Plexii glossary
Deep work (and shallow work)
Sustained, distraction-limited work on a demanding task that benefits from concentrated attention.
What it means
Cal Newport’s definitions of deep and shallow work from Deep Work (2016) — answer the searched contrast ‘deep work vs shallow work’. A practical way to find your own deep-work hours (look at a week, protect one block), linked to the interruption research summarised on context switching rather than repeating it.
The term is most useful as a shared description. It does not remove the need to look at the actual task, evidence or constraint in front of you.
A practical example
A writer protects one ninety-minute morning block for the argument and sources, leaving messages for a later admin block.
Put it into practice
- Name the concrete situation before applying the label. Deep work (and shallow work) is useful only when it changes a choice, boundary or next action.
- Make the state visible: write the owner, time, source or stopping condition down instead of relying on memory.
- Review what happened. Keep the part that reduced ambiguity and change the part that added ceremony without helping the work.
How it relates to Plexii
start a focus session on a desk, book focus time and start it from Today’s agenda (home widget todays agenda), the five-minute start (home widget focus timer).