Summary: Do deep work and time tracking software relate to one another? Actually, yes! Time trackers can indeed support deep work and help you maximize your meaningful output.
Originally coined by Cal Newport in a 2012 blog post and later the subject of the eponymous book, “deep work” has come to indicate a highly sought-after — but often not-achieved — state of work.
Being busy, Newport has suggested, is not the same as being productive. Deep work, in contrast, will yield real productivity and results.
Do deep work and time tracking software relate to one another? Actually, yes! Time trackers can indeed support deep work and help you maximize your meaningful output.
Deep Work Defined
Newport defines deep work as “the act of focusing without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” He believes it is “like a superpower in our current economy: it enables you to quickly (and deliberately) learn complicated new skills and produce high-value output at a high rate.”
Deep work also generates a sense of professional fulfillment — it’s work that produces satisfying outcomes.
In that way, it can, in some way, go hand in hand with the concept of flow. Flow state, a term coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of complete immersion in an activity, such that the individual is unaware of the outside world because they are so energized by their work or experience.
Why Does Time Tracking Make Sense?
Time management is intrinsic to deep work. And, as you might guess, real-time tracking is integral to time management.
To lay the groundwork for deep work, you must have an environment that reduces distractions and promotes productivity.
Time tracking allows you to study your habits and simplify your workflows. You will be able to see what types of work you’re doing, the time spent being idle, and more.
You’ll also receive reminders about outstanding tasks and gain insight into what you’re actually doing with your workday.
The organization is also foundational to deep work, and time tracking tools assist with this important aspect of your professional life, too, keeping everything in one place and allowing you to stay on top of critical information.
6 Habits To Promote Deep Work
1. Establish A Routine.
Laying the groundwork for deep work begins with a solid routine. This adds structure to your day and enables you to approach your responsibilities and tasks with intention.
This will also set you up to make deep work ingrained in your day-to-day work life.
Start with a usual location, a space that is conducive to working productively.
If you’re remote, this might be a home office or living room, somewhere where you won’t have constant distractions.
Setting a schedule is important, too — right down to when you take a break for lunch or allow yourself to check your text message.
Have all the tools you need to complete particular tasks ready and available, too.
2. Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Collaboration.
Deep work is a solo activity, right? Not necessarily. Collaboration with your colleagues can actually augment and improve the state of deep work, enabling you to work faster and more productively.
Consider, for example, brainstorming. Yes, this can be done on an individual level, but it becomes all the more fruitful when you’re doing it together with peers, who can offer additional insights.
In fact, a collaborative session with others can lay the groundwork for further deep work at an individual level, setting you up to work even better later on.
3. Delegate.
Great leaders know how to delegate. Actually, you don’t even have to be a leader to delegate effectively.
And delegation has additional benefits and advantages, including — you guessed it — more effective deep work.
Delegating is a different beast from collaboration. When you hand off work to someone else, you are effectively removing yourself from that particular responsibility and entrusting it to them.
This means you accept that they are capable of completing the job at a satisfactory level.
And it means that you believe you will be in a better position to complete your own responsibilities. This set you up for superior, more productive work — possibly even deep work.
4. Minimize Distractions.
Distractions are the antithesis of deep work, the nemesis that competes for your time.
That’s a given. But how, exactly, can you make sure they don’t get in the way of your productivity?
While distractions will inevitably occur, there are plenty of ways to minimize them. Consider, for example, tools like app blockers.
These allow you to essential lock certain apps and websites on your phone or laptop for given periods of time, preventing you from seeing them until your work is done.
Of course, time tracking systems, while not equipped to completely block out distractions, will enable you to see when and how you’re succumbing to social media, email, and other time-consuming enemies of deep work.
5. Study Time-Tracking Tool Insights And Reports.
Another benefit of employee time tracking tools? They offer you an abundance of information.
By studying the reports and analytics the software offers, you can glean valuable insights about how, precisely, you’re spending the hours within the day — from the number of activities you complete to your idle time.
By studying these reports and analytics, you will learn a lot about the breakdown of your workday and how productive you’re being.
This, in turn, will allow you to improve your work habits and establish a structure that is more conducive to deep work.
6. Take Breaks.
It may sound counterintuitive, but, in fact, taking breaks during your work actually leads to better, more productive habits.
You need that time away from your work to rest, recharge, and reconceptualize.
You will return more equipped to solve problems, find workarounds for obstacles, and tackle your responsibilities with gusto.
Think about it: you can’t perform optimally when you don’t have the energy. You need a fresh perspective and outlook — and that’s why breaks are critical.
Deep work is a goal. The process for getting there demands a carefully honed system — as well as the space to be creative.
And time tracking, while just one piece, is certainly part of the solution, for you and your team members.
