Curtis McHale

What to Read to Learn About Focus and Deep Work

If you’re struggling with getting work done because you don’t have the focused time you need, then these books will help you get that time.

Read Becoming a Master to Learn how to Master Your Field

After reading the books below, and many others, I wrote a short guide to the must understand ideas you need to have to get a primer on building focus so you can do great work. Becoming a Master is about what it takes to master your field. The work it takes, and how to know when to quit.

Read Deep Work to Learn WHY Focus is Important

This book is all about how it’s important to have long periods of focus so that we can get our best work done. Newport says (and I agree) that at the same time as we’re doing less work that’s focused, it’s the skill that we need to succeed in work.

If You Want a Strong Career, Rest is Crucial

If you’re not convinced yet, and even if you are, then Rest is the next book on your list. This is going to give you more to think about as you look at resting and it’s importance in building a strong career.

Figure out what you should focus on with The ONE Thing:

Once you agreed that long periods of focused work are important, you need to know what you should be focusing on. That’s where The ONE Thing comes in. This is a great book to help you focus on the single task you should be doing day in day out to get the most benefit in your business.

Don’t Set goals by the year Aim for a 12 Week Year

Now you’ve got your single tasks set out, but how do you measure them? How do you find your lead indicators and make sure you execute on them? That’s where The 12 Week Year comes in to make sure that you focus on the things you can control instead of leaving it all up to chance.

A Key Idea to Success Is Realizing We Have Enough

Finally, success isn’t just about aiming for more all the time. Patrick Rhone writes a great book to help us realize that we already have Enough. Once you’ve realized that, you can aim for the success you want instead of trying to keep up with the Jonses.

I’ve also written a bunch on deep work and focus and how I build it into my work.