Do you give creative, thought-intense tasks the time and respect they really need – or are you getting so overly excited by tools and “hacks” that you try to rush through them?
When I interviewed Cal Newport (the founder of Study Hacks and one of my favorite authors) for the podcast, something he said really stuck with me:
“Creating things of value requires that you go to intellectual combat.”
Cal’s point was that you can’t just rush through highly thought-intensive tasks and expect to have good results. You have to focus, dive deep, and spend a lot of time with them.
This video explores that idea, and also offers up two simple techniques you can use to make sure you always have ample time to devote to this type of focused work.
If you’re unable to see the video above, you can view it on YouTube.
Video Notes
- My ideas on task contexts were inspired by my friend Mike Vardy (and he’ll be on an upcoming podcast episode)
- Cal talks a lot about this concept of “deep work” – here’s one of his best posts on the topic.
- I mentioned spaced repetition and the Method of Loci in the video, so here are links if you’re curious about them
Now, I’m curious about your habits. Specifically, what time of day do you find is best for doing high-intensity work? Do you try to schedule the rest of your responsibilities with that in mind?
If you liked this video, subscribe on YouTubeto stay updated and get notified when new ones are out!