College professor reveals how embracing boredom is the key to never staying late in work 

Not having enough hours in the day is a common complaint among the super busy.

And from replying to emails to scrolling through social media hundreds of times per day, there are many distractions that can make completing even the simplest tasks impossible during an eight-hour work day.

But Cal Newport, a computer scientist at Georgetown University and author of Deep Work: Rules For Focused Success in a Distracted World believes it is possible to get more work done in less time if people avoid constant interruptions.

Deep and meaningful: Cal Newport, a computer scientist at Georgetown University has come up with the ‘deep work’ concept to help people work more efficiently (stock image)

Speaking on NPR’s Hidden Brain, Newport told host Shankar Vedantam that he manages to cram several tasks into his workday and still leave his office by 5.30pm to make time for his family and professional life.

He explained that by letting emails and other forms of communication distract from tasks at hand, employees are not able to fully immerse themselves in ‘deep work’.

And by removing certain obstacles and distractions, you can use your time more productively to create more meaningful work, get more work done and get better at what you do.

In his book, he also sets out four distinct rules that can transform habits to make workers more productive. 

‘Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there’s a better way,’ he writes.

In his book Deep Work: Rules For Focused Success in a Distracted World, Newport says it is possible to get more work done in less time if people avoid contract distractions

Work Deeply

To get the most out of ‘Deep Work’ sessions, Newport suggests that you need to create a zone that encourages focus and doesn’t have any distractions.

This can also include setting a specific time frame to complete a task or doing all work at a specific location.

Embrace boredom

Newport argues in his book that our brains have been re-wired to expect distractions and that smartphones have negated any moment of ‘potential boredom’.

By scheduling breaks for distractions, this allows the brain to deeply focus on tasks at hand and equates to better productivity throughout the day.

Quit social media

Deleting all traces of social media might seem drastic, but Newport argues that a trial period of 30 days abstinence is a great way to reassess dependency on social media.

He also suggests replacing the time spent scrolling through Facebook or Instagram with a more meaningful activity.

‘If you want to eliminate the addictive pull of entertainment sites on your time and attention, give your brain a quality alternative. Not only will this preserve your ability to resist distraction and concentrate. But you might experience, perhaps for the first time, what it means to live, and not just exist,’ he explains in his book.

Stop doing shallow work

Newport suggests ‘shallow work’ is damaging to overall productivity and although simple tasks are sometimes inevitable, keeping it confined to a specific block of time means it won’t impact on deep work.

In order to do this, Newport suggests setting a daily deadline to ensure all tasks are completed by a specific time every day.

And by working backwards, shallow work can be fitted in around deep work sessions instead of being given priority.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk