[Note to self] Reasons why you need to do deep work:
- Attention and energy are limited resources - don't waste them on task switching and getting distracted.
- That great feeling you create by focusing on one thing for an extended period of time.
- I need to feel like I'm making progress.
- My most important work needs a lot of uninterrupted attention.
- Creating this body of work cannot be done well without deep work.
- A lot of my life is distracting and a constant fight for my attention. These deep working sessions that I have once or twice per week are an escape from all of this.
- I want to prove to myself that I can be disciplined enough to focus on one thing for a few hours without being interrupted. It's almost like I'm testing myself - can I do this? Can I prove to myself that I am capable of this level of self-discipline?
- I've been spending too much time on my iPhone recently, I could do with a break from it for a few hours.
- The work I'm doing is a big project and this is what it needs from me to bring it all to life.
- The more I practice this discipline, the more it bleeds into other areas of my life. A little discipline in one area of my life can create a little more discipline in other areas.
- One thing I don't want to feel is like I'm wasting my time. I know how important it is for me, psychologically, to feel good about my work.
- The work I choose is really up to me - if I'm not happy, it's up to me to make the changes. This project is one area of my work that I have total control over. I dictate what happens here, so it's up to me to take control.
- If I don't do it properly now, when will I do it? Stop thinking that tomorrow is an option. The only thing I know is that right now is real. Tomorrow is a fantasy.
Other thoughts about this project:
- Right now this project is not about being efficient, it's about being effective. For example, you might not write much today, but the main thing is that you are working on it. Working through it. Some days will 'feel’ more productive than others. What this project needs from you is time and attention, word count is not the right metric to focus on. Success right now is how much uninterrupted time you spend giving your attention to this work. Not everything needs to be efficient or even feel effective. Stop trying to 'scale' or 'hack' everything.
- Find the joy in this work. You might not like everything you do in your day job, and this work is an opportunity for you to work on something that has been completely created and dictated by you. Smile. Enjoy it. Find the joy.
- Embrace this messy stage of the project. Sure, you're writing a book, and right now it just feels like a collection of thoughts. Trust the process. It will come together in time. Just keep turning up and working on it.
- Live in the solution - continually look at ways to work through hard thought problems. Stay on the problems. Don't look for the easy way out. Don't cut corners. No one else is going to do this work. No one else CAN do this work. Only you can do this.
- Even if no one ever reads this work, you will have learned so much about how to do your best work. Use this whole experience for personal and professional growth, and everything else is a bonus.
- Prove to yourself that you can take a blank piece of paper and turn it into a complete body of work.
OK, it's 9:20am - let's get to it.