Book Review: "Deep Work"

"Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World", by Cal Newport, is a good book on personal focus and finding meaningful work. The goal of the book is to promote prolonged and focused work, such that the person doing the work can achieve a flow state where they produce higher quality work than normal. One of the chief strategies for achieving deep work, the book argues, is putting away distractions, such as silencing forms of instant communication and avoiding social media. I listened to the book on audible at ~$15 for ~8hrs (~300 pages) over the course of two days. Overall, I give the book 6 out of 10 stars, and recommend it those looking for inspiration, focus, and new strategies for getting more out of their work. While I enjoyed the book and found it personally inspiring, 300 pages of the same strategies was a bit overkill. The book advocates for short sprints of focused work, such that you allocate enough time to achieve a state of deep work but also don't burn yourself out on the task. Ultimately, I don't think the book presented anything truly ground breaking for me, but it did provide several strategies for removing distractions and focusing on work that matters. The following are the chapter of the book, so you can see for yourself what it covers.

Introduction
Part 1: The Idea
Chapter 1: Deep Work is Valuable
Chapter 2: Deep Work is Rare
Chapter 3: Deep Work is Meaningful
Part 2: The Rules
Rule #1: Work Deeply
Rule #2: Embrace Boredom
Rule #3: Quit Social Media
Rule #4: Drain The Shallows
Conclusion

I like that the author relates deep work to flow, and that being in this state can provide a sense of purpose regardless what the task is. The book "Deep Work" is a great introduction to flow work, in my opinion, and arguably could help a lot of people unfamiliar with the concept find meaning in their day to day activities. That said, this book was relatively flat and repetitive for me, centered around the premise that deep work is what everyone wants to achieve and providing a few basic strategies for getting there. Also, I'm not sure that I agree with Cal that deep work is a perishable skill, but I can certainly agree with the idea that practicing deep work allows you to enter that state quicker, thus producing deep work faster. Ultimately, I do think achieving a flow state or attaining a level of deep work can make accomplishing tasks more meaningful and produce a higher quality of work, so I absolutely agree with the methods this book promotes. The following is an interview with Cal on his deep work philosophies and covers a lot of the same strategies the book covers: