Bailey MeCey

Over the past year, a lot has changed when it comes to my time and work process.  In between shifts at my retail job, I had plenty of time to write articles for a video game blog and edit videos for a craft beer company I freelanced for.  I did not know it, but I was engaging in a preliminary style of deep work.  By having so much free time by myself, I could sit and focus on my tasks without interruption.  Compared to now however, this is no longer the case.  Working full-time and going to school part-time, as well as my other personal responsibilities, has left me with less opportunities to focus on my work.  This is not even counting the difficulties of working in a modern office.  

Many of the characteristics that make up the modern working environment of an office make it extremely difficult to attain deep work for myself.  The office I work at is primarily set up as an open floor plan, with row after row of desks.  While it is a pleasure to speak and learn from my coworkers on the real estate market, I find that I become easily distracted on the various sensations around me.  Whether that is a coworker speaking loudly on the phone or the smell of an extremely delicious bowl of ramen, my focus veers off of tasks now that I am working among other people.  When the front desk is empty, I also work with prospective tenants that come in, and given the ongoing pandemic it makes social engagement a tad difficult.  On top of that, having to answer emails frequently and switch from assignment to assignment makes it quite tough to stay on a deep work track.  

When it comes to multitasking, I have never been able to accomplish much work as compared to play.  I can play a video game while listening to a podcast and retain both all day, but when I work I need to stop and focus on a project one at a time.  However, what if instead of feeling like I cannot work while multitasking, I instead committed to it?  In a study testing the effects of multitasking on performance, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that even the perception of multitasking benefited performance compared to single-tasking.  As a society we view multitasking as a positive trait, so by committing to multitasking we might feel we are more engaged with our work than not.  Jumping off an assignment to assignment may feel strange, but I plan to experiment to see how it impacts my performance versus single-tasking. Along with multitasking, I plan to make some other changes to my work process. 

Multitasking may help my performance, but how to still combat the negatives effects of the modern office.  In chapter four of Deep Work, Cal Newport discusses four examples of deep work philosophy.  Some vary in terms of philosophy, like avoiding having an e-mail to reduce the harmful effects of distraction on work, but one immediately stood out to me.  The Rhythmic Philosophy of Deep Work Scheduling involves building deep work into your routine to make it a part of your life.  Newport uses examples of Jerry Seinfeld crossing out dates on his calendar everyday he writes a joke, or a doctoral candidate who wakes up extra early in the morning to write his dissertation. Once you do that, it will not feel like a major effort to work deeply, but more like another part of your day.

For myself personally, Rhythmic Philosophy seems like the most beneficial for my lifestyle.  My work does not allow me to ignore emails for hours on end and I am not one that can immediately switch into a deep work mindset.  I plan to wake up early so I can get extra time to work on projects, as well as keep a record of the days that I have worked deeply.  Streaks, an app that helps build good habits, allows users to set tasks to complete each day.  When you complete a task, it marks it down to a map and shows how long of a streak you have had.  I currently use this to remind myself to drink water and brush my teeth, but I am going to add tasks for focusing on work.  If I am not able to achieve a sense of deep work in the office, I need to take steps personally to improve myself on my own time. 

References:

Newport, C. (2016). Rule #1 Work Deeply. In Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (pp. 95-154). New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing.

Srna, S., Schrift, R., & Zauberman, G. (2017). The Illusion of Multitasking and Its Positive Effect on Performance. Retrieved September 21, 2020, from https://repository.upenn.edu/marketing_papers/322/