--- title: "24 Focus Quotes By Cal Newport" description: "24 Focus quotes by Cal Newport. Plus more from Cal Newport and more Focus sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/cal-newport-1302_distraction_to-learn-hard-things-quickly-you-must-fo_612573.jpg" --- > [“To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-learn-hard-things-quickly-you-must-focus-intensely-without/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/cal-newport-1302_distraction_to-learn-hard-things-quickly-you-must-fo_612573.jpg) > [“To have a mission is to have a unifying focus for your career.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-have-a-mission-is-to-have-a-unifying-focus-for-your-career/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddf/cal-newport-1302_career_to-have-a-mission-is-to-have-a-unifying_1505153.jpg) > [“Be disciple of depth in shallow world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/be-disciple-of-depth-in-shallow-world/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/cal-newport-1302_deep-work_be-disciple-of-depth-in-shallow-world-14_1465108.jpg) > [“Discipline #1: Focus on the Wildly Important”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/discipline-1-focus-on-the-wildly-important/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/cal-newport-1302_discipline_discipline-1-focus-on-the-wildly-importa_1295278.jpg) > [“cultivating “concentration so intense that there is no attention left over to think about anything irrelevant, or to worry about problems.”)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/cultivating-concentration-so-intense-that-there-is-no-attention-left/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/cal-newport-1302_focus_cultivating-concentration-so-intense-tha_1527225.jpg) > [“without these accountability tools, I tended to procrastinate on this work, turning my attention to more urgent but less important matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/without-these-accountability-tools-i-tended-to-procrastinate-on-this/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3f/cal-newport-1302_accountability_without-these-accountability-tools-i-ten_2145119.jpg) > [“To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-to-work-for-extended-periods-2/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/cal-newport-1302_concentration_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_2564609.jpg) > [“skillful management of attention is the sine qua non of the good life and the key to improving virtually every aspect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/skillful-management-of-attention-is-the-sine-qua-non-of-the-good-life/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a04/cal-newport-1302_focus_skillful-management-of-attention-is-the_1855663.jpg) > [“Deep Work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/deep-work-professional-activities-performed-in-a-state-of-distraction/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/cal-newport-1302_focus_deep-work-professional-activities-perfor_1684375.jpg) > [“Sertillanges argues that to advance your understanding of your field you must tackle the relevant topics systematically, allowing your “converging rays of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/sertillanges-argues-that-to-advance-your-understanding-of-your-field/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/cal-newport-1302_education_sertillanges-argues-that-to-advance-your_770997.jpg) > [“when you switch from some Task A to another Task B, your attention doesn’t immediately follow—a residue of your attention remains stuck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-you-switch-from-some-task-a-to-another-task-b-your-attention/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/cal-newport-1302_focus_when-you-switch-from-some-task-a-to-anot_2700110.jpg) > [“People experiencing attention residue after switching tasks are likely to demonstrate poor performance on that next task,” and the more intense the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/people-experiencing-attention-residue-after-switching-tasks-are/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/cal-newport-1302_focus_people-experiencing-attention-residue-af_2751380.jpg) > [“To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-to-work-for-extended-periods/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/cal-newport-1302_focus_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_1589420.jpg) > [“Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable, and that’s exactly the opposite of what deliberate practice demands…. Deliberate practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/doing-things-we-know-how-to-do-well-is-enjoyable-and-that-s-exactly/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_doing-things-we-know-how-to-do-well-is-e_1771178.jpg) > [“To put this more concretely: If every moment of potential boredom in your life—say, having to wait five minutes in line or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-put-this-more-concretely-if-every-moment-of-potential-boredom-in/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/cal-newport-1302_boredom_to-put-this-more-concretely-if-every-mom_2908927.jpg) > [“The ability to concentrate intensely is a skill that must be trained. This idea might sound obvious once it’s pointed out, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-ability-to-concentrate-intensely-is-a-skill-that-must-be-trained/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-ability-to-concentrate-intensely-is_778462.jpg) > [“Gallagher’s writing emphasizes that the content of what we focus on matters. If we give rapt attention to important things, and therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/gallagher-s-writing-emphasizes-that-the-content-of-what-we-focus-on/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ab/cal-newport-1302_focus_gallagher-s-writing-emphasizes-that-the_1649554.jpg) > [“The purpose of the deep work chamber is to allow for total focus and uninterrupted work flow,” Dewane explains. He imagines a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-purpose-of-the-deep-work-chamber-is-to-allow-for-total-focus-and/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-purpose-of-the-deep-work-chamber-is_939527.jpg) > [“The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-key-to-developing-a-deep-work-habit-is-to-move-beyond-good/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/cal-newport-1302_discipline_the-key-to-developing-a-deep-work-habit_2039585.jpg) > [“Here was my first lesson: This type of skill development is hard. When I got to the first tricky gap in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/here-was-my-first-lesson-this-type-of-skill-development-is-hard-when/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/cal-newport-1302_adversity_here-was-my-first-lesson-this-type-of-sk_960681.jpg) > [“what deliberate practice actually requires. Its core components are usually identified as follows: (1) your attention is focused tightly on a specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/what-deliberate-practice-actually-requires-its-core-components-are/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_what-deliberate-practice-actually-requir_2163663.jpg) > [“study the brain behavior of subjects presented with both positive and negative imagery. She found that for young people, their amygdala (a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/study-the-brain-behavior-of-subjects-presented-with-both-positive-and/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/cal-newport-1302_focus_study-the-brain-behavior-of-subjects-pre_2758657.jpg) > [“Efforts to deepen your focus will struggle if you don’t simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on distraction. Much in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/efforts-to-deepen-your-focus-will-struggle-if-you-don-t/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/040/cal-newport-1302_digital-age_efforts-to-deepen-your-focus-will-strugg_2522481.jpg) > [“Let your mind become a lens, thanks to the converging rays of attention; let your soul be all intent on whatever it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-the-converging-rays-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/cal-newport-1302_books_let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-th_131734.jpg) ## Other authors on Focus - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b010/author-frederick-lenz-36205.jpg) Frederick Lenz 127 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/frederick-lenz/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-stephen-richards-446.jpg) Stephen Richards 77 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/stephen-richards/) - [Israelmore Ayivor 42 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/israelmore-ayivor/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-deepak-chopra-28468.jpg) Deepak Chopra 41 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/deepak-chopra/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-eckhart-tolle-31242.jpg) Eckhart Tolle 37 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/eckhart-tolle/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b023/author-tony-robbins-91869.jpg) Tony Robbins 32 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/tony-robbins/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-anurag-prakash-ray-38.jpg) Anurag Prakash Ray 29 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/anurag-prakash-ray/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b022/author-sonya-parker-86224.jpg) Sonya Parker 26 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/sonya-parker/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b020/author-rhonda-byrne-78295.jpg) Rhonda Byrne 26 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/rhonda-byrne/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b021/author-sachin-tendulkar-82188.jpg) Sachin Tendulkar 23 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/sachin-tendulkar/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-donald-trump-30060.jpg) Donald Trump 23 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/donald-trump/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b022/author-sunday-adelaja-87912.jpg) Sunday Adelaja 22 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/sunday-adelaja/) ## More by Cal Newport > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“many software companies now deploy the Scrum project management methodology, which replaces a lot of this ad hoc messaging with regular, highly structured, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/many-software-companies-now-deploy-the-scrum-project-management/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“when paying more than $1,000 a day to write the chapter in a suite of an old hotel down the street from a Hogwarts-style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-paying-more-than-1-000-a-day-to-write-the-chapter-in-a-suite-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“When deciding whether to follow an appealing pursuit that will introduce more control into your work life, seek evidence of whether people are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-deciding-whether-to-follow-an-appealing-pursuit-that-will/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Let your mind become a lens, thanks to the converging rays of attention; let your soul be all intent on whatever it is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-the-converging-rays-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“study by Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow. In this study, a group of management consultants were asked to disconnect for a full day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/study-by-harvard-business-school-professor-leslie-perlow-in-this/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“if it’s rare and valuable, it’s not easy to get. This insight brought me into the world of performance science, where I encountered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-it-s-rare-and-valuable-it-s-not-easy-to-get-this-insight-brought/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Here’s the routine: Once a week I require myself to summarize in my “bible” a paper I think might be relevant to my research.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/here-s-the-routine-once-a-week-i-require-myself-to-summarize-in-my/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“craftsman mindset is the foundation for creating work you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/craftsman-mindset-is-the-foundation-for-creating-work-you-love/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“the journalist philosophy. This name is a nod to the fact that journalists, like Walter Isaacson, are trained to shift into a writing mode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-journalist-philosophy-this-name-is-a-nod-to-the-fact-that/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Not long into his 2010 TED talk on creativity and leadership, Derek Sivers plays a video clip of a crowd at an outdoor concert.