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Critical Review
“Deep Work is Valuable”
Kamilya Kudaibergenova 8536
Les Roches Marbella
November 25, 2018
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In our time, technical progress is developing more and more rapidly every day. The
development of technology simplifies the life of people, makes the various benefits of
civilization, once available only to the elect, accessible to a wide range of people. However,
at the same time, technology changes the rules of the game in the labor market. Machines
that are learning how to solve new problems every day are replacing more and more
professions. How to be competitive in the constantly changing conditions of the modern
labor market? Cal Newport is trying to answer this question in his book, “Deep Work: Rules
for Focused Success in a Distracted World”. This article will analyze the first chapter of this
book; give an assessment of the author’s arguments.
The author asks the question "What qualities help to succeed in modern economic
conditions?". In search of an answer to the question posed, he cites the example of several
people who have achieved success in the digital economy, and isolates their personal and
professional qualities that are key to achieving the goal. The first group of people whom the
author considers competitive is highly skilled workers. Since technical progress allows
automating many tasks that are not trying to qualify, the economy’s need for people
performing these tasks is reduced. At the same time, analytical skills and the ability to think
abstractly and work with data become in demand. Those who possess the necessary
professional skills to work effectively with smart machines are sure to succeed. The second
group - “superstars”, that is, professionals, are the best in their work. Since the
development of technology allows you to work on many projects remotely, it becomes
more profitable for companies to hire third-party superstars to implement a project than to
hire employees. In such conditions, both the company itself, which pays for a deliberately
high-quality product, and the superstar, which can lead several projects, without reference
to a specific place of work and downtime, benefits. However, less talented professionals
lose out. The third thriving group of people in the modern economy is the owners of capital.
Having access to capital always gives you considerable advantages, but under current
conditions, venture capitalists can make a fortune in an unprecedentedly short time. In the
book, the author concentrates on the first two groups. In order to get into their number,
you must quickly master complex skills and quickly and efficiently produce the highest-class
products. These two qualities depend on the ability to dive into the work with the head.
Regular practice is required to acquire new skills and improve them. From the point of view
of neurobiology, this phenomenon is explained by the fact that when one of the skills is
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mastered, a myelin sheath is formed around the neurons involved in this process, which
helps to transmit signals between neurons more efficiently. Focusing on a particular skill
that you want to master, or on a specific task that requires a solution allows you to achieve
your goals faster and more efficiently. However, the author does not say that without
concentration and immersion in a specific task it is impossible to succeed. It cites the
example of a whole group of people who work efficiently without immersion in specific
tasks - the leaders of large companies, whose tight schedule does not allow them to spend
several hours on one task. Their effectiveness is explained by the fact that, due to
accumulated experience, they can intuitively and without delving into the problem of
making decisions based on the deep conclusions of their subordinates. After reading the
first chapter of the book, we can draw the following conclusions: firstly, in the conditions of
digitalization of the economy, the most popular skills are the ability to quickly learn, think
creatively, do work quickly and efficiently; secondly, in order to master the necessary skills,
it is necessary to practice regularly; thirdly, to achieve the greatest efficiency, it is necessary
to concentrate on specific tasks, minimizing or eliminating external distraction.
Cal Newport’s book is designed for non-professional audience and written in simple
and understandable language. Explaining the described phenomena, he cites examples of
well-known companies, and omits complex, not clear to the ordinary reader moments. For
example, to illustrate growth opportunities in the modern economy, an example of
Instagram is given - a company with a staff of thirteen people was sold for a billion dollars.
To illustrate the effect of "superstars", an example with gramophone records is used - when
they became widespread, music lovers even away from major cities got the opportunity to
listen to the music of the most successful performers, which hit the demand for local
musicians. He also avoids the abundant use of special terminology. Speaking about what
Neith Silver does, he cites as an example one of the queries that he uses in the Stata
program to emphasize the complexity of his work. This approach is justified - the book is
popular with a wide audience, as evidenced by the presence of more than thirty thousand
ratings on the site goodreads.com. In the first chapter analyzed in this article, the author
poses a specific problem for the reader - it is becoming increasingly difficult to compete in
the labor market. The hypothesis of the author is that in order to join one of the successful
groups in the new economy - highly skilled workers, or superstars, it is necessary to dive in
with the head. The author's argument is versatile: to reinforce his own thesis, he cites the
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example of research by various scientists, ranging from philosophers such as Antonin-

Dalmace Sertillanges, to psychologists (K. Anders Ericsson) and neuroscientists (the author
refers to the book of journalist Danniel Coyle). Speaking about the need to focus in order to
achieve the best results in the work, the author cites examples of studies in which it was
proved that the absence of distractions had a beneficial effect both on productivity and on
the quality of work of the subjects of study. The author also actively uses examples of real
people: a real famous person represents each of the groups successful in the modern
economy. Speaking of deep work, he cites the example of an extremely successful man - the
youngest professor at Wharton University, Adam Grant, to whom the method of deep
immersion allows to achieve outstanding performance while maintaining high quality work.
The reinforcement of the argument with real examples and the results of scientific research
strengthens the position of the author. The concept of deep work in the book found a
response from many readers and critics. Users of the aforementioned site goodreads.com
and critics on the resources rockstarfinance.com and www.publishersweekly.com note the
strong arguments of the author, and the strong motivational charge they receive from
reading it, and the columnist of The New York Times Molly Young decided to limit her access
to social networks. In my opinion, in the first chapter of the book Cal Newport perfectly
reveals the topic. The author sets clear guidelines on the way to achieving the goal - success
in the conditions of digitalization of the economy, and proposes a methodology for
achieving this goal, which has proved its effectiveness. Among the advantages of this article
- the author’s detailed argument, simple and understandable language. Among the minuses
- in my opinion the material is given by the author a bit messy, because of which the
structure of the presentation of the material suffers. The topic of improving
competitiveness is extremely relevant in the modern world. The argument given by the
author convinces us that the method of in-depth work and focusing on specific tasks is
effective. This technique can be useful not only for laying skills necessary for the modern
labor market. The ability to focus and be obsessed with new knowledge can be useful in all
branches of modern life. The use of in-depth work methods can be useful for improving
your body, as modern standards of beauty require paying a lot of attention to their physical
form. Improving the efficiency of its activities and product quality is the key to the economic
prosperity of society in the future.
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REFERENCES

Lee, K. (2016). Book Review: Deep Work. Retrieved from

https://associatesmind.com/2016/01/23/book-review-deep-work

Young, M. (2016). Don’t Distract me. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/books/review/dont-distract-me.html

Reviews from buyers. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25744928-

deep-workn

Review. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Retrieved
from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4555-8669-1
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