Month: August 2017

Deep Work – Part II

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 2 Comments

In the first part of Deep Work, Cal Newport defines what deep work is and makes a case for why the world needs it. I read this part but since I already had a fairly good idea about the definition and didn’t need convincing, I didn’t linger over Part I.

The second part of the book was where the meat was and I have spent a lot more time there. He has four rules of deep work. Rule #1 is… wait for it… Work Deeply.

Newport says:

“The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration.” P. 100

He then goes into some ideas on creating those types of routines and rituals. Some of his ideas were new to me and were helpful to think through. For instance, I get up early because I am a morning person and do my best work in the mornings. However, I have been squandering a lot of that good time in frivolous things. So I’m rethinking my morning routines, reading articles such as How to Set Yourself Up for a Productive Day, Bookend Your Days: The Power of Morning and Evening Routines (morning routines are for women, too!),  Establish a Consistent Morning Routine: Maximize Your Mornings, and 6 Elements of a Powerful Morning Routine

Another point Cal Newport makes in this section is that being “lazy” at times actually helps your deep work and creativity. By leaving work behind for a few hours a day, you give your brain a chance to work on things in the background and come up with new ideas for problems you are seeking to solve.

I think also that time spent reading and thinking about non-work things gives you a chance to refuel your mind so that you have a constant flow of new thoughts and ideas to chew on.

Do you have any morning routines that help you work more effectively and/or use your time more wisely? I’d love to hear about them.

Books I’m reading the week of August 14…

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 2 Comments

As always, I have several books going at once. From my post earlier this week, you know I am reading Deep Work by Cal Newport. My other nonfiction books are How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler, which I am reading with a group of home educating friends, Openness Unhindered by Rosaria Butterfield for Sunday School class, and Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon as my daily devotional this year (I try to read through Spurgeon at least every other year. His words of love and devotion to Christ never get old and are always comforting and challenging).
In fiction, I am slowly working through Deborah Crombie’s mystery series featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. I finished Necessary as Blood, the 13th book in the series last week and the other day I picked up the latest Isabel Dalhousie book, A Distant View of Everything, by Alexander McCall Smith. I thoroughly enjoy these books as I feel that Isabel and I would get along well. I have the same tendency to think about everything and anything although I’m not as good as getting myself embroiled in other people’s problems the way she does. I’m thankful for that.
What are you reading this week?  I’d love to hear about the books you are loving right now.

Finding My Focus Again

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 2 Comments

Over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that I’m not reading as much, not thinking as much, and definitely not writing as much. I could blame it on all of my responsibilities at home, work, and, until last June, home school, but the reality is that I’ve lost my focus and find it all too easy to distract myself with frivolous things.

I know that I’m not alone. Everywhere I look, I see articles and TED Talks and books discussing this problem. While they have talked about the problem, the most common solutions (take an internet break, throw your phone away, go off to the woods to a cabin with no wifi) are out of my price range or impractical or not concrete enough to help.
However, a couple of months ago I picked up a book which is helpful–Deep Work by Cal Newport. I’m about two thirds through it and am taking copious notes (alas, it’s a library book so I can’t mark it up).
I know I’m not the only person out there to struggle with focus and the ability to read, write, and think as deeply as I used to so I thought I’d share some of my thoughts as I work my way through the book. Stay tuned for future thoughts as I blog my way through the book. And, run, don’t walk, to your nearest library and check out this book. It’s one of the most helpful productivity books I’ve read.