For many years, I struggled with a tendency to jump from one project or learning opportunity to another, only to abandon them a little bit later when something new came along. I found myself switching multiple projects or codebases simultaneously, often working in a reactive environment where I was constantly responding to client requests or changes in project scope. While this might sound productive, I soon realized that it led to a lack of deep expertise and mastery.

Shallow Work - common among developers

Shallow work is quite common among developers. It consists of simple, easy tasks often performed while distracted, such as checking emails, browsing the web, or handling minor administrative duties. When developers spend too much time on these activities, they have less time for focused, deep work, such as writing code or solving complex problems. This gives the illusion of productivity but actually reduces overall efficiency and slows progress. Other examples of shallow work include chat messages, meeting requests, and ad-hoc discussions. With the rise of remote work, the line between shallow work and personal tasks has become increasingly blurred.

Deep Work: rare and valuable

In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport discusses the rarity and value of the ability to focus deeply in our distracted, technology-driven world. Deep work is not only crucial for professional success but also for personal fulfillment. It allows for sustained attention and concentration, leading to significant growth and mastery.
Deep work is a method for being present on the work that matters, and for working with impact. Deep work reclaims productive focus.
Here are some practical strategies that helped me improved my work habits:

• minimize Shallow Work: reduce the amount of low-value, non-cognitive tasks by automating or delegating them. For instance, use email filters to manage routine messages or delegate administrative tasks to support staff.

• time blocking: allocate specific blocks of time for deep work and protect these periods from interruptions. For example, you might block out 2 hours for coding, 1 hour for meetings, and 30 minutes for email each day.

• fixed-schedule productivity: set a specific number of hours you will work each day and avoid working beyond this time frame, even if you feel you could accomplish more. This encourages focused, efficient work within the set hours.

How developers can benefit from Deep Work

When developers engage in deep work, they are less likely to make errors or overlook details, leading to cleaner, higher-quality code. Deep work also enables developers to learn and master new programming languages, frameworks, or tools more quickly. Concentrated work with fewer interruptions accelerates development cycles and reduces stress, resulting in a greater sense of achievement and job satisfaction.

A lack of focus prevents developers from committing deeply to any single task or project long enough to develop true expertise or achieve mastery. Without focus, it is challenging to stick with a task through its more difficult or less exciting phases. Deep work, which requires sustained attention and concentration, is crucial for developing a high level of skill and knowledge in any field.

Conclusion

It's not that programming is super hard or that there are way too many technologies to learn, or even that you don’t have enough experience.

What’s really challenging is understanding that being great at software development isn’t just about knowing how to code or learning all the latest frameworks. It’s more about having the discipline to stick with it and keep improving.

This might not seem like a big deal now, but if you want to level up as a software developer—whether it’s to get better at what you do, feel more confident, or make more money—then it’s something to think about.

I’d love to hear from our tech-savvy community! Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash