Deep Work: Standing Before Kings

Several of us on the FCMM editorial team have been reading two books — Deep Work by Cal Newport and Great at Work by Morten Hansen—both of which can help us become skilled at the work God has called us to in the academy. Over the next few weeks, we look at these two books as encouragement to be better at our calling.

Like Daniel of the Old Testament, we as Christ-following faculty can become “seeds of the kingdom of God in the kingdoms of this world”–in part by the quality of work we do.  

Cal Newport, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, argues in this best-selling book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, that there are two core abilities that confront us in today’s world—particularly in the academy.  We need to be able to 

1. Quickly Master Hard Things

2. Produce at an Elite Level, In Both Speed and Quality

Cal Newport recounts the simple reality we all face in the academy: “if you don’t produce, you won’t thrive, no matter how skilled and talented you are.”

(Interruption: As followers of Christ, we find our identity in being the beloved of Christ—regardless of how great we are at work.  Our identity isn’t earned, it’s inherited. See article below. Yet, we are at the same time, we are God’s masterpiece, God’s workmanship, created for good things (Ephesians 2:10). In that critical context, how we do quality work matters.)

The key to mastering hard things at an elite level is developing what Newport call “Deep Work.”  

High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus)

Using this equation, Newport says deep work is the ability to maintain focus on the single task for long periods of time, completely without distraction. It’s this narrow focus that allows you to produce your best work.

To do deep work, Newport suggests several ways, for example:

Deal with Attention Residue and Drain the Shallows

We all have to decide in advance what to do with the hours we have, especially when we want to do better work. Today’s work seems built around “shallow work.”  We can never be focused enough because we carry with us a constant attention residue from that “shallow work.” We are always distracted. We must drain the shallows–move away from shallow work.