You Might Just be Too Broke to Pay Attention!🥴

Let’s face the truth…

This one is for my:

• Low-budget Multitaskers

• Productivity Junkies

• Procrastination Champions

• Corporate Climbers

• Self Diagnosed ADHD Fam,

• Business Owners

• Lifelong Learners

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the noise in your workday—emails, endless meetings, “urgent” tasks—you might wonder: How am I ever supposed to get meaningful work done? Then you need a whiff of Cal Newport’s game-changing book, I got a hold of it late last year, and it still has its hold on me.

Photo by Elin Melaas on Unsplash

I’m trying to put you on ANY and EVERY known tool I can find that helps you to drastically reduce vain activity and astronomically increase productivity. That’s how you’ll stand out.

Get this: in ‘olden’ days, knowledge and information was as scarce as they come, and only the elite, privileged, noble and affluent could easily access information. Amongst other things, this essentially set different socio-economic classes apart (& quite frankly we can still see that today).

However, in today’s world, knowledge is not only at our finger tips, but every single day we are faced with information overload. Why aren’t we then better off?

In earlier times, what was harder to find was INFORMATION, but in our days, what is scarce is ATTENTION!

From all indication, the majority of the world’s population are increasingly getting too broke to pay attention.

This book attempts to manufacture & distribute a vaccine (let’s call it Focus X01) to tackle the current SAS <Short Attention Span> Pandemic.

Here’s the core idea: Deep Work is the ability to focus intensely on cognitively demanding tasks without distractions. Why does this matter? Because in today’s economy, the most valuable skills require deep focus, and those who master this