26/07/2020, I’ve just finished reading the book. In the following, I will try to summarize 11 key points/rules I learned from this piece of art.

1. Deep work allows you to understand/learn hard things that require a big cognitive effort.

2. We only have a limited amount of willpower per day to stretch our minds to their limit. From 1 to 4.5h on average. Some people can take this number to higher levels by practice (Bill Gates).

3. Deep work is highly important, especially with the rising of intelligent machines. The digital revolution is accelerating innovation, driving productivity. It’s a race with the machine. In the future, the key question to hire someone is: “Are you good at working with intelligent machines or not ?”

4. Open spaces enhance communication and idea flow but are damaging depth. Principle of least resistance. Never take busyness as a proxy for productivity.

5. Deep work is the synonym of focus and high concentration. Picture it as a lens to your mind.

6. Different depth philosophies and rituals exist. Choose the one that fits more with your lifestyle. 7. Sometimes, you need to do great gestures to implement deep work in your days.

8. Take a break from focus, not from distractions. Thus, I should limit my distractions. Quitting, or at least limiting social media is a good start. NEVER ENTERTAIN YOURSELF ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

9. Schedule every minute of your day. Keep in mind: it’s about being thoughtful of what you’re doing with your time, NOT ABOUT CONSTRAINT. Give yourself the ability to adapt/change blocks of your schedule. Use it to guide you. You have no obligation to stick to it by letter. Don’t let the trees mask the forest.

10. Quantify the depth of every activity. The intern/newbie question technique. This will allow you, if well implemented, to finish every workday by 5:30.

11. Become hard to reach (professionally). If you’re sending an email, make sure you include enough details in it. If you receive an email that will take some time/effort to answer. You have the right to decide weither to answer or not to, It’s your right (except if it’s a work mail haha).

The book underlines hell a lot more than these ideas. I really encourage everyone to read it, especially if your work requires a certain amount of cognitive effort.