Next post : How virtual coworking is redefining remote work: as seen on hostingadvice.com chevron-right

      Making deep work your company's competitive advantage

      Deep work: Your company's competitive advantage

      Too many businesses don't understand the importance of 'deep work', and fail to create a culture that enables workers to focus. Here's how to give your culture a deep work reset.

      I’ve spent more than 10 years helping companies build effective talent functions.

      I know how much time and money goes into talent strategies: shaping company values, finding and attracting talent, retaining talent, building performance management frameworks, designing benefits and compensation packages, offering learning and development, implementing team engagement activities, coaching managers, coaching staff…

      It’s exhausting, right?

      You’d be forgiven for asking yourself if these strategies are actually making a difference. Is doing what everyone else is doing (and maybe even not as well) making your company a unicorn?

      The answer is probably no.

      I believe this is because many companies are focusing on the means and not the end.

      The success of your business relies entirely on your knowledge workers – those who are paid to use their skills and brains.

      Ask yourself: "What will make my business succeed?"

      The honest answer is that unless you’re a factory that relies on machines, the only way your business will succeed is if your talent can produce exceptionally difficult work, quickly, and well.

      Honestly, that’s it.

      You need your leadership team to come up with a vision no one else has, and a plan for how to get there. You need your finance team to make your cash count, and your marketing team to devise campaigns that will be heard amongst the clutter. You need a sales team that can tell a winning story over the phone, and your development team to build quality code faster than your competitors.

      In short, the success of your business relies entirely on your knowledge workers – those who are paid to use their skills and brains.

      This is what Cal Newport writes about in his book, Deep Work, and is the basis of FLOWN.

      At FLOWN, we don’t believe companies will gain competitive advantage by approaching talent strategies in the same way they always have. They will be exceptional only by embedding a culture of deep work.

      The only way your business will succeed is if your talent can produce exceptionally difficult work, quickly, and well

      Deep work is not just about "work performed in a state of distraction-free concentration", as Cal Newport put it. And unfortunately, saying “we’re a company that supports deep work” is also not enough. The way you view and do work needs to be shaped to truly embed deep work principles into your culture. Let's explore some ideas...

      Structure that allows individuals to self-optimize

      The late novelist Ursula Le Guin shared her daily work routine in an interview in 1988:

      Highly-effective people know how to get the best from themselves. The right structure is personal to the individual, and needs to have the appropriate balance of focused bouts of work, inspiring rests, shallow tasks, and personal admin. It doesn’t have to be conventional, but it does need to be structured and consistent. Get it right, and it will be effective.

      Some people will get their best work done before the MD is out of REM sleep, while others won't start firing away until dinnertime. Leaders who 'get' that, and enable people through flexible ways of working to optimize their effort, will get the best output from their team.

      Ring fence time for deep work

      Count up the hours spent in meetings and the number of Slack messages sent. This is time talking about work, but not actually doing work.

      Research from Adobe found that the average office worker spends more than three hours a day on email. If that sounds like your business's workforce, what does it say about your culture? It means something is wrong with your company playbook (or maybe it’s that you don’t have a playbook at all).

      Giving people access to things that are scientifically proven to make them think better

      When you play, when you explore, when you are exposed to diverse thinkers, your brain makes new connections.

      This is about more than having a diverse workforce or access to learning and development budgets, it’s about ensuring your staff are exposed to art, science, nature, and different ways of doing things.

      The importance of physical space

      The most common workplace argument I’ve had to mediate is about air conditioning.

      Yep. Some like to be warm, some like to be cold. I dare make no claim on which is correct, only that it’s resulted in so many hours of my life that I simply can’t ignore how much our environment impacts our ability to work.

      Companies often invest budget in team drinking and occasional off-sites, but rarely think about giving staff access to different and inspiring places to get away and concentrate.

      Our knowledge workers probably do most of their work from home or from an office. Even assuming your staff live in glamorous retreats and your office is worthy of a Vogue shoot, are these environments always the best places to help people do their best work and think their best thoughts?

