DEEP WORK - HOW TO STOP BEING "SMALL" AND REACH THE "Peak" EVERY DAY

Why Deep Work?

- Happiness: A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. You don't have to be like Sun Wukong to use the Divine Movement technique. (The soul can temporarily leave the body and move freely.)

Right now, your body is on the chair, your eyes are looking at the words, but your mind can be wondering about a million things (last night's dinner, your lover is angry, I'm about to go to Da Lat for a vacation, yo yo...).

If you enter "Deep Work" Mode, your mind will be highly focused on the task at hand (like 2 hours of university entrance exams, or sex, or doing manual, manual work like repairing motorbikes, making furniture). Like someone sawing a bomb, all your energy will be absorbed and dissolved into the work. The feeling of being high is like eating "grass" without having to go to the bar.

- Productivity: The myth of an 8-hour office job is that you will sit and work like crazy for 8 hours, but in fact, most of the time, you can work with concentration for 3 hours, which is already an achievement.

The remaining time is often spent on trivial tasks such as answering emails, talking, chatting in Skype groups, eating fermented pork rolls in the afternoon, monthly birthdays... Or if you want to concentrate, your colleagues will not allow it. You are writing, but the person next to you is chatting on Zalo, then forget it, go to the bathroom to work.

- Specialization: Ultimately, the problem is enough, from salary, ability, career opportunities, will be partly focused on the word "expert" level - meaning how many people in Hanoi can do the job you are doing.

The era of superficiality and mediocrity in Vietnam is far from over (Economist Tyler Cowen wrote a book called Average is Over, but for the West), but the truth is that you can rarely specialize in a field (and build a competitive advantage for yourself) if you don't really understand it deeply.

And Deep Work is probably the best way to promote deliberate and deep practice.

Create an environment for Deep Work

To enter the "Deep Work" Mode, the most important thing is not to rush to the desk to study, but to create an environment for yourself first.

Just like how few people open meditation classes at Nga Tu So or people need to go to the temple to calm their mind, sometimes it's not because your mind likes to "travel", but because it is attracted and attacked by too many stimuli.

And the wisest way to fight temptation is not to resist it but to make it disappear (out of sight, out of mind). [Don't try to force yourself not to go on Instagram or play games, delete that App on your iPhone].

So, to be able to live happily immediately, clean up the environment as follows:

1. Turn off all Notifications (Text, Sound, Push Notifications) of all Facebook, Instagram, Zalo, Viber Apps... on all platforms from Lap, Mobile, Ipad, Watch...

2. Choose an extremely quiet workspace: The idea is similar to Nha Nam's reading room called 0D, which means there is no sound at all. Only you and your passion.

Usually, Vietnamese offices are super noisy, cafes are not less noisy, private homes have the sound of vehicles, advertisements, people... but there are still absolutely quiet areas for you to "go into a trance".

Usually, Vietnamese offices are super noisy, cafes are not less noisy, private homes have the sound of vehicles, advertisements, people... but there are still absolutely quiet areas for you to "go into a trance".

This has to be tried, for example, my office has no other sounds besides the fan and occasional bird chirping. My desk always faces the wall when I go to work, away from areas that are frequently entered and exited, avoids doors, and also avoids people who need to relieve their minds with noise.

Other suggestions:

1. You should move the Taskbar/Dock of Win/Mac to the right (on the edge of the vision) instead of at the bottom. If you put it at the bottom, your mind will be very convenient, doing this work while trying to click on another application.

2. Apply minimalism on the desk: Put away all the small things, like me in the post, I only have 1 Laptop + 1 mouse + 1 water bottle + 1 lamp.

3. Deep Work is like running Turbo Mode, so it will drain energy super fast. It is best to be mindful of your body's energy levels and eat at regular intervals (an apple every hour, for example) to maintain optimal levels of enthusiasm.

4. It is best to sit at a desk, instead of sitting at a folding table like students or lying on the bed. There is a myth that Kindle helps you read more, but many people I meet buy Kindle... just to cure insomnia at night.

Because the most common reading position is: go to bed, lie on your side, hold the Kindle, and then slowly fall asleep. Doing good work means giving it a good seat first.

