Cal Newport has a solid older blog post on the concept of "Monk Mode Mornings." Essentially, going monk mode in the morning means spending the morning doing deep work and scheduling any other meetings/people time in the afternoons. Applying the monk mode to pastors would mean focusing on your sermon prep and writing during the … Continue reading Pastor as Monk (Sort of)
Cal Newport
Digital Discipline
How much time do you spend on your phone? The answer may surprise you. From supposed "quick glances" to long hours scrolling through social media, mobile devices continue to grab people's attention. In his new book, Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport seeks to address the problems associated with having a life dominated by digital devices. The Problem: … Continue reading Digital Discipline
Questions on Deep Work
I love the book Deep Work by Cal Newport. It's probably been the most influential book on me in the last four years. You can find the series I did on the book here: one, two, three, four, five. But the book does raise a number of remaining questions that have to be worked through to develop … Continue reading Questions on Deep Work
Cut It Out…Shallow Work, That Is
If actually doing deep work is meaningful, then we the flipside is true: doing shallow work is not meaningful. So what it to be done? Rule #4 Drain the Shallows If you want to work deeply, then you must drain the shallows. You must attempt to rid your schedule of as much shallow work as possible. … Continue reading Cut It Out…Shallow Work, That Is
Be a Quitter
Author Cal Newport gives several "rules" for rebuilding your focus and strengthening your ability to produce high-quality work. First, we must make space for deep work. Second, we can embrace boredom. Next, Newport advocates for people to quite social media. Rule #3: Quit Social Media Internet sabbaticals are overrated. Why? Because such sabbaticals aren’t training your … Continue reading Be a Quitter
Embrace the Suck, I mean, Boredom
In the last post, I summarized Cal Newport's first rule of deep work and his suggestions on how to foster it. Now, I want lay out his next rule. Rule #2: Embrace Boredom You need to wean your mind from dependence on distraction (157). To strengthen your focus you must cut out the "fluff." It’s … Continue reading Embrace the Suck, I mean, Boredom
How to Go Deep (Work)
In order to succeed in today's economy, Cal Newport believes people must do "deep work": important, focused work. In his book, Newport lays out a few big rules for deep work and then draws out their implications. Rule #1: Work Deeply People have a finite amount of willpower that becomes depleted as you use it … Continue reading How to Go Deep (Work)
What Is Deep Work and Why Is It Important?
An epidemic has broken out: people living distracted and unproductive lives. According to author, Cal Newport, the advent of “the Internet,” and other social media platforms, exacerbated this problem. Newport advocates for deep work: “Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, … Continue reading What Is Deep Work and Why Is It Important?
Deep Work
Do you struggle to memorize Scripture? Do you find yourself constantly distracted? Unable to focus on what matter’s most? Join the club. So what can you do about it? Enter Deep Work by Cal Newport. In his book, Newport identifies that an epidemic of people living distracted and consequently unproductive lives exist. Read more over at Rookie Preacher.