Sharing what I have learned from what I have read: A blog by Joe Abittan
"The evidence is persuasive," writes Daniel Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow, "activities that impose high demands on System 2 require self-control, and the exertion of self-control is depleting and unpleasant. Unlike cognitive load, ego depletion is at least in part a loss of motivation." Yesterday I wrote about our misconceptions regarding individual self-control. … Continue reading Self-Control Depletion, Continued
"Wherever you direct your gaze, you will meet with something that might stand out from the rest, if the context in which you read it were not equally notable," writes Seneca in Letters From a Stoic. Quite a while back I listened to a podcast interview with the founder of a music streaming service … Continue reading Stimuli, Attention, and What We Notice
There are two traits of humans which were great for ensuring our survival as a species tens of thousands of years ago that combine today in ways that don't always have good consequences for our lives. The first is that we are highly adaptable. We can adjust our lives and our focus to survive in … Continue reading A Craving for More
Cal Newport writes, "in many cases, contributions to an outcome are not evenly distributed," in his book Deep Work. Across many different domains, several of which Newport mentions in his book, we find an 80/20 split emerge terms of relationships between important things. Newport states that 80% of computer program crashes are caused by just … Continue reading Focus on the Few Major Items
"Once you're wired for distraction, you crave it," writes Cal Newport in his book Deep Work. Our technology today is not built nor designed to provide us with the best space for focus, it is not intended to provide us the maximum possible value, and it is not sold to us to truly enhance … Continue reading Wired for Distraction
"Your world is the outcome of what you pay attention to," writes Cal Newport in his book Deep Work. Newport builds on ideas by Winifred Gallagher in her book Rapt in which she discusses where her attention landed and how she tried to approach life and thinking after a difficult cancer diagnosis. What Gallagher found, and … Continue reading What Do You Pay Attention To?
In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport highlights the work of Ric Furrer, a modern day blacksmith creating historical themed swords, knives, and weapons in his own modern day forge. His work is important in Newport's book because it is a true craft that demands focus. He can only do his work, and do it … Continue reading Think of Your Work as a Craft
"The second reason that deep work is valuable," writes Cal Newport in Deep Work, "is because the impacts of the digital network revolution cut both ways. If you can create something useful, its reachable audience (e.g., employers or customers) is essentially limitless – which greatly magnifies your reward. On the other hand, if what you're … Continue reading The Second Value of Deep Work
My last two posts have been about deep work and shallow work, with one post looking at what deep work really entails, and one post considering when you should plan your shallow work relative to your deep work. Today's post is more directly on the costs of shallow work. Yesterday's post discussed the importance of … Continue reading Shallow Work and the Permanent Cost of Distraction
Cal Newport, in his book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, provides the following definition for shallow work - the opposite of what he encourages us to strive for in our daily lives and work: "Shallow Work: Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not … Continue reading What is Shallow Work