Deep Work: I want my work and life to count. Yet, it is easy for a number of reasons to focus only on tasks that are easy, mind-numbing, do not require focus, etc. Yesterday at Enlightium Academy, my friend Thomas Lambert shared about the difference between Shallow and Deep Work. It comes from the book, Deep Work, written by Professor Cal Newport. I plan on reading this book over the next four months and making changes. It is when we do deep work that we actually create and contribute something meaningful. While shallow work is necessary in personal and professional life, it can “eat up” (Thomas’ wording) our deep work time and leave us with little to show for hours, days, and weeks of work. Here is an article that summarizes some of the main points of the book: “What is deep work? 7 rules to boost concentration and unleash your full potential”
A Poem That Made Our Family Laugh: “Smart” from Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends”
My dad gave me one dollar bill
‘Cause I’m his smartest son,
And I swapped it for two shiny quarters
‘Cause two is more than one!
And then I took the quarters
And traded them to Lou
For three dimes — I guess he didn’t know
That three is more than two!
Just then, along came old blind Bates
And just ’cause he can’t see
He gave me four nickels for my three dimes,
And four is more than three!
And then I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs
Down at the seed-feed store,
And the fool gave me five pennies for them,
And five is more than four!
And then I went and showed my dad,
And he got red in the cheeks
And closed his eyes and shook his head —
Too proud of me to speak!
BJ Condrey, Ph.D. 