It is commonly thought that productivity involves doing several things at once. 【小题1】 Newport, the author of Deep Work, describes the benefits of focusing on one thing and doing it with excellence. He explains deep work as “the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively (认知地) demanding task.” 【小题2】

According to Newport, deep work is an invaluable skill in today’s economy. It allows you to learn difficult things quickly. Most people are distracted when they work, so if you learn to work without distraction, that gives you an advantage. 【小题3】 Developing excellence in one’s craft can be deeply satisfying.

It’s important to schedule deep work into your day. Otherwise, it’s easy to let your time fill up with shallow work. Newport recommends doing deep work as your first task of the day. 【小题4】 Shallow work does need to get done, but if you save it for later in the day, you can get your deep work done, too.

Because deep work is by definition cognitively demanding, you won’t be able to do it all day. Beginners can usually only focus on deep work for approximately an hour, and even experts have trouble going more than four hours. 【小题5】 If you really focus, you’ll be surprised at how much you accomplish in a few hours.