Deep Work vs. Shallow Work: How to Stay Focused in a Digital World

Contents hide

1 What Is Deep Work?

2 What is Shallow Work?

3 The Four Rules of Deep Work

3.1 1. Work Deeply

3.2 2. Embrace Boredom

3.3 3. Quit Social Media

3.4 4. Drain the Shallows

4 How Many Hours of Deep Work Can You Handle?

5 Strategies for Maintaining Focus

6 How Not to Stay Behind When Working in the Deep Work Mode?

7 Optimize Your Time with Time Tracking

8 Why Is Deep Work Important?

9 Conclusion

9.1 Sources:

Let’s be real—staying focused these days feels like trying to herd cats while riding a unicycle and juggling flaming torches. Your phone’s buzzing, your inbox is overflowing, and social media’s whispering sweet nothings in your ear. But here’s the good news: you can take control of your attention. The secret is deep work.

So, what’s deep work all about, and how is it different from the shallow work? More importantly, how do you actually make it happen when you’re surrounded by distractions? In this article, you’ll learn everything about deep and shallow work and how to maintain focus in a constantly distracted world.

What Is Deep Work?

Imagine that you’re sitting down to write a killer blog post, brainstorm a big project, or figure out a tricky coding problem. You are fully immersed in the task, completely insulated from external distractions. Time passes swiftly, and when you’re done, you have produced a high-quality outcome. That’s the deep work in action.

Cal Newport, computer science professor at Georgetown University and the author of the book on it (Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World), describes it like this:

“Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time.”

It’s about using your maximum cognitive function for abilities or any task that require intense concentration and deep thinking. These are not merely mundane tasks; they are the type of endeavors that have a significant impact on your personal or professional development.

However, these are also the tasks that are frequently disrupted by notifications and brief distractions from your phone, laptop, or even surrounding environment. And this is the biggest challenge (and the ultimate goal) of the deep work—to keep distraction free concentration.

What is Shallow Work?

Shallow work is all that other stuff. The little tasks that keep you busy but don’t exactly set your world on fire. For example, answering emails, hopping on a Zoom call, or updating your Slack status to “Coffee time ☕.”

These are the not-so-challenging tasks that don’t demand much from your brain. They’re often repetitive and can be easily eliminated. A statistic from McKinsey backs this up: knowledge workers spend most of their time on shallow tasks like emails and meetings, which makes it challenging because they don’t contribute to efficiency.

In general, the main difference between the two is that the deep work builds something valuable and requires deep concentration, while shallow work doesn’t involve intense focus.

The Four Rules of Deep Work

While it all sounds promising, how to actually implement the concept of deep work in your daily workflow? Especially when your phone’s lighting up like a Christmas tree?

According to Cal Newport, there are four rules for deep work to happen:

An infographic describing four rules of deep work

1. Work Deeply

First of all, you need make the deep work a part of your life. That means creating a system that will help you support you in your daily tasks and maximize productivity.

That might mean carving out a specific time—like 9 AM to noon—or finding a spot where no one’s going to disturb you. It’s about making deep work sessions a habit, not a rare event.

Even when it’s hard for you to focus for a significant portion of time on the deep work tasks (because of many reasons like illness, depression, coworkers disturbing you, or difficult task), make sure you don’t ditch the habits. After all, we’re just humans and things may not always go as planned.

2. Embrace Boredom

We’re so used to constant entertainment that sitting still feels weird. But here’s the trick: let yourself get bored. Skip the urge to check email every five seconds, and you’ll train your brain to handle long periods of focus. It’s like a mental gym session.

Moreover, allowing yourself to be bored provides mental breaks. Not only does it refresh your brain and help you relax to prevent burnout, but it also stimulates your brain for new ideas. Nobody said boredom has to be… boring. Productivity thrives on balance, not on endless drudgery.

3. Quit Social Media

According to statistics, as of 2024, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 143 minutes per day. Social media is a black hole for your attention—designed to keep you scrolling.