      Companies often invest budget in team drinking and occasional off-sites, but rarely think about giving staff access to different and inspiring places to get away and concentrate.

      Bill Gates led Microsoft to launch Internet Explorer because of one Think Week in a beautiful location. The “grand gesture" (as Cal Newport calls it) of getting away to get things done has resulted in some of the world’s greatest innovations and creative breakthroughs. Yet few companies have thought to offer anything more than the choice between the home office and the 'office'.

      The power of rituals

      Everyone needs purpose in their life. We need a sense of community, a goal to strive for, the encouragement of the herd, moments that make us laugh and feel as though we’re on the inside of the greatest, private in-joke.

      At FLOWN we start our week with a meditation and intention setting. My team starts the day answering a random question (today’s was “what decade would you want to visit”), and we all end the week with Jolly Trolly, where we reflect on our intentions, and play an online team game after which Guy is always accused of cheating (because he always wins), and the team know to expect an almost dangerous degree of sibling rivalry between me and Alicia.

      These are FLOWN’s rituals. No matter our varying work structures, these anchor us to something deeper.

      Cal Newport wrote: “The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.”

      Our lives are consumed with online and offline distractions, and we’re grappling with the pros and cons of this new 'work from anywhere' post-Covid world.

      The smartest businesses will see this as an opportunity to design their culture around truly getting the best from their people. This means:

      • Embracing asynchronous ways of working to help individuals optimize themselves.

      • Creating time for everybody to do deep work (in part by removing the need to constantly talk about the work).

      • Facilitating high-functioning brains by enabling play, creativity, and exploration.

      • Embedding company-wide rituals that help deep work happen.

      Companies invest extraordinary amounts of time and money on talent strategies, but what Cal Newport so succinctly tells us is: “If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.”

      Your business won’t succeed by pushing forward with the same talent strategies as everybody else. It will succeed by embedding a culture of deep work, and empowering your staff produce quality work, every day.

      Hero image

      What is deep work? What are the benefits of deep work? How do you do deep work? Find out in our complete guide.

      You might like these too

      Body doubling
      Productivity
      Focus

      How virtual coworking is redefining remote work: as seen on hostingadvice.com

      Discover how virtual coworking with FLOWN is changing the game for remote workers, making productivity and community a daily reality.

      By Micah Yongo

      Mar 26, 2024

      Writing
      ADHD
      Neurodiversity
      Member stories

      Layla F Saad’s Writing Cabin: The body doubling group for writers

      Bestselling author Layla Saad has created The Writing Cabin – accountability sessions for writers, exclusively on FLOWN. Find out more…

      By Andy Penfold

      Feb 01, 2024

      Body doubling
      Productivity
      Focus
      Deep work
      Lifestyle

      How online coworking is shaping the future of work

      Online coworking has risen in popularity since the pandemic. Discover why this way of working is becoming the new normal for many businesses today.

      By Annie Button

      Nov 29, 2023

      Productivity
      Deep work
      Focus

      The Power of the 'Grand Gesture': How Hanbury Hall x FLOWN Events Unleash Deep Work

      Discover how Cal Newport's idea of 'the grand gesture' can spark your productivity with our FLOWN X Hanbury Hall in-person Pop Up Flocks

      By Micah Yongo

      Oct 31, 2023

      Habits
      Productivity
      Focus
      Procrastination

      Improve your study habits: How to focus when studying

      Learn how to overcome procrastination and poor habits to succeed as a student with this snappy guide.

      By Georgina Odafe

      Sep 28, 2023

      Body doubling
      Productivity
      Deep work

      Virtual coworking, body doubling and the future of work

      Delve into the wonders of virtual coworking and body doubling; and learn strategies to be your most productive without succumbing to digital fatigue.

      By Micah Yongo

      Sep 28, 2023

      Deep work
      Focus
      Habits
      Productivity

      Why I can’t focus at work (and 10 proven ways to fix it)

      Distractions are everywhere but you can learn to avoid them while boosting your concentration with 10 proven ways to fix your focus.

      By Douglas Weissman

      Jul 21, 2023

      Lifestyle
      Wellness
      Productivity
      Focus

      SoulCycle x FLOWN: how to get focused and fit in 3 simple steps

      Unlock your potential and join the transformative mind-body connection with the partnership between FLOWN and SoulCycle. Combine group exercise and expert instruction to expand your physical fitness and mental focus.

      By Douglas Weissman

      Jul 14, 2023

      Deep work
      Focus
      Habits
      Wellness

      Manage your energy, not your time: 5 ways to lower stress and power your focus

      Manage your energy, not your time with our 5 ways to boost productivity and lower stress levels. Read on for effective energy management tips.

      By Eleanor Hope-Jones

      Jul 07, 2023

      Productivity
      Habits
      Deep work
      Focus
      Procrastination

      Oxford University explores flow state secrets and focus with FLOWN

      Peek into FLOWN’s recent talk for Oxford University. And unlock practical tools for focus, flow states and peak productivity to transform your everyday work-life

      By Micah Yongo

      Jul 05, 2023

      Deep work
      Breathwork
      Wellness
      Focus

      3 unexpected ways to find calm and focus with mindful breathing and music

      Music and the breath are both intrinsically rhythmic and have a profound effect on our nervous systems. Learn how to link them to facilitate calm and focus.

      By Talia Girton

      Jun 29, 2023

      Lifestyle
      Body doubling
      Focus
      Productivity

      Fit for purpose: why workers are raving about SoulCycle x FLOWN

      SoulCycle and FLOWN have joined forces to transform your approach to work and fitness. Explore how spinning those pedals can significantly enhance your concentration.

      By Eleanor Hope-Jones

      Jun 26, 2023

      Deep work
      Body doubling
      Wellness
      Lifestyle

      Sweat, Flock, flow, repeat: Ride your way to peak productivity

      Take your productivity and fitness levels to new heights with SoulCycle and FLOWN. Access SoulCycle rides and real-time focus sessions to reach peak performance in your health and work with this savvy guide.

      By Eleanor Hope-Jones

      Jun 22, 2023

      Productivity
      Deep work
      Focus
      Wellness
      Habits
      Breathwork

      Reclaim your focus with productive meditation

      Discover how you can enhance your brain’s ability to focus more easily and generate ideas with this guide on how to transform your mind, work and life with productive meditation.

      By Arjun Kumar

      Jun 16, 2023

      Deep work

      Virtual coworking 101: Focusmate vs FLOWN vs Flow Club vs Caveday

      Looking to level up your remote work game? Explore the wild and wonderful world of virtual coworking! We've compared FLOWN, Focusmate, Flow Club and Caveday to help you find your perfect match.

      By Eleanor Hope-Jones

      Jun 08, 2023

      Wellness
      Productivity
      Focus

      How to let nature power your productivity

      Discover how to tap into the focus-renewing benefits of mother nature to unlock your creativity with this quick and inspiring read

      By Lorna Green

      Jun 06, 2023

      Habits
      Deep work

      Go from reader to creator with these 4 transformative reading habits

      Unleash your inner bookworm, and discover how to spark your creativity with these four simple approaches to reading.

      By Jen Cropley

      May 26, 2023

      Body doubling
      Productivity
      Focus

      How virtual coworking can transform your productivity and crush procrastination

      Struggling with goal-setting and procrastination? Virtual coworking is backed by science, and easily accessible – all you need is your device, your goals, and yourself!

      By Zoe Wilson

      Jan 18, 2023

      Productivity
      Deep work
      Body doubling

      The hidden magic of online coworking

      Celebrated composer and sound designer Alice Boyd shares how online coworking with FLOWN has transformed her workflow.

      By Jen Cropley

      Jan 11, 2023

      Productivity
      Focus
      Deep work

      The perks of virtual coworking with FLOWN

      Writer and content strategist Jo Gifford couldn’t imagine her work life without the perks of FLOWN’s virtual coworking community.

      By Jen Cropley

      Nov 25, 2022

      instagram