Deep Work and Discipline

Peter Elbaum
Jun 14

Hey everyone,

In the past couple months, I’ve started to notice that I’m distracted fairly consistently throughout the day by the same set of things: my phone, various websites, needing to get another seltzer. The list goes on.

So, last Sunday, I made a mental list of all the things I felt were distracting me from having a maximally focused workday. Then, I wrote down an action for each distraction, and turned the actions into a checklist on Notion.

I started following the list on Monday, and since creating some rituals for my workspace I’ve noticed a pretty big difference. On Friday, I actually forgot that I didn’t have my phone on me because I was much more consumed with the work. In general, I’ve been working in a much deeper, more focused way.

It’s not necessarily a surprise, but I’ve found that in this digital age, a little discipline goes a long way. If you have a Notion account, you can turn the checklist into a template and modify it for your use. I hope it’s helpful as you consider your own productivity and work rituals.

Pete’s Picks ✅

  1. YouTube Channel: I happened upon Liam Porritt’s channel this week and have been enjoying it. Liam is a Cambridge grad and law student in the UK, and is part of the corner of the Internet called “StudyTube,” which tends to feature a lot of “study with me” type videos. Liam’s videos have been a fun time waster/motivator for me.

  2. Musical Artist: I heard Tyson Motsenbocker about two years ago when he was touring with Judah and the Lion, but never really followed up on him. Thankfully, Spotify put him on a custom playlist for me this week, and I’ve been jamming to him ever since. I really enjoy “Come to California” and “Sunday Morning” from his latest album—highly recommend a listen.

  3. Netflix Series: I have been binging Lenox Hill on Netflix, which follows four doctors inside Lenox Hill Hospital in the Upper East Side. In college, I got really into similar medical docuseries like Boston Med and Hopkins, so it’s been an enjoyable distraction for me this weekend.

This Week’s Video 📹

Pete’s Picks #1 - May 2020 (based on the above section of this newsletter ☺️)

Cheers,

Peter

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