Time to read: It's a long one! 1.5 minutes!
Deep work is rare.
Not because people are lazy. But because focus is hard to protect. There's always something urgent that gets in the way, and we humans like the dopamine hit of checking something off the to-do list.
The work that advances your career, builds your reputation, and creates opportunity is almost never the reactive, urgent stuff. It's the thinking, creating, and problem-solving that requires you to be fully present for an extended stretch of time.
That deep work doesn't happen by accident.
It starts with a ritual. Something small and consistent that signals to your brain that it’s time! A cup of coffee. A specific playlist. Clearing your desk. It doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that you do it every time, until it becomes a reliable on-ramp for focus. For me, it’s a clean counter and a cup of tea. (My office is the kitchen.)
Then protect the time. Notifications, open tabs, and email will try to distract you (read the newsletter about creating your environment). The sneakiest distraction is the urge to switch tasks the moment things inevitably get hard. The hard is good. It’s you stretching, creating, and using your gifts to do important work. It's not a sign you should stop. It's a sign to keep going.
The quality of thought that emerges on the other side of that resistance is where your best work lives.
Start small if you need to. The human brain can focus for 25 minutes. Take a break and come back again. 25 minutes of genuine focus beats three hours of distracted effort.
This week: Schedule one deep work block. Treat it like your most important meeting. Show up, do the ritual, close everything, and see what you're capable of. Know someone navigating a demanding season at work? Forward this to them. They can join us here.
Know someone navigating a demanding season at work? Forward this to them. They can join us sign up here.
Questions about focus or making the most of an intense stretch? Email me. I read every one.
Next week: Your environment is talking to you. Let's make sure it's saying the right things.