Book Review : Deep Work, by Cal Newport

On 24 October, 2017, I did a Facebook Live video from Ballylagan Organic Farm near Belfast – I love Ballylagan and stay there every time I get the chance. It was the perfect location to settle in for a book review of Deep Work , a great book by Cal Newport.

Watch the book review below.

1:00 What is the book about ? It’s about doing proper deep work – but it’s not about productivity and getting things done. It’s about solving deep problems and reaching big milestones . (For more about deep productivity, read my article about the “Important and Urgent” matrix )

1:30 How has the book affected me? Since I read it I’ve done quite a few things…

3:00 This is a dramatic increase on years gone by – it comes from several factors, but learning to harness deep work was definitely the biggest factor in achieving so much in six months.

4:00 Who would benefit from this book? People who need to deliver outputs – who are output focused. People whose work is people focused wouldn’t benefit as much.

5:20 What insights have I put into practice? The book is about getting the things that really matter done, by organising resources and headspace.

6:16 This book has really shown me I wasn’t as ruthless as I could be with attention leeches !

6:30 How I ended up in Austin, Texas, taking a week out just to think . It was just me, a notebook and a pen. No internet.

8:00 The results of that week were immense! 1. I worked out the entire crux of the argument for my Masters; 2. I got through a huge amount for VectorVest Europe; 3. I hatched a new business project.

9:30 None of this would have happened without that week out. It was a defining point for the year . It was the first time ever I took a week out – and it’s now scheduled in my diary for next year, and every year after that!

11:00 Two other things this book has done for me. And why Ballylagan is the ideal place for deep work!!

13:20 What I do with deep work that I couldn’t do in my office .

14:30 The specific strategies I learned to facilitate deep work : how to increase concentration and focus. How to get what really matters done, and how to eliminate procrastination.

Watch the video on my Facebook page

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