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/not-long-into-his-2010-ted-talk-on-creativity-and-leadership-derek/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Kirk’s path to American Treasures was incremental. He didn’t decide out of nowhere that he wanted to host a television show and then work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/kirk-s-path-to-american-treasures-was-incremental-he-didn-t-decide/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“If you spend too much time focusing on whether or not you’ve found your true calling, the question will be rendered moot when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-you-spend-too-much-time-focusing-on-whether-or-not-you-ve-found/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Their plans were circumspect and small-time. They weren’t dreaming of taking over the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/their-plans-were-circumspect-and-small-time-they-weren-t-dreaming-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“This chain method (as some now call it) soon became a hit among writers and fitness enthusiasts—communities that thrive on the ability to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/this-chain-method-as-some-now-call-it-soon-became-a-hit-among-writers/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/cal-newport/#itemlist", "name": "24 Focus Quotes By Cal Newport", "numberOfItems": 24, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" 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"https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/cultivating-concentration-so-intense-that-there-is-no-attention-left/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/cal-newport-1302_focus_cultivating-concentration-so-intense-tha_1527225.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/cal-newport-1302_focus_cultivating-concentration-so-intense-tha_1527225.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/cal-newport-1302_focus_cultivating-concentration-so-intense-tha_1527225.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“cultivating “concentration so intense that there is no attention left over to think about anything…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“without these accountability tools, I tended to procrastinate on this work, turning my attention to more urgent but less important matters.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/without-these-accountability-tools-i-tended-to-procrastinate-on-this/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3f/cal-newport-1302_accountability_without-these-accountability-tools-i-ten_2145119.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3f/cal-newport-1302_accountability_without-these-accountability-tools-i-ten_2145119.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3f/cal-newport-1302_accountability_without-these-accountability-tools-i-ten_2145119.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“without these accountability tools, I tended to procrastinate on this work, turning my attention to more…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-to-work-for-extended-periods-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/cal-newport-1302_concentration_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_2564609.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/cal-newport-1302_concentration_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_2564609.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/cal-newport-1302_concentration_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_2564609.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“skillful management of attention is the sine qua non of the good life and the key to improving virtually every aspect of your experience.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/skillful-management-of-attention-is-the-sine-qua-non-of-the-good-life/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a04/cal-newport-1302_focus_skillful-management-of-attention-is-the_1855663.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a04/cal-newport-1302_focus_skillful-management-of-attention-is-the_1855663.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a04/cal-newport-1302_focus_skillful-management-of-attention-is-the_1855663.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“skillful management of attention is the sine qua non of the good life and the key to improving virtually…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Deep Work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate. Deep”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/deep-work-professional-activities-performed-in-a-state-of-distraction/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/cal-newport-1302_focus_deep-work-professional-activities-perfor_1684375.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/cal-newport-1302_focus_deep-work-professional-activities-perfor_1684375.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/cal-newport-1302_focus_deep-work-professional-activities-perfor_1684375.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Deep Work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sertillanges argues that to advance your understanding of your field you must tackle the relevant topics systematically, allowing your “converging rays of attention” to uncover the truth latent in each. In other words, he teaches: To learn requires intense concentration.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/sertillanges-argues-that-to-advance-your-understanding-of-your-field/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/cal-newport-1302_education_sertillanges-argues-that-to-advance-your_770997.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/cal-newport-1302_education_sertillanges-argues-that-to-advance-your_770997.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/cal-newport-1302_education_sertillanges-argues-that-to-advance-your_770997.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sertillanges argues that to advance your understanding of your field you must tackle the relevant topics…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“when you switch from some Task A to another Task B, your attention doesn’t immediately follow—a residue of your attention remains stuck thinking about the original task.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-you-switch-from-some-task-a-to-another-task-b-your-attention/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/cal-newport-1302_focus_when-you-switch-from-some-task-a-to-anot_2700110.