How You Can Commit to Deep Work to Hit Your Deadlines
Author: Financial Cents
In this article
Productivity is something a lot of people struggle to maintain daily, especially during moments of burnout. Social media has served as an avenue for procrastination as you scroll through hundreds of posts a day. It can be hard to break out of that cycle and to get your tasks in order.
Georgetown University’s Cal Newport had introduced the concept of deep work, which has never been more relevant in a time when many are undergoing remote work and are troubled with creating a proper work-life balance. Deep work is defined as concentrating and using your cognitive capabilities without any impediments or distractions.
Maximize Your Productivity Using Deep Work
Here are just a few ways you can commit to deep work and incorporate it into your current work routine for maximum productivity.
Create a Schedule
Deep work entails focusing on work for longer periods of time, so good time management is needed. Consider setting up a weekly or even daily schedule that will delegate everything you need to accomplish in a period to get yourself on track. Remember to dedicate some time for preparation too.
If you’ve undergone a week and you feel like you need more room to adjust to, set three hours of your workday aside when you feel like you’re concentrated the most. When the clock finally hits that hour, dedicate that entire window of time to working and nothing else.
Notify People Around You
Although there’s a goal to close off everything and to just work, it’s basic work ethics to notify people when you’re available or not. Some people might worry or feel unimportant if they aren’t able to reach you, so always give a heads-up.
This doesn’t only have to apply to coworkers. Whether it’s people you regularly talk to on social media or just other people at home as a remote worker, make it clear about what times they can’t reach you and what time you can get back to them.
Reduce Distractions
The environment can either be a tool or a hindrance for deep work, so figure out what kind of workspace you’re comfortable and more productive working in. Working at an office and at home both have their advantages and disadvantages.
If you work better with a bit of music, get noise-canceling headphones to tune out everything else and hit play. If you concentrate best when there aren’t any other social media tabs open, consider logging them out for good measure while in deep work.
Use Team Collaboration Platforms
Team collaboration platforms can offer fewer distractions than an actual meeting, and you still get the same results. Software programs have been developed to make the workflow much more efficient and direct to the point, which doesn’t require any fuss or extra time.
Those in managerial positions can also monitor the work progress of an employee without the need to disturb them either. You wouldn’t just be embodying the principles of deep work, but it’s also empowering fellow workers to do the same and fully improve an organization.
Conclusion
Many employees can benefit from deep work if they just take a few steps to rid themselves of distractions and optimize the hours where they’re already working effectively. There will be a short adjustment period for some, but it can be a leap into the workdays just completely flying by in the long run.
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