Newport’s advice is to cut it out, or at least limit its use to a minimum. You don’t have to delete your accounts forever, but a break can do wonders for your deep concentration.

4. Drain the Shallows

Shallow work isn’t evil, but it can easily mesh with deep work—sending an email or checking a work chat when doing your tasks is what most of people do.

The fix? Eliminate the non-essential stuff, like endless meetings or replying to every email the second it lands, so you’ve got room for deep work.

Newport sums it up nicely:

“The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy.”

How Many Hours of Deep Work Can You Handle?

Although the modern workplace offers many benefits for daily operations, it can also pose many challenges and make it hard to work deeply. For example, the typical 9-5 job requires you to work 8 hours straight (a break included).

But in reality, working for so many hours is impossible, and science and statistics are very clear about it: lack of breaks is harmful to the human brain and body.

So, how much deep work should you aim for? According to Newport, 3-4 hours a day is the optimum number for most people. Why not more? Because intense focus is like a muscle—it wears out. After a few hours, your brain simply needs a break to recover.

An interesting study from the Draugiem Group found that top performers worked in bursts of about 52 minutes of focus, then a 17-minute break (The Muse, 2020).

PRO TIP: Deep work is also about finding the most productive hours and prioritizing deep work tasks during that time. Make a deep work schedule as adjustable to your internal clock to reach the highest potential of your cognitive abilities.

Strategies for Maintaining Focus

In a world filled with digital distractions, maintaining distraction-free concentration requires intentional strategies. Here are some practical ways to stay focused and work deeply, even in the hard conditions and unfavorable work settings:

Create a distraction-free environment: find a quiet space, use noise-canceling headphones, or employ apps that block distractions to minimize interruptions.
Leverage technology wisely: while technology can be a source of distraction, it can also support deep work. For example, using dedicated productivity apps such as the Pomodoro timers, time tracker, or phone management functionalities.
Use a to-do list: a well-structured to-do list can help you manage time spent on both deep and shallow work. Prioritize your tasks and focus on one cognitively demanding task at a time.
Take mental breaks: incorporate short mental breaks between deep work sessions to recharge and maintain intense focus over extended periods.
Block your time: it’s said that effective time blocking can improve your productivity by up to 80%.
Set ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode (DND) on your phone to create a distraction-free work environment.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to reach a productive flow state of deep work. What’s more, Cal Newport claims that to get the most out of the deep work sessions, it “got to be more than an hour, and probably at least 90 minutes before you’re getting the full benefits of depth.”

With these strategies, you can effectively keep self-discipline and get into the deep work mode.

How Not to Stay Behind When Working in the Deep Work Mode?

When you work distraction-free, it means you need to block out time and life for deep work goals. Sometimes, it may make you feel like you’re missing out on the rest of the world. That, as a result, can cause a strong fear of missing out (FOMO).

The specificity of the focused work can make you feel like you’re losing something. Like things happen out there, but because you’ve engaged in the distraction-free zone, you’re alienated from the rest of the world. Turning off all the distractions may seem like you’re not participating in the events of the world.

It may be challenging to stay on top. But you don’t have to choose between deep work and staying connected.

By using tools like Brand24, you can keep track of your online presence without constantly interrupting your focus to check social media. This means you’re not actually missing out—you’re just managing your attention better and reducing the temptation to get sidetracked. The real secret here is to keep a healthy balance.

Optimize Your Time with Time Tracking

Staying focused in a digital age is tough. Distractions are everywhere, and time seems to slip away faster than you can blink. That’s where time tracking and time management can help. By understanding how you spend your hours, you can cut out time-wasting habits and dedicate more energy to deep work—those high-value, cognitively demanding tasks that help you make progress.

One tool that makes this easier is TimeCamp, a time tracking software designed to help you take control of your schedule. With TimeCamp, you can track your activities effortlessly, gain insights into your productivity, and align your day with your deepest priorities.

