highlights the need to prioritize deep work for success.

Shallow work includes routine tasks that can be easily automated, while deep work requires intense focus and creativity.

Creating a dedicated workspace can enhance focus and minimize distractions during deep work sessions.

Using noise-canceling headphones can help create a focused environment, signaling to others that you are in 'work mode.'

Establishing a routine around deep work sessions can significantly improve productivity and focus.

Prioritizing tasks by identifying the top three tasks to accomplish each day can drive progress toward larger goals.

Implementing intense deadlines can boost productivity, encouraging the completion of tasks more efficiently.

Scheduling periods for distraction helps manage emails and notifications without interrupting deep work.

Taking regular breaks during deep work sessions is vital to maintaining focus and preventing burnout.

Writing down unfinished tasks and next-day goals the night before promotes relaxation and prepares the mind for productivity.

Loving what you do is crucial; addressing deeper issues behind procrastination can unlock potential and drive success.

Transcripts

If you currently feel overworked, exhausted,

and the list of things to do feels never ending for your life,

your career, your business, your family, you're drowning emails

and text messages and calls that needs to be returned.

You have all these big dreams, projects and goals,

but yet they seem so out of reach and just never have enough time

to either start or finish them.

I've been there.

I'm the average person like everyone else.

I have a four year old daughter who's a love of my life and my husband and I.

We both run separate businesses of our own.

and parents who are getting old and needs care.

I'm not someone with a4am morning routine

jumping to an ice bath, drinking a green juice

while doing press ups with one finger and telling you that you need to do more.

and my frustration of seeing every year pass by and feeling like a failure

made me realize that it's time for me to think about the way that I work.

And there must be a better way where I can work smarter, not harder.

And there's one thing that I realize that change all of this,

and that is you're under estimating your potential, the potential

that you have to get the work done that actually moves you forward.

And it's not being busy for busy sake.

It has nothing to do with the tools you're using.

What parts of the apps on your phone

or what habit boxes are you taking off right now?

The problem is actually much more simpler than you think.

Since I tried this method of working and focused,

I be able to cut down the time I needed to learn to do marketing in half,

which meant that I was able to go from unemployed to working at Google

and deliver some of my best marketing trainings for my students

in my own company, and ultimately creating some of the best

keynote talks to let in more pay speaking opportunities.

And this is not another quality video

to tell me that you need to fit more in less time,

because one of the biggest issues we're facing the modern society

is not by doing more work, but actually not having enough time.

We are living in one of the biggest social experiments ever

by all these distractions and devices

are paying off around us constantly and we're no longer able to focus.

That's why in order for you to become the top 1%,

the ability to focus and do this kind of work

is going to get you there, and that's going to be your superpower.

And finally, you can work less and get more done, but not the other way around.

I made this video

to make it easy for you to understand how we can all live as fully as we work.

Let's build you into the top 1%

to become limitless in reaching your dreams and achieving

some of your biggest goals So here's a problem.

When you were studying or entering your first job,

you were probably conditioned to get the most of every hour.

Am I right?

Popular media makes business look cool, and when you are walking down the street,

you see someone you know, or maybe in the office

when you ask them, Hey, how are you?

Most likely the response you will get is, I'm good, just get busy.

So we all we're business like a badge of honor,

but not really knowing if this business can lead us anywhere.

So Cal Newport first introduced this concept word to me,

and there was a start that changed the way I work forever.

So a lot of daily tasks which you're probably familiar

with, like checking emails respond to messages

are the kind of things I would call shallow work,

because it doesn't require much of your brain power to do so.

But if you spend most of your day doing the shallow work,

you'll eventually be replaced by technology and AI.

In the current revolution that we're in right now,

because these two skills are mostly easily replaceable So deep works the ability

to do work with distraction, free concentration at your peak brainpower,

which means

are you able to produce something that's uniquely yours in your own zone?

The genius.

Cal wrote that he was able to double

his output of research papers while being a full time professor,

raising his family and writing his book all at the same time.

By using this method.

And it really resonated with this because I'm ambitious, just like you.

If you click on this video and you're watching it now,

that means that you realize there's

something that you need to change in your current work environment.

They'll make you a lot more productive than you were previously.

So think it's really good idea to take a pen and paper out

and write this down and ask yourself this If you were to work regularly,

what made your life or professional goals do you want to achieve For me,

that's growing my personal brand business online, reaching and

impacting more people with my digital products and services.

I want to have enough time spent on my family

and to travel to live a life full experiences.

I don't want to be chained to a desk and just looking at the screen all day.

And I also found fascinating is that according to research

done in 2012, deep work can also train your brain

to increase your focus, and also you cognitive functions like a muscle.

Before, I used to find it hard to get through a whole page in the book,

but I can scroll in for an hour, whereas now I can easily

sit down for 90 minutes of Debord at the time and coming out feeling

completely fulfilled and accomplished because I did something with that time.

I think, one, the state that you tend

to get into during the work is the state of flow,

which has been documented in this psychologist Michel.

