The value of focused work is obvious. Yes, deep work is often neglected. But, at least most of us agree on the importance. Yet, I think our personal lives, even more than our working lives, are in need of a focused tune-up. Employers and clients put pressure on us to be productive at our jobs. […]

Peter Drucker, the renowned management thinker who first coined the term ‘knowledge worker’ perfectly summarized the problem of focus in work: Most discussions of the executive’s task start with the advice to plan one’s work. This sounds eminently plausible. The only thing wrong with it is that it rarely works. The plans always remain on […]

Next week, Cal Newport and I will hold a new session of Life of Focus. The course is a three-month training program to help you achieve greater productivity and peace of mind. We held our first session last fall. It was a resounding success. Students reported making major strides in their work, wresting back control […]

Ideas are powerful. Arriving at the right time, they can alter the entire direction of your life. But ideas also hide in the background, acting as assumptions. Quietly influencing your decisions, whether they’re true or false. Looking back, I can think of a number of ideas that shaped my life. Some are only obvious in […]