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/cal-newport-1302_focus_when-you-switch-from-some-task-a-to-anot_2700110.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/cal-newport-1302_focus_when-you-switch-from-some-task-a-to-anot_2700110.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“when you switch from some Task A to another Task B, your attention doesn’t immediately follow—a residue of…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People experiencing attention residue after switching tasks are likely to demonstrate poor performance on that next task,” and the more intense the residue, the worse the performance.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/people-experiencing-attention-residue-after-switching-tasks-are/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/cal-newport-1302_focus_people-experiencing-attention-residue-af_2751380.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/cal-newport-1302_focus_people-experiencing-attention-residue-af_2751380.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/cal-newport-1302_focus_people-experiencing-attention-residue-af_2751380.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People experiencing attention residue after switching tasks are likely to demonstrate poor performance on…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction. Put another way, the type of work that optimizes your performance is deep work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-to-work-for-extended-periods/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/cal-newport-1302_focus_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_1589420.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/cal-newport-1302_focus_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_1589420.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/cal-newport-1302_focus_to-produce-at-your-peak-level-you-need-t_1589420.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable, and that’s exactly the opposite of what deliberate practice demands…. Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. That is what makes it “deliberate,” as distinct from the mindless playing of scales or hitting of tennis balls that most people engage in.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/doing-things-we-know-how-to-do-well-is-enjoyable-and-that-s-exactly/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_doing-things-we-know-how-to-do-well-is-e_1771178.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_doing-things-we-know-how-to-do-well-is-e_1771178.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_doing-things-we-know-how-to-do-well-is-e_1771178.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable, and that’s exactly the opposite of what deliberate…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 15, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To put this more concretely: If every moment of potential boredom in your life—say, having to wait five minutes in line or sit alone in a restaurant until a friend arrives—is relieved with a quick glance at your smartphone, then your brain has likely been rewired to a point where, like the “mental wrecks” in Nass’s research, it’s not ready for deep work—even if you regularly schedule time to practice this concentration.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-put-this-more-concretely-if-every-moment-of-potential-boredom-in/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/cal-newport-1302_boredom_to-put-this-more-concretely-if-every-mom_2908927.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/cal-newport-1302_boredom_to-put-this-more-concretely-if-every-mom_2908927.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/cal-newport-1302_boredom_to-put-this-more-concretely-if-every-mom_2908927.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To put this more concretely: If every moment of potential boredom in your life—say, having to wait five…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 16, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The ability to concentrate intensely is a skill that must be trained. This idea might sound obvious once it’s pointed out, but it represents a departure from how most people understand such matters. In my experience, it’s common to treat undistracted concentration as a habit like flossing—something that you know how to do and know is good for you, but that you’ve been neglecting due to a lack of motivation. This mind-set is appealing because it implies you can transform your working life from distracted to focused overnight if you can simply muster enough motivation.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-ability-to-concentrate-intensely-is-a-skill-that-must-be-trained/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-ability-to-concentrate-intensely-is_778462.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-ability-to-concentrate-intensely-is_778462.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-ability-to-concentrate-intensely-is_778462.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The ability to concentrate intensely is a skill that must be trained. This idea might sound obvious once…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 17, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Gallagher’s writing emphasizes that the content of what we focus on matters. If we give rapt attention to important things, and therefore also ignore shallow negative things, we’ll experience our working life as more important and positive. Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow, by contrast, is mostly agnostic to the content of our attention. Though he would likely agree with the research cited by Gallagher, his theory notes that the feeling of going deep is in itself very rewarding. Our minds like this challenge, regardless of the subject.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/gallagher-s-writing-emphasizes-that-the-content-of-what-we-focus-on/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ab/cal-newport-1302_focus_gallagher-s-writing-emphasizes-that-the_1649554.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ab/cal-newport-1302_focus_gallagher-s-writing-emphasizes-that-the_1649554.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ab/cal-newport-1302_focus_gallagher-s-writing-emphasizes-that-the_1649554.