DEEP WORK - HOW TO STOP BEING "SMALL" AND REACH THE "Peak" EVERY DAY

Why Deep Work?

- Happiness: A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. You don't have to be like Sun Wukong to use the Divine Movement technique. (The soul can temporarily leave the body and move freely.)

Right now, your body is on the chair, your eyes are looking at the words, but your mind can be wondering about a million things (last night's dinner, your lover is angry, I'm about to go to Da Lat for a vacation, yo yo...).

If you enter "Deep Work" Mode, your mind will be highly focused on the task at hand (like 2 hours of university entrance exams, or sex, or doing manual, manual work like repairing motorbikes, making furniture). Like someone sawing a bomb, all your energy will be absorbed and dissolved into the work. The feeling of being high is like eating "grass" without having to go to the bar.

- Productivity: The myth of an 8-hour office job is that you will sit and work like crazy for 8 hours, but in fact, most of the time, you can work with concentration for 3 hours, which is already an achievement.

The remaining time is often spent on trivial tasks such as answering emails, talking, chatting in Skype groups, eating fermented pork rolls in the afternoon, monthly birthdays... Or if you want to concentrate, your colleagues will not allow it. You are writing, but the person next to you is chatting on Zalo, then forget it, go to the bathroom to work.

- Specialization: Ultimately, the problem is enough, from salary, ability, career opportunities, will be partly focused on the word "expert" level - meaning how many people in Hanoi can do the job you are doing.

The era of superficiality and mediocrity in Vietnam is far from over (Economist Tyler Cowen wrote a book called Average is Over, but for the West), but the truth is that you can rarely specialize in a field (and build a competitive advantage for yourself) if you don't really understand it deeply.

And Deep Work is probably the best way to promote deliberate and deep practice.

Create an environment for Deep Work

To enter the "Deep Work" Mode, the most important thing is not to rush to the desk to study, but to create an environment for yourself first.

Just like how few people open meditation classes at Nga Tu So or people need to go to the temple to calm their mind, sometimes it's not because your mind likes to "travel", but because it is attracted and attacked by too many stimuli.

And the wisest way to fight temptation is not to resist it but to make it disappear (out of sight, out of mind). [Don't try to force yourself not to go on Instagram or play games, delete that App on your iPhone].

So, to be able to live happily immediately, clean up the environment as follows:

1. Turn off all Notifications (Text, Sound, Push Notifications) of all Facebook, Instagram, Zalo, Viber Apps... on all platforms from Lap, Mobile, Ipad, Watch...

2. Choose an extremely quiet workspace: The idea is similar to Nha Nam's reading room called 0D, which means there is no sound at all. Only you and your passion.

Usually, Vietnamese offices are super noisy, cafes are not less noisy, private homes have the sound of vehicles, advertisements, people... but there are still absolutely quiet areas for you to "go into a trance".

Usually, Vietnamese offices are super noisy, cafes are not less noisy, private homes have the sound of vehicles, advertisements, people... but there are still absolutely quiet areas for you to "go into a trance".

This has to be tried, for example, my office has no other sounds besides the fan and occasional bird chirping. My desk always faces the wall when I go to work, away from areas that are frequently entered and exited, avoids doors, and also avoids people who need to relieve their minds with noise.

Other suggestions:

1. You should move the Taskbar/Dock of Win/Mac to the right (on the edge of the vision) instead of at the bottom. If you put it at the bottom, your mind will be very convenient, doing this work while trying to click on another application.

2. Apply minimalism on the desk: Put away all the small things, like me in the post, I only have 1 Laptop + 1 mouse + 1 water bottle + 1 lamp.

3. Deep Work is like running Turbo Mode, so it will drain energy super fast. It is best to be mindful of your body's energy levels and eat at regular intervals (an apple every hour, for example) to maintain optimal levels of enthusiasm.

4. It is best to sit at a desk, instead of sitting at a folding table like students or lying on the bed. There is a myth that Kindle helps you read more, but many people I meet buy Kindle... just to cure insomnia at night.

Because the most common reading position is: go to bed, lie on your side, hold the Kindle, and then slowly fall asleep. Doing good work means giving it a good seat first.