His book Flow, where you reach this point of standstill of time

and you are filled with the content and purpose and what you're doing.

So before we get into the nitty gritty of how to do better teamwork,

I think it's really important.

Set up the first things first, which is your environment.

severe, the means to do so.

Observe a separate area in your home like a study or a separate room

where you use it purely for deep working and where you definitely

won't be disturbed if you're in the office environment.

Think about using an empty conference room.

Maybe they can use it as a purely a place to get away from that open plan.

Nosiness And if you don't have the spaces as we are living in smaller and smaller

places these days in the modern world, I found local libraries

and also local quieter cafes to be really great for this

because you have a separate space allocated to this.

It makes you even more concentrated on your sessions as well.

and what one like about the current world of mixing remote working with

being the office is that the data you are a home remote working.

You can use some of those days for the much more important strategic

deep thinking tasks they can use during these deep work sessions.

And this brings me to the distractions

in our lives right now, and that is, if used possible,

to put all the distraction related devices in a separate room, because I find that

if it's not close to you, you probably won't be looking at it.

And if you clearly are going on the Internet

and you might get distracted by going on social media websites, for example,

there is chrome sessions like florist or cell control that you can use

on your browser to block off those sites while you're working

so you don't get tempted.

But I think we're all adults here, so your level of self discretion

is probably your own. Take.

And if you want absolutely zero noise, if that's what helps

you use a pair of noise canceling headphones.

So my ones from Sony, I'll link it to a description below.

You don't have to get exactly one.

I found this one to be really helpful because it's light on my head.

And when I'm working for, let's say an hour and a half the time,

it doesn't actually weigh on my head to make it hurt.

So it just something that I found in my own experience.

But feel free to find one that works for you.

And what I found to be another benefit is that if I wear these headphones

in public spaces, like co-working spaces, I'm less likely

to be disturbed because I look like, I mean the working mode.

And that visual fact usually helps for you to have that sanctuary

that time to yourself if you needed to, So if you got kids like I do,

I tend to do my deep work sessions around the time when she's at school.

My personal ethos is that I want to be fully present

when she's around and not working around her all the time.

I actually work a lot less now.

Not that kids and we've found that because I have less time

and there's a lot more constraints on that.

I tend to be a lot more focused and results driven.

So everything I choose to work on has the highest priority,

either in my business with my clients at the moment, and that seemed to move me

forward a lot more further than before I had kids, so there you go.

A little plus point there.

and my biggest motivation

is that the more efficient that can be doing something, the more time

they'll have to spend with the quality home for my family.

So that's almost a benefit to me to work towards whenever I'm being stuck

with the will to do something.

I find that this will motivate me to keep pushing forward

and this really brings in the point of prioritizing or tasks.

One thing I realize is that if I don't prioritize my task,

then all of a sudden everything on my list really needs my attention.

I don't know what else to focus on, but one question

I found to be really helpful and feel free to write this one down.

They help me on a daily basis is whenever I prepare my two days for the day,

I ask myself if there's three things I need to get done today,

what would those be in order to move my biggest goals and dreams forward?

And when you put it in that context, all sudden

those tasks become a lot more clearer in terms of which

one of the most important

to get done that day, to move yourself forward one more step at a time.

and once you prioritize your tasks, which brings me to the next point,

which is really about putting very intense deadlines into what you do.

And by that I mean estimating how long it would take to do something

and then cut that down drastically And by human nature,

we know that we work best with deadlines, because if we reflect on this,

when I was in school, I remember when I had a looming deadline for a paper

in college, somehow that paper, after procrastinating on it for weeks

the day before it gets it gets do it will actually get done the night before.

So it just things like this where if you put those deadlines for yourself,

that's actually estimated

to be a lot more strict and also intense than it should be.

You will actually find yourself getting you done

the longer quicker than you think.

And that also forces you to be in the state of deep work more often

because allow you to use those intense periods to really get those things done.

Like, for example, now I want to go out to my daughter in 2 hours.

That means that I'm to get my deep work sessions in and that 2 hours

all of a sudden becomes so much more efficient

because I know that that's all I got for the day

and what can I actually fit in.

That's the most important, but also can get done the quickest.

so based on we talked about earlier write this one down as well.

How can you create an environment around you that helps you succeed with this

deep work?

And how can you maintain this deep work on a regular basis?

So now that we've gone through the environment and the different things

you should have in place before you start working, how do you now

make sure that your deep work sessions are more effective than most people?

And Carl mentioned this in this book where I thought it's a really great equation

to share with you guys is that the high quality of work produced

equals time spent times intensity on this particular task.

So everything we talking about in this section really goes back to this

equation is how can you maximize the amount of time spent

and also the intensity spent on this during that period

in order to create the highest quality work possible.

So here are three strategies

I recommend you try for yourself during these deep work sessions.

And number one is you might not think about this

very obviously, but schedule and distraction periods.

