(an worthwhile insight from self-isolation) what we don't realize when we trade depth for speed: the exchange rate is terrible.
the hidden cost is the compound time effect:
if deep work = deep-sea diving the state of deep work is the ocean floor: quiet, immersed, total attention getting into flow is the slow descent, requiring time + focus to acclimate.
a context switch—a notification, a quick DM— is an emergency signal from the surface.
to ascend is a violent disruption, the equivalent of "the bends" i'm ripped from my environment into the shallow, noisy surface.
the critical cost: my descent must start from zero. i'm back on the boat, not at the shipwreck and the energy-consuming process resets.
not a pause. it's a full mission abort for my focus i lose my place, my process, my depth.
what I learned only while in isolation: this depth we inevitably sacrifice for what we trade in speed and scale. 🙏🏼
#DeepWork #ContextSwitching #CognitiveLoad #inkAether #CognitiveArchitecture
🙏🏼
#lessonsfromisolation #DeepWork #ContextSwitching #CognitiveLoad #inkAether #CognitiveArchitecture
the problem with deepwork:
think of deep work as deep-sea diving.
- the state of deep work > the ocean floor.
- getting into flow > the slow descent.
- a context switch (a notification, an email, a "quick question") > a signal from the surface demanding you return immediately.
you are exploring a complex, beautiful shipwreck (the task). the world is quiet, you are fully immersed, and your attention is total.
it is not instant. you must carefully decompress, acclimate to the pressure, and load the "context" of the deep. this takes time and focused energy.
here is the cost, explained by the metaphor:
- the ascent is a violent disruption. you cannot just pop up to the surface. the rapid change in pressure is jarring and dangerous (the cognitive equivalent of "the bends"). you are ripped out of your environment.
- the task on the surface is shallow. you answer the trivial question in the bright, noisy, distracting world of the surface.
- the descent must start from zero. this is the critical cost. you do not reappear at the shipwreck. you are back on the boat, at the surface, and must begin the entire slow, energy-consuming descent all over again.
context switching isn't a brief pause. it is a full mission abort.
you don't just lose your place; you lose your depth.