>If you’re getting easily distracted by your messages, you’re not doing deep work.

What about the possibility in differences in how attention works between people. In an extreme case you would have ADD/ADHD, but in less extreme cases you can have people who are broken out of deep work much easier than others. It can also be highly situational.

For example, I can ignore most noises when reading an interesting book, but I cannot ignore noises from a TV, especially advertisement. So I've had to start wearing headphones and playing songs (which I can ignore) when I want to read while located in a room with someone watching TV.

I actually do have extreme ADHD, latest test was a couple years ago but I take one every time I go to a new doctor.

I think that is what allows me to focus so intensely that I wind up with a stiff neck and shoulder pain. Hours pass by and you barely noticed. You only notice the neck pain when you’re not doing deep work.

You can’t break out of deep work easily. Even if it’s self destructive.

If you really are getting distracted you’re not doing deep work. Another example, Basquiat painted with music on, the news on, people visiting, didn’t matter. He was doing deep work.

It’s like playing music. When you’re in the zone, time flies by and you don’t get distracted.

Notice how both of your examples your not doing any creative work. You’re reading for fun.

That’s not realistic if you ever go on call. When you’re responsible for the uptime of a service and people’s first line of contact for issues is a slack message, you need to always have it be in a state to interrupt you.

Your personal website is down, btw.

It’s been down for years. No one cares. I don’t either. You can judge my linked in if you want.

On call work is not deep work. Fixing a bug may be, but you’re not doing deep work simply by being alert.

I am responsible for the uptime of a ton of big apps. If I’m in deep work, I miss all those slack messages. It’s the nature of intense focus to have tunnel vision.

> If you’re getting easily distracted by your messages, you’re not doing deep work. This is why you’re so easily distracted.

Psychology is an entire academic discipline. You can't just extrapolate from your own introspection to everyone else.

I'm against the generalization of anecdotal evidence as much as, if not more, than the next guy, but their point about distractions like message alerts is doesn't seem like a controversial stance to me.

That statement is in line with essentially every piece I've ever read over the years on deep work, and I'm not sure why you seem to feel they are only extrapolating from introspection.

In any event the statement is tautological.

But the parent comment is ok because it conforms with the hive mind, right? No need to provide proof in that case

also, if you need to do deepwork, instead of complaining that slack prevents you from it, just close it! You can re-open it once you are done doing your deep work, and your messages and notifications will still be here.

or just enable do not disturb mode, that's what the big alarm bell looking button is for

Or "/dnd XXmin" from the input bar in any channel

Slack shouldn’t prevent anyone from doing deep work because deep work is by nature like horse blinders.

The problem is taking breaks. That’s why most of us got bad posture and body aches and carpal

Vico described writing his Scienza Nuova in his kitchen "while discussing with his friends amid the uproar of his children".

(Or so I remember. I can't seem to find the original source.)

Did he write at school or while feeding the kid, or after bedtime?