Book Review: Deep Work

by | Jan 28, 2026

By Caroline Grimont

Over my winter break, I had time on my hands, and picked up Cal Newport’s Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Newport defines deep work as “the act of focusing without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” Deep work, as opposed to shallow work, requires blocks to uninterrupted time spent in concentration of a single task. Shallow work, on the other hand, can be done while distracted.

Ironically, over my break, I was able to spend blocks of uninterrupted time concentrating on reading ‘Deep Work’ so one could say I was deeply working on the book! (Insert flashing ‘Applause’ sign here.) I did find the book interesting and am excited to try some of the suggestions he made in it in my own work life.

Why Deep Work Matters

The book was originally published in 2015, way before the common adoption of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude, but I can see the value of some of his suggestions even in the age of AI, perhaps even more so. 

Newport argues that in today’s hyper-distracted world, deep work is rare, because most people (to some extent, myself include) prioritize rapid responses and the appearance of productivity and busyness, over long-term valuable work. He says that this is in part because the former is easy, while the latter is much harder. Shallow work, according to Newport, has come to dominate modern work life at the expense of deep work, and as a result, deep work has become not only rarer, but also more valuable. Consequently, workers who prioritize deep work will end up being more economically rewarded than those who do not.

Newport states that in the new economy, there are two core abilities that are crucial –

  1. Quickly mastering new things, and
  2. Producing at an elite level, with both quality and speed.

He argues that deep work would help you quickly learn hard things. And he further argus that deep work is more meaningful and rewarding to those that do it.

How to Do Deep Work?

Once you accept that deep work is good and desirable, the next question is how one should do it. Newport offers four rules to transform your daily habits:

  1. Work Deeply
  2. Embrace Boredom
  3. Quit Social Media
  4. Drain the Shallows

One: Work Deeply

Newport suggests four styles, or philosophies, that can help you work deeply and well. The first of this is the “monastic” philosophy, which entails disconnecting from the world (yes, including email) completely to focus on work. Sadly, that would mean not reading this column too. Boo.

The second is the “bimodal” philosophy, which entails trying the monastic philosophy in small chunks. For example, perhaps you can move to a remote resort with no internet to write your novel for two weeks in the year, and the rest of the time, work normally (or shallowly, if you prefer.)

The third “rhythmic” and fourth “journalistic” philosophies are similar. In the former, you build a deep work session into your daily life and make it a habit. In the latter, you do deep work whenever you can.

The third and fourth of these philosophies are most likley to be successful for someone like me.

Two: Embrace Boredom

The problem with smartphones is that no matter where you go, or what you do, you have access to easy dopamine hits. So, if you’re waiting for your coffee, or standing in line somewhere, one immediately reaches for the phone, and mindless scroll. This, according to Newport, atrophies our concentration.

“If every moment of potential boredom in your life—say, having to wait five minutes in line or sit alone in a restaurant until a friend arrives—is relieved with a quick glance at your smartphone, then your brain has likely been rewired to a point where, like the “mental wrecks” in Clifford Nass’s research, it’s not ready for deep work—even if you regularly schedule time to practice this concentration.”

Three: Quit Social Media

Newport recognizes that simply quitting social media cold turkey would be impossible for many of us. Instead, he recommends using social media, or internet tools, only if they offer a tangible benefit to our lives. To do that, he suggests you make a list of goals and then identify how to meet those goals. Does social media help? To help figure that out, he recommends going without social media for a short period – say 30 days – and then evaluating what was missing from your life as a result. He also suggests that you create intentionality around using social media, so that the choice is yours, rather than getting stuck in endless scroll.

Four: Drain the Shallows

Finally, Newport recommends time-blocking your entire day, by planning each minute of it, and baking in blocks of both deep and shallow work. That way, shallow work can be clustered around 2-3 time periods of the day where it is intentionally being used, while the rest can be dedicated to deep work. Time is a valuable commodity, so spending it wisely does make sense.

Final Thoughts: “Deep Work” is a Solid Read

I do agree that distractions have increased in the modern workplace, and as a result, I did enjoy “Deep Work” for the solutions it offers to regain concentration. In an ideal world, I’d have loved to implement all the suggestions made by Cal Newport. If I am being honest though, it is more likely that I will prioritize certain suggestions – such as time blocking, and not get around to others, such as quitting all social media.

Have you read the book? I’d love to hear what you thought! Email me your thoughts at

Disclaimer

The opinions and views expressed in this book are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Harvest ETFs. Similarly, the opinions and views expressed in this review are solely those of the reviewer (the Author) and do not represent the views of Harvest ETFs. The Author and Harvest ETFs have no affiliation with the author of the book.

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