Mastering deep work to maximise your productivity!

With the rapid evolution of technology and the internet, it has become increasingly difficult to concentrate. Giants such as Facebook, Google, Apple and Netflix are investing heavily to capture our attention with addictive experiences. Access to entertainment has never been easier.

A recent study by Gallup revealed that 79% of employees admit they are not productive throughout their working day. On average, full-time employees consider themselves fully productive for three hours of an eight-hour working day.

Against this backdrop of digital distractions, the American professor Cal Newport presents Deep work as a groundbreaking method for regaining control over your concentration. He explores this approach in his book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, in which he advocates total immersion in a professional task to optimise your cognitive abilities.

Deep work, or the art of being productive

Deep work is a productivity method developed and defined by Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University and an American author.

He describes it as follows: "Deep Work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to master complicated information and produce better results in less time."

These distractions at work are many and can disrupt time management and the quality of your work. New technologies have made it harder for the human brain to focus on a specific task.

(Read also: The future of the company and its ways of working)

The benefits of deep work

Deep work delivers undeniable efficiency for completing complex tasks more quickly. This has a significant impact on productivity and time management.

• Limiting distractions:

Deep work places the emphasis on eliminating distractions, an essential element for optimal performance. When juggling different tasks, part of your attention stays tied to the previous task, something known as "attention residue". This can lead to significant losses of focus, sometimes requiring more than 20 minutes to get back into your work. By avoiding these frequent interruptions, concentration time is maximised.

• Refocusing on what matters:

Deep work is also a powerful tool for quickly acquiring new skills. By diving intensely into a task, the brain consolidates learning pathways and strengthens neural connections, thereby accelerating mastery of that skill. It is worth noting that this reconnection only happens when you focus on a single task, eliminating distractions.

• Productivity and personal satisfaction:

Deep work allows you to explore subjects in depth, which fosters creativity and innovation. When the limits are pushed to complete a difficult task, an invaluable sense of satisfaction follows. This contributes to overall well-being and productivity. (Read also: Kindness & well-being at work)

The tips to put in place to establish deep work at work

The ability to practise deep work is a valuable asset in your working environment. It gives meaning to the tasks you accomplish, makes work more rewarding, and can considerably improve your professional performance and your day-to-day quality of life.

During deep-work sessions, it is essential to focus exclusively on one task, eliminating distractions and interruptions.

Building it into your working routine makes for a winning strategy:

– Establish a routine:

Deep work is not an occasional technique, but a habit to be developed in order to optimise productivity and creativity. To that end, it is worth creating a daily routine by devoting specific slots to each of your tasks.

– Do one task at a time:

Deep work rules out multitasking and scattered focus, preferring to concentrate on a single task at a time, according to its urgency and importance. There are plenty of tools such as Asana or Trello to help you prioritise your professional and personal tasks.

– Devote 3 hours to a task:

Deep work involves extended blocks of time, on average 1 to 4 hours, for complete immersion in a task. Mornings, generally more productive, are ideal for these sessions, to be adapted to your peak performance. Setting aside specific time slots to devote your full attention to your projects is essential, thereby avoiding procrastination and needless waste of time.

– A break is a must:

Regular breaks are a key element of deep work, allowing you to maintain the quality of your concentration. Short breaks preserve motivation and stave off fatigue, stress and mistakes. (Read also: Taking a break at work is a must)

– Take yourself off somewhere quiet:

Finding a quiet, distraction-free spot is essential for optimal concentration. During these sessions, notifications can be switched off to maintain unbroken focus for 1 to 2 hours. The working environment should encourage concentration, along with the adoption of good habits, such as using noise-cancelling headphones and managing distractions. This also means knowing how to turn down certain requests, such as non-essential meetings.

How to bring deep work into your working routine

Employees have a natural preference for activities that provide immediate satisfaction. This can lead them towards distraction, hopping from one small task to another instead of concentrating on a more complex task that can seem daunting. That said, it is essential to stress that engaging in deep work generates far more positive results in the long run.

The quality of a project depends both on the time devoted to completing it and on the degree of concentration you invest in it. Deep work considerably amplifies employees' ability to concentrate, allowing them to explore subjects in depth and spark their creativity. Through this process, they are able to uncover optimal solutions while minimising mistakes.

The 4 philosophies of deep work, according to Cal Newport

In order to foster collective success within the company, the entrepreneur must first and foremost put deep work into practice, thereby setting an example for their employees. It then remains to decide at what level you wish to apply this approach.

Effective time management is crucial for deep work. In his book, Cal Newport puts forward four philosophies for implementing it effectively:

• The monastic philosophy: This extreme approach involves eliminating distractions over long, uninterrupted periods, ranging from weeks to months. Shallow tasks are drastically reduced.

• The bimodal philosophy: This philosophy does not call for the total elimination of distractions, but rather the preservation of substantial blocks of deep work for maximum concentration. It alternates periods of deep thinking with simpler moments.

• The rhythmic philosophy: For this philosophy, you need to create a habit by scheduling regular focus sessions.

• The journalistic philosophy: Journalists often have to switch on their deep work quickly to meet deadlines. This philosophy helps develop the knack of quickly entering a state of intense concentration, but also of coming out of it quickly.

These philosophies offer flexibility in how deep work is applied according to each person's needs and lifestyle. They help you maximise its effectiveness and get the most out of your concentration efforts.

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You now know pretty much everything about the processes in place at Morning to allow everyone to maximise their productivity. If you have any ideas to enrich the subject, do feel free to share them with us in the comment field below!

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