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Gallagher’s writing emphasizes that the content of what we focus on matters. If we give rapt attention to…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 18, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The purpose of the deep work chamber is to allow for total focus and uninterrupted work flow,” Dewane explains. He imagines a process in which you spend ninety minutes inside, take a ninety-minute break, and repeat two or three times—at which point your brain will have achieved its limit of concentration for the day.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-purpose-of-the-deep-work-chamber-is-to-allow-for-total-focus-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-purpose-of-the-deep-work-chamber-is_939527.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-purpose-of-the-deep-work-chamber-is_939527.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/cal-newport-1302_focus_the-purpose-of-the-deep-work-chamber-is_939527.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The purpose of the deep work chamber is to allow for total focus and uninterrupted work flow,” Dewane…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 19, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration. If you suddenly decide, for example, in the middle of a distracted afternoon spent Web browsing, to switch your attention to a cognitively demanding task, you’ll draw heavily from your finite willpower to wrest your attention away from the online shininess. Such attempts will therefore frequently fail. On the other hand, if you deployed smart routines and rituals—perhaps a set time and quiet location used for your deep tasks each afternoon—you’d require much less willpower to start and keep going.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-key-to-developing-a-deep-work-habit-is-to-move-beyond-good/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/cal-newport-1302_discipline_the-key-to-developing-a-deep-work-habit_2039585.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/cal-newport-1302_discipline_the-key-to-developing-a-deep-work-habit_2039585.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/cal-newport-1302_discipline_the-key-to-developing-a-deep-work-habit_2039585.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 20, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Here was my first lesson: This type of skill development is hard. When I got to the first tricky gap in the paper’s main proof argument, I faced immediate internal resistance. It was as if my mind realized the effort I was about to ask it to expend, and in response it unleashed a wave of neuronal protest, distant at first, but then as I persisted increasingly tremendous, crashing over my concentration with mounting intensity. To combat this resistance, I deployed two types of structure. The first type was time structure: “I am going to work on this for one hour,” I would tell myself. “I don’t care if I faint from the effort, or make no progress, for the next hour this is my whole world.” But of course I wouldn’t faint and eventually I would make progress. It took, on average, ten minutes for the waves of resistance to die down. Those ten minutes were always difficult, but knowing that my efforts had a time limit helped ensure that the difficulty was manageable. The second type of structure I deployed was information structure—a way of capturing the results of my hard focus in a useful form. I started by building a proof map that captured the dependencies between the different pieces of the proof. This was hard, but not too hard, and it got me warmed up in my efforts to understand the result. I then advanced from the maps to short self-administered quizzes that forced me to memorize the key definitions the proof used. Again, this was a relatively easy task, but it still took concentration, and the result was an understanding that was crucial for parsing the detailed math that came next. After these first two steps, emboldened by my initial successes in deploying hard focus, I moved on to the big guns: proof summaries. This is where I forced myself to take each lemma and walk through each step of its proofs—filling in missing steps. I would conclude by writing a detailed summary in my own words. This was staggeringly demanding, but the fact that I had already spent time on easier tasks in the paper built up enough momentum to help push me forward. I returned to this paper regularly over a period of two weeks. When I was done, I had probably experienced fifteen hours total of deliberate practice–style strain, but due to its intensity it felt like much more. Fortunately, this effort led to immediate benefits. Among other things, it allowed me to understand whole swaths of related work that had previously been mysterious. The researchers who wrote this paper had enjoyed a near monopoly on solving this style of problem—now I could join them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/here-was-my-first-lesson-this-type-of-skill-development-is-hard-when/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/cal-newport-1302_adversity_here-was-my-first-lesson-this-type-of-sk_960681.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/cal-newport-1302_adversity_here-was-my-first-lesson-this-type-of-sk_960681.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/cal-newport-1302_adversity_here-was-my-first-lesson-this-type-of-sk_960681.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here was my first lesson: This type of skill development is hard. When I got to the first tricky gap in the…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 21, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“what deliberate practice actually requires. Its core components are usually identified as follows: (1) your attention is focused tightly on a specific skill you’re trying to improve or an idea you’re trying to master; (2) you receive feedback so you can correct your approach to keep your attention exactly where it’s most productive. The first component is of particular importance to our discussion, as it emphasizes that deliberate practice cannot exist alongside distraction, and that it instead requires uninterrupted concentration. As Ericsson emphasizes, “Diffused attention is almost antithetical to the focused attention required by deliberate practice” (emphasis mine).”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/what-deliberate-practice-actually-requires-its-core-components-are/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_what-deliberate-practice-actually-requir_2163663.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_what-deliberate-practice-actually-requir_2163663.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/cal-newport-1302_deliberate-practice_what-deliberate-practice-actually-requir_2163663.