Here’s how it can help you master your time and boost your deep work:

Automatic time tracking: TimeCamp tracks your tasks in the background. This allows you to stay immersed in your work without interrupting your flow to log hours.
Less red tape: automatic features optimize workflow and help cut administrative tasks (e.g., filling out timesheets, data entry, creating reports).
Overall productivity analysis: TimeCamp reveals your peak productivity hours, so you can schedule deep work when you’re at your best.
Project and task management: break your work into clear projects and tasks. TimeCamp allows you to organize all professional activities into a hierarchical structure. This helps you prioritize what’s important and sideline shallow work that doesn’t deserve your attention.
Detailed reporting & analytics: get a clear breakdown of your time usage with TimeCamp’s reports. Spot where distractions creep in and adjust your habits to protect your focus and better schedule deep work and shallow tasks.

With TimeCamp, you can manage your time strategically. It’s a practical way to ensure your daily deep work plan aligns with your goals, giving deep work the space it needs to thrive.

Ever wonder where your time goes? Sign up for TimeCamp for free and find out! 📊
Take control of your productivity today. 🚀

Why Is Deep Work Important?

When you dive into deep work, you’re not just productive; you’re creating something unique, since in this state, you’re reaching your highest cognitive capabilities. Hence, it isn’t just about checking off more boxes—it’s about doing work that matters.

But it’s more than that. Deep work is your ticket to taking back your time in a world that’s always trying to steal it. Statistics show that most of our days is filled with shallow work: attending meetings, doing admin work, distractions.

And according to Newport, deep work can make you up to 500% more productive. It’s especially visible in remote work setting. Employees working remotely encounter fewer disruptions during concentrated tasks compared to those in office settings (fewer distractions and interruptions).

Hence, deep work is so important for three main reasons:

It helps you spend work hours in a productive way. It boosts concentration and makes you more efficient.
Deep work produces new value and boosts your skills, making it tough to copy. And it’s better to be unique than easily replicated.
Engaging in deep work fosters a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from tackling meaningful challenges.

Conclusion

The concept of deep work may seem demanding, at times even repelling (because it requires you to be at full throttle). But what matters is not to push yourself to the limits but to give yourself space for meaningful progress.

By carving out time for focused work, using tools like TimeCamp to track your efforts, you can work smarter, not harder, and find a rhythm that lets you thrive in a world that’s always on.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi puts it perfectly:

“The best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times […]. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

Sources:

Cal Newport. Cal Newport. https://calnewport.com/.

Dillon, Katherine. “Making Time Management the Organization’s Priority.” McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/making-time-management-the-organizations-priority.

Marche, Stephen. “What Does Boredom Do to Us—and for Us?” The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/what-does-boredom-do-to-us-and-for-us.

Statista. “Daily Time Spent on Social Networking by Internet Users Worldwide from 2012 to 2023.” https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/.

Nguyen, N.A. “The Rule of 52 and 17: It’s Random, but It Ups Your Productivity.” The Muse. https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-rule-of-52-and-17-its-random-but-it-ups-your-productivity.

Thinkers50. “Deep vs. Shallow Work – Cal Newport.” Thinkers50. https://thinkers50.com/blog/work-and-life/deep-vs-shallow-work-cal-newport/.

Goodreads. “The Best Moments in Our Lives Are Not the Passive.” https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/697770-the-best-moments-in-our-lives-are-not-the-passive.

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Kate Borucka Kate is a professional freelance copywriter and translator with a niche focus on time tracking software, time management, and SaaS solutions. With a degree in English studies, she has a knack for turning complex technical topics into clear, engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences. When she’s not immersed in the latest software trends or navigating linguistic differences between English and Polish, she’s busy trying to master the art of squeezing more hours out of the day—juggling work, life, and embarking on new adventures with her endlessly curious daughter, discovering the world together (and loving every minute of it), always finding ways to weave the insights from their adventures into her creative work.

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