Deep Work

I think this book brings very little new to the table which isn’t already discussed in the books referenced within Deep Work. The concept of deep work does have its merits, but since the author leans on anecdotes and vague connections it is hard to draw good conclusions from it; as a book from a scientist, it is surprisingly weak in the scientific sense. Further, the book had a number of inconsistencies, f.x. somehow CEOs are not expected to benefit from deep work (pages 44-), yet Bill Gates (as CEO) is frequently cited as an example of a successful person engaging in deep work. The narrow-minded approach of deep work is good and here are examples of why prevails. Evidence of the contrary is clumsily handled with inconsistencies as above.

The exact form of deep work is rather ill-defined. Yes, the definition is given on page 3, but what does it mean? Is being in a state of flow deep work? Is being free from distractions deep work?

With that said, I think the author does have a point with regards to deep work. I don’t think it is the panacea and success-formula that the author touts, but I do think it is a valuable tool/mindset/method which should be recognized and explored.