Deep work: what it is and what it means

Deep work is the organizational setup that protects windows of deep cognitive work: hours in which the mind can produce complex thinking, non-trivial analysis and strategic decisions. It is not an individual mental quality, nor personal discipline: it is a structured protocol for protecting cognitive time, made of three overlapping levels: physical environment, calendar and social agreements with the team. Without these three levels, deep work remains an intention.

Distinctive: organizational setup
Distinctive: three overlapping levels
Essential: windows of deep cognitive work
Essential: structured protocol
Constant: physical environment, calendar and social agreements

Glossary

Deep work

An organizational setup that protects windows of deep cognitive work through a structured three-level protocol.