Yes, you heard me say that right.

Make sure that you have distraction periods schedule in during your deep

work days.

And what I mean by that is in the reality in the world that we live in right now,

the emails and the pings from your managers,

maybe from your clients, if you're in the business

and the social media pings and updates and notifications,

not they're not actually going to go away overnight, Am I right?

And the key thing is that you want to make sure to have specific times

when you can actually get past these and address them,

because they are our daily lives are part of our daily lives.

We have to recognize that.

And we have to think about how do we realistically include them,

but at the same time, don't let them infringe on what we do.

And the best way to do this is to schedule them

at the regular times throughout the day where it's under your control.

So, for example, I scheduled those times for myself when I know that

my energy levels dipping through the day and that's usually around 3 to 4 p.m.

in the afternoon,

most of you probably have this or you have like a mid-afternoon slump,

and that's the time when I can use these non brain

intensive activities like shallow work and getting those things done.

For example, I can post on my social media content,

I can reach out, reply to emails, I can text people back

and all these things do not take those intense brainpower

you would do during deep work periods.

But this is fine because that's during when you have the lowest energy level.

Anyway.

Secondly, I found to be really helpful is that this rhythmic D work

ritual schedule did either on a daily or weekly basis, depending on your schedule.

And for me,

I purposely found in my line of work having daily sessions really helped me.

So the way my schedule works is that in the morning

I usually have a very quick workout after dropping off my daughter at school

and then I will have 3 to 4 hours to myself

to really focus on those deep intensive work that I need to get done.

It could be writing a keynote speech.

It could be preparing training materials for my students.

It could be, let's say, in this case, designing strategies

for client could be writing a script for a YouTube video.

But whatever is allows me to use

that time to really use my deepest intense brainpower.

So that way later

on, I know that I've accomplished the most important things on my list

and I can move on to the rest day with a lot more ease

because I know that it's actually been ticked off and not most people, but

generally speaking, the majority of people are energetic in the mornings.

So I recommend having this early in the morning if you're one dose.

But there are lots of people in my community who I speak to my friends

and family who are also night owls, and that's Holyoke too.

So no one is your best performance period is a morning or is it late nights?

And then just have those scheduled in for yourself on a regular basis.

So, you know,

when you have your best periods to get your work done, So comment is book

that beginners should really aim for one hour in the beginning

to really get into the rhythm of working in deep working mode.

But as you get more used to it, feel free to increase that over time

and eventually, even for the most advanced people who do deep work,

really the most your brain can handle is around the four hour mark.

and beyond that is really hard to do any more concentrated work

because you feel like you had enough for the day.

And it's a really good idea

to make sure you have scheduling regular breaks for these sessions.

So generally speaking, maybe an hour and a half an hour

and having an interval from there, then I think in some of those breaks

in between where you can just do nothing, have a cup of tea, walk around the block.

So for me, I just love looking out the window,

having a little bit of time for my eyes to rest as well.

I mean, getting back into the next interval session.

So let's take a moment to reflect on this.

Take a pen and paper and write this down.

Given your current goal and situation, how many hours deep

where can you commit to on the daily, weekly basis?

And lastly, this a part where I feel like a lot of people don't talk about,

and that is how do you shut down properly for the evening?

Because we all know that sleep is abundant and free, but yet is one of the things

that we currently lack the most and sleep is

so you have a great precedence the next day of deep work.

So your brain has the most capacity and the ability to do the deep

intensive thinking that you need.

I found this to be really helpful where the night before write down

some of the things that you didn't finish

and some of the things that you want to get done the next day

and dump it all into you.

Let's say notebook.

In my case, I write in my journal, I find it quite relaxing to be able

to take it all of my head into the paper and I can now relax into a deep sleep.

And can you pour even as both have gone as far as shut down completely

saying that to himself as if his brain is a computer program

and he says that it works apparently where he gets a chance

to really completely shut down and have a good night's sleep.

Then the next day, starting over again. And lastly this.

The one thing I want to leave you with in this video is that none of the tips

that the work tactics, the policy tips that you see around

the Internet are going to work unless you love what you do.

Because oftentimes when we're procrastinating on that big project,

the dream job, the dream opportunity is that a lot of times,

a lot of the issues behind procrastinating is a lot deeper than we think.

and it can mean a lot more than that, right?

Could be. You're afraid.

It could be that you don't know how to get started.

It could be that you're a perfectionist, just like me,

waiting for the perfect conditions to get started.

So I really invite you to reflect on these things and to think about.

Are there any other reasons I might be holding you back?

How can you break free of those beliefs and eventually

reaching your limitless potential as your future self?

thank you so much for staying me until the end.

If you like this video, you might also love this video

all about how to change your life in six months,

if you like what you saw in the video today,

if you're for this, describe and try on my newsletter.

In the link the description below

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Thank you so much for watching this video.

I want to see you incorporate some of the DIY techniques in what you do,

and I'm looking forward to seeing you thrive.

All right. See the next video.