Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Newport briefly explains how Bill Gates’s ability to perform deep work ultimately enabled him to become a billionaire. Newport then discusses the positive impacts that deep work has had in his own life. As a graduate student, he had exhibited the skills necessary for deep work, but as he entered into a professorship, he became nervous that the demands of his job would be too much for him. He prepared himself by making adjustments in his lifestyle, which included some of the strategies in the book, such as productive meditation sessions and imposing hard limits on the work day. He built into his schedule blocks of time when he could be totally immersed in his work and followed the Roosevelt model discussed earlier.

Newport credits his commitment to deep work as the reason why he has been able to be very productive while at the same time being able to raise a family. He accepts that not everyone will be geared toward deep work, and that his ideas might be extreme for some casual readers. However, he insists that for those willing to hone their focus and concentration skills, opportunity exists. Finally, he repeats the idea that committing to a life of depth is a transformative experience.