Want to get more great things done in less time? Deep Work is the answer.
In our distracted world, focused work is rare and more valuable than ever. Cal Newport shows how to master this skill and transform your productivity.
But what if your brain is wired differently? For those with ADHD, Newport's principles need thoughtful adaptation. The section at the end of the article will show you exactly how to harness the unique strengths of the ADHD brain while working around its challenges to achieve deep work states that actually feel sustainable and rewarding.
Deep work is a focused, distraction-free effort that pushes your brain to its limits.
Newport defines it simply: "Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit."
Think:
The opposite is shallow work—those tasks you do while half-paying attention. Think email-checking, form-filling, or sitting through pointless meetings.
One of the key Newport's claims is that deep work is becoming both more rare and more valuable at the same time. This creates a huge opportunity for those willing to master it.
Your brain is like a muscle that gets weaker every time you check your phone. Most people now check their devices 85+ times daily!
Newport's research shows that even a single glance at email lowers your cognitive function more than smoking a joint—yikes!
You're in deep work mode when:
In his book, Cal Newport not only proves that deep work is crucial, but also gives practical advice for how to make it your superpower.
Newport's deep work philosophy presents both unique challenges and surprising advantages for ADHDers. While the neurotypical approach to deep work assumes consistent executive function abilities, the ADHD brain requires thoughtful adaptations to access similar benefits.
Let's adapt Newport's rules to match how your brain actually works.
This rule focuses on creating rituals and routines that make deep work easier and more automatic, helping you overcome the effortful nature of deep concentration in an environment and culture that makes it difficult. Newport provides different scheduling philosophies (monastic, bimodal, rhythmic, and journalistic) to help you integrate deep work into your life based on your circumstances.
ADHD Fix:
The research backs this up. Studies show body doubling improves focus through what researchers call "the Hawthorne effect"—we focus on work better when others are present (FLOWN, 2024). This contradicts Newport's solitude recommendation but works better for ADHD minds.
For example, Sarah—a Director of Engineering with ADHD and my client—blocks 10am-noon three days a week for deep work. She breaks this into 25-minute sessions with quick stretch breaks. She gets more done in these 6 hours than she used to accomplish all week.
Intense concentration is a skill that must be trained, much like athletes who take care of their bodies outside training sessions; you need to take care of your concentration outside your deep work sessions. This involves training your brain to resist distractions and building your ability to concentrate by embracing periods of boredom rather than immediately seeking stimulation.
ADHD Fix: ADHD brains have altered dopamine processing, making boredom genuinely uncomfortable (Barkley, 2024). Movement and fidgeting help regulate ADHD neurotransmitters during focus periods.
When I was with SurveyMonkey, I frequently took my in-person 1:1s and phone meetings as a walk outside. This simple switch transformed my workday.
My fidgety energy became a useful movement instead of distraction. I listened better because my body was occupied. Ideas flowed more naturally while walking than when trapped in a chair.
Best of all, I solved the "afternoon crash" problem. Those 1-2pm meetings that used to drain me completely became energizing breaks. I'd return to my desk with clearer thinking and better solutions than if we'd sat in a stuffy conference room.
Rather than arguing distraction is bad, Newport celebrates the power of its opposite and suggests a more intentional approach. He suggests evaluating the value social media tools bring to your life versus their negative impacts on your ability to concentrate and do deep work.
ADHD Fix: Be strategic, not extreme.
Attempting to deepen your focus will fail if you don't simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on distraction, but cold-turkey approaches often backfire with ADHD.
This approach is about getting rid of or drastically minimizing things that can be considered shallow, such as excessive emails, meetings, and other low-value activities that fragment your attention. Newport recommends scheduling every minute of your workday and creating fixed boundaries between work and personal time to maximize deep work and recovery.
ADHD Fix: Scheduling every minute might be excessive—ADHD brains need flexibility. Create structure without rigidity.
Research from the Journal of Psychology shows time blocking can reduce procrastination and increase task completion by 40%, but the approach needs ADHD-specific modifications (FLOWN, 2024). The key is building in recovery time and flexibility.
One of my clients created a "shallow work power hour" each day at 3pm. All the little tasks go there. This freed his mornings for deep work while ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Your ADHD brain has a secret weapon: hyperfocus. This is essentially deep work on steroids.
The trick is channeling this superpower toward what matters:
Studies show that while ADHD brains struggle with attention regulation, they can achieve extraordinary focus when engaged in stimulating tasks.
Some days, your executive function just isn't there. That's normal. On these days:
Mastering deep work with ADHD isn't about forcing yourself into a neurotypical box. It's about adapting the system to work with—not against—your unique brain wiring.