I have seldom read a book that has given me so much to help me in my own pursuit of personal productivity. That’s my feeling about Deep Work: Rules for Focused Work in a Distracted World by Cal Newport.

As I revisited this book, yet again, I had two strong lessons hit me. Here’s the first:

#1 – When you get down to work, work with great intensity.

Here’s the excerpt from the book:

Work Like Teddy Roosevelt: …blistering intensity. “The amount of time he spent at his desk was comparatively small,” explained Morris, “but his concentration was so intense, and his reading so rapid, that he could afford more time off [from schoolwork] than most.” 


and

#2 – Let the little things slide, in order to get the much bigger things done.

And here’s the excerpt from the book:

As the author Tim Ferriss once wrote: “Develop the habit of letting small bad things happen. If you don’t, you’ll never find time for the life-changing big things.”


How productive are you when you get down to work? For me – I’m working on it.