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“what deliberate practice actually requires. Its core components are usually identified as follows: (1) your…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 22, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“study the brain behavior of subjects presented with both positive and negative imagery. She found that for young people, their amygdala (a center of emotion) fired with activity at both types of imagery. When she instead scanned the elderly, the amygdala fired only for the positive images. Carstensen hypothesizes that the elderly subjects had trained the prefrontal cortex to inhibit the amygdala in the presence of negative stimuli. These elderly subjects were not happier because their life circumstances were better than those of the young subjects; they were instead happier because they had rewired their brains to ignore the negative and savor the positive. By skillfully managing their attention, they improved their world without changing anything concrete about”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/study-the-brain-behavior-of-subjects-presented-with-both-positive-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/cal-newport-1302_focus_study-the-brain-behavior-of-subjects-pre_2758657.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/cal-newport-1302_focus_study-the-brain-behavior-of-subjects-pre_2758657.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/cal-newport-1302_focus_study-the-brain-behavior-of-subjects-pre_2758657.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“study the brain behavior of subjects presented with both positive and negative imagery. She found that for…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 23, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Efforts to deepen your focus will struggle if you don’t simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on distraction. Much in the same way that athletes must take care of their bodies outside of their training sessions, you’ll struggle to achieve the deepest levels of concentration if you spend the rest of your time fleeing the slightest hint of boredom. We can find evidence for this claim in the research of Clifford Nass, the late Stanford communications professor who was well known for his study of behavior in the digital age. Among other insights, Nass’s research revealed that constant attention switching online has a lasting negative effect on your brain. Here’s Nass summarizing these findings in a 2010 interview with NPR’s Ira Flatow: So we have scales that allow us to divide up people into people who multitask all the time and people who rarely do, and the differences are remarkable. People who multitask all the time can’t filter out irrelevancy. They can’t manage a working memory. They’re chronically distracted. They initiate much larger parts of their brain that are irrelevant to the task at hand … they’re pretty much mental wrecks. At this point Flatow asks Nass whether the chronically distracted recognize this rewiring of their brain: The people we talk with continually said, “look, when I really have to concentrate, I turn off everything and I am laser-focused.” And unfortunately, they’ve developed habits of mind that make it impossible for them to be laser-focused. They’re suckers for irrelevancy. They just can’t keep on task. [emphasis mine] Once your brain has become accustomed to on-demand distraction, Nass discovered, it’s hard to shake the addiction even when you want to concentrate. To put this more concretely: If every moment of potential boredom in your life—say, having to wait five minutes in line or sit alone in a restaurant until a friend arrives—is relieved with a quick glance at your smartphone, then your brain has likely been rewired to a point where, like the “mental wrecks” in Nass’s research, it’s not ready for deep work—even if you regularly schedule time to practice this concentration.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/efforts-to-deepen-your-focus-will-struggle-if-you-don-t/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/040/cal-newport-1302_digital-age_efforts-to-deepen-your-focus-will-strugg_2522481.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/040/cal-newport-1302_digital-age_efforts-to-deepen-your-focus-will-strugg_2522481.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/040/cal-newport-1302_digital-age_efforts-to-deepen-your-focus-will-strugg_2522481.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Efforts to deepen your focus will struggle if you don’t simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 24, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Let your mind become a lens, thanks to the converging rays of attention; let your soul be all intent on whatever it is that is established in your mind as a dominant, wholly absorbing idea.” This advice comes from Antonin-Dalmace Sertillanges, a Dominican friar and professor of moral philosophy, who during the early part of the twentieth century penned a slim but influential volume titled The Intellectual Life. Sertillanges wrote the book as a guide to “the development and deepening of the mind” for those called to make a living in the world of ideas. Throughout The Intellectual Life, Sertillanges recognizes the necessity of mastering complicated material and helps prepare the reader for this challenge.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-the-converging-rays-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/cal-newport-1302_books_let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-th_131734.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/cal-newport-1302_books_let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-th_131734.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/cal-newport-1302_books_let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-th_131734.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let your mind become a lens, thanks to the converging rays of attention; let your soul be all intent on…” — Cal Newport", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/cal-newport/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/cal-newport/", "name": "Focus Quotes by Cal Newport", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/cal-newport/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/cal-newport-1302_distraction_to-learn-hard-things-quickly-you-must-fo_612573.jpg" }, "description": "24 Focus quotes by Cal Newport. 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