Deep Work_ Rules for focused success in a distracted world ( PDFDrive.com )
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the story of a group of high-powered management consultants who were conv<strong>in</strong>ced<br />
that constant e-mail connectivity was necessary <strong>for</strong> them to service their clients. When<br />
a Harvard professor <strong>for</strong>ced them to disconnect more regularly (as part of a research<br />
study), they found, to their surprise, that this connectivity didn’t matter nearly as much<br />
as they had assumed. The clients didn’t really need to reach them at all times and their<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance as consultants improved once their attention became less fractured.<br />
Similarly, several managers I know tried to conv<strong>in</strong>ce me that they’re most valuable<br />
when they’re able to respond quickly to their teams’ problems, prevent<strong>in</strong>g project<br />
logjams. They see their role as enabl<strong>in</strong>g others’ productivity, not necessarily<br />
protect<strong>in</strong>g their own. Follow-up discussions, however, soon uncovered that this goal<br />
di dn’ t really require attention-fractur<strong>in</strong>g connectivity. Indeed, many software<br />
<strong>com</strong>panies now deploy the Scrum project management methodology, which replaces a<br />
lot of this ad hoc messag<strong>in</strong>g with regular, highly structured, and ruthlessly efficient<br />
status meet<strong>in</strong>gs (often held stand<strong>in</strong>g up to m<strong>in</strong>imize the urge to bloviate). This<br />
approach frees up more managerial time <strong>for</strong> th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g deeply about the problems their<br />
teams are tackl<strong>in</strong>g, often improv<strong>in</strong>g the overall value of what they produce.<br />
Put another way: <strong>Deep</strong> work is not the only skill valuable <strong>in</strong> our economy, and it’s<br />
possible to do well without foster<strong>in</strong>g this ability, but the niches where this is<br />
advisable are <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly rare. Unless you have strong evidence that distraction is<br />
important <strong>for</strong> your specific profession, you’re best served, <strong>for</strong> the reasons argued<br />
earlier <strong>in</strong> this chapter, by giv<strong>in</strong>g serious consideration to depth.