Deep work blocks
Long, scheduled, distraction-free sessions on one cognitively hard task
Phone, email and chat genuinely unavailable rather than just minimized, for an uninterrupted stretch of anywhere between 90 minutes and four hours, spent on one cognitively hard task. The claim is that value in knowledge work comes disproportionately from the small share of hours spent in this state, and that the ability to reach it is a trainable skill. Most people find the scheduling harder than the concentrating.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Cal NewportDoes it
Computer science professor · author of Deep Work
Concentration blocks go on his calendar four weeks ahead, and he protects them like appointments. Fragmented attention is what he designs against.
Source: calnewport.com: from deep tallies to deep schedules - Lex FridmanDoes it
AI researcher · Lex Fridman Podcast
Research and preparation happen in very long uninterrupted sessions, with strict rules about what is allowed to break them.
Source: Lex Fridman Podcast #435 transcript“For me, I start the day. Actually, that’s why I’m afraid, I’d really prize those morning hours. I start with the work, and I’m trying to hit the four-hour mark of deep focus.”
Lex Fridman Podcast #435 transcript (opens in a new tab) · 28 Jun 2024 - Ryan HolidayDoes it
Writer · The Daily Stoic
Guards his mornings for family first and then writing, and has told his assistant to schedule nothing before mid-morning. Early calls do not just take time, he says; they sap the energy the essential work needs.
Source: RyanHoliday.net: 34 Lessons From Writing Every Day for Two Decades - Sahil BloomDoes it
Author · The 5 Types of Wealth
He calls 5 to 8am one of two sacred windows, kept for focused work with the phone shut in a lockbox.
Source: The Curiosity Chronicle: How I'm Breaking My Phone Addiction in 30 Days - Shane ParrishDoes it
Writer · Farnam Street and The Knowledge Project
Gives himself 60 to 90 minutes of uninterrupted work first thing, breaks for coffee and breakfast, then runs a second block of the same length. Mornings are when he says he concentrates best.
Source: My Morning Routine interview“I give myself 60-90 minutes of uninterrupted time to focus on deep work and difficult problems.”
My Morning Routine: Shane Parrish (opens in a new tab) · 21 Sep 2016 - Ali AbdaalRecommends
Doctor turned YouTuber · author of Feel-Good Productivity
Long uninterrupted stretches are protected for writing and filming, with notifications treated as the main thing to eliminate.
Source: aliabdaal.com: my deep work system
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
- ProtocolFREE, no cost
Environment design
Change the room instead of relying on willpower
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 5 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Time blocking
Give every hour of the workday a job before the day starts
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Deliberate wandering
Unplanned, inefficient exploration kept on purpose as the counterweight to efficiency
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Digital declutter
A 30-day break from optional tech, then reintroduce deliberately
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Hard thinking before lunch
Book the mentally demanding work for the morning and stop making big calls late in the day
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Pomodoro technique
Work in timed sprints, usually 25 minutes on and 5 minutes off
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 has discussed it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.