Changes in the last 30 years have been very sudden thanks to the knowledge economy. However, we are not done yet, in the next 20-30 years, the social fabric may be unrecognizable especially as far as skills and modes of earning are concerned. In Deep Work, the author talks about kind of people who will prosper. People who can use technology well (not as a consumer, but use technology such as machine learning, AI etc.), those who can create technology, and those who have capital to spend. The first two, cannot happen without “Deep Work”. Deep work as opposed to tactical or shallow work, is something that needs deep concentration. The author talks about the importance of this deep work and suggest many useful tips on how someone can ensure that they can incorporate at least some hours regularly. Some salient points:
- How Luminaries have carved our Deep Work schedules: Plan: Plan each minute of the day. It is okay if things change but stick to it. Author also talks about different strategies. Bill Gates takes some time off every year to just read and think.
- Assess how much shallow work you are expected to do: In any job try to get an understanding of how much shallow work you are expected to do. A reasonable portion of your day cannot be
- Social Media: The author mentioned how we all have become “suckers for relevancy”, wrt social media and the how we are giving more importance to short term dopamine highs at the cost of our long term wellbeing. That was the day, I deactivated FB as well as Twitter (which I actually found very useful and occasionally log in).
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