Deep work, writing and software development are the three skills I am focused on improving. Today I will discuss why these are important skills, and what I am doing to develop them.
Deep Work
Deep work is intense concentration on a single task, in other words absolute focus. This type of work allows significantly more to be done in less time. However, because of ever present distractions such as social media and email, this type of work is rare and much of our day is spent context switching.
Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Steve Jobs all cited focus as the key trait that brought them success. Not only does improved focus allow one to get more done in less time, but also increases ones ability to learn. With the current rate of technological development, ones ability to continually learn is more important than ever.
Focus is much like a muscle in that it must be excised. Three ways in which I am improving my ability to deep work are time blocking, note taking and overall health.
- Time Blocking - When working on task I will write out what exactly it is I am going to do and for how long on a sticky note. I will then post the sticky note where I can see it and work on the task with absolute focus. Anything not directly related to the task must be avoided.
- Note Taking - Writing simple notes of what you are doing can help to keep you on track and ensure alignment of priorities. It is also a good way to track things that need to be done later so it doesn’t need to stay in your head.
- Overall Health - My ability to focus is directly related to my health. Sleep, hydration, nutrition and exercise are all important factors I prioritize. If someone told you that you had to keep the car you have now for the rest of your life, you would take great care of that car. It should be the same with your body.
Writing
Writing may be the most underrated skill today. There are three reasons I think writing is one of the most important things anyone can work on: ability to communicate, breadth of communication and mental structure.
Much of communication, especially at work, is done through text. Whether this is writing emails, documentation or slack messages, one has to be able to clearly articulate their thoughts and ideas through text. It doesn’t matter how good you ideas are if you can’t communicate them to others. In a technical setting clarity and brevity are additionally important.
The internet provides the ability to communicate with a far larger group of people. By sharing your ideas online you are greatly expanded your network and surface area for opportunity. Again, much of this communication is via text. Writing allows you to share your ideas with more people, and it makes your ideas permanent so anyone can come back to them.
As I have been writing more, I have found that by writing my thoughts for others to read I think more deeply about ideas, and my thoughts become more structured. The act of writing itself is beneficial.
The ways I am improving my writing are though this blog, tweeting and consuming content. A large part of writing is editing, so I have also been focusing on editing what I write.
Software Development
Software Engineering is my current career. Thus my career success is directly linked to my software development abilities. There are also many opportunities available in this space right now worth capitalizing on.
Beyond this, I think experience developing software and working with technology will prepare someone well for future job markets. It is likely today that people will not have a single life long career, and the jobs they will have in the future do not yet exists. I believe that working in this domain will lead to other opportunities in the future.
The ways in which I am improving in this domain include school, side projects, consuming content (youtube and reading) and work.
– Mitch
Quote of the Week
Write to learn, not to teach. - Naval Ravikant
Favourite Things of The Week
I have begun tweeting everyday. The purpose of this exercise is much the same as this blog. To force myself to write more (even if only a tweet) and to share my ideas publicly.
In Order to Live - Yenomi Park
Yenomi Park is a North Korean defector who shares her story in her book In Order to Live. It is unimaginable what she has lived though and really makes one appreciate the basic things in life.
Elastic - Joey Purp
I have been enjoying this song a lot.