This week I’m going to review how one begins to build capacity for deep work and armor against distraction. Then I’ll share concrete examples of the changes I’m making in my own life to increase deep work and reduce distraction.

So how does deep work apply to my own small professional world, a world that may appear distant from the tech workers Newport references? What does it mean for me to be a valuable, productive psychologist or a valuable, productive author? Does it mean that I write often, that my social media alerts ping frequently with likes and coveted retweets? Even as I play it out you can feel the emptiness, can’t you? For me, being a productive and useful psychologist means being clinically precise and being able to show with data that after people work with me their lives are *better*, richer, and fuller of value.