I Start Each Day By Accomplishing One Task. Should You?
I AM EXTRAORDINARILY PRODUCTIVE, working full-time as a radiation oncologist, blogging an article daily, practicing piano, and getting in regular exercise. This is not to boast but to talk about one trick I use. I start each day by accomplishing one task. I get simple stuff out of the way before I target deep work. Should you?
Today, I write about kickstarting productivity. I have lots of tasks to accomplish each day.
How do you get yourself into a productive mode? Do you tackle your most challenging task first? Or do you try to accomplish something easy first?
I Complete A Simple Task First
When I arrive at work, inevitably, there are scores of emails.
Many mornings have tumor boards, gatherings of collective intelligence to determine the optimal management of patients.
If I am like a dog distracted by the squirrels around her, I cannot focus well. To open the door to challenging work, I start with an easily accomplished task.
Scoring A Quick Accomplishment
I know that if I try to accomplish my most challenging chore, say drawing a tumor volume on a radiation treatment planning CT scan, smaller tasks rattle around in my head.
What about those dozens of emails? And getting through my voicemail? How about returning calls to other clinicians?
First, I accomplish simple tasks.
Before I get into deep work, I systematically knock off the emails. The voicemail takes me minutes, so one more “check.”
Now, I can turn to bigger problems, such as treatment planning or thinking about the optimal radiation therapy field arrangement for a patient with breast cancer.
Deep Work: Getting Into a Distraction-Free Zone
By getting the so-called shallow work out of the way, I can focus on a difficult task with intense focus.
Contouring tumor volumes on a radiation therapy planning CT scan is an example of my deep work.
Here’s what I mean by deep work: I can focus completely on a demanding task.
I close my door, put in my headphones (with some music sans lyrics; right now, I mostly listen to Mozart’s piano sonatas), and get in my zone.
Deep Work: A History of the Idea
In his work Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Cal Newport offers this:
Deep work is the ability to focus completely on a demanding task without letting distractions get in your way.
Master deep work and watch your productivity explode. I always feel fulfilled when I accomplish something in my deep work mode.
On weekends, I quickly deal with messages and emails. Then, I do a few quick sessions on the language app Duolingo (Japanese).
I feel more fulfilled after I check a task off of my list. By getting the shallow works off of my to-do list, I can move to more cognitively challenging tasks.
Entering Deep Work Mode
Do you want a productivity boost?
Try dividing your work into shallow and deep categories. Knock out some filler tasks before turning to more cognitively rewarding (and fulfilling) ones.
Then, engage in your deep tasks for an hour or two in the zone. By in the zone, I mean that you eliminate distractions.
Close the door. Put in your earphones and turn on the music. Put the phone in another room or set it in Do Not Disturb mode.
Focus.
Without distraction.
Accomplish and enjoy the sensation of fulfillment. How do you jumpstart your productivity?
Thank you for reading “Target Deep Work.”
