A hack to get more done at work today

Today’s tip comes from The New Self-Help, Forge’s 21 essential self-improvement books for the 21st century.

✅ Today’s tip: Block off a chunk of time each day for “deep work.”

The author Cal Newport, who’s crammed a lifetime of professional achievements into the last 15 years — including a PhD, a Georgetown professorship, scores of peer-reviewed journal articles, a popular blog, and more than a half-dozen books — insists that his jaw-dropping productivity isn’t the product of no-rest workaholism. Instead, he credits a strategy of deep work: dedicating blocks of three or four hours each day to a single, focused task. No multitasking, no distractions.

Not all of us have the luxury of several uninterrupted hours each day, but you can set yourself up for deep work with the time you have by pushing away any digital distractions. For however long you can spare, close extraneous browser tabs, put your phone in a drawer, and give your attention only to what’s in front of you.

📚 More from Forge on working smarter:

The Most Underrated Productivity Technique Is Also the Simplest
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Mornings Should Be Easier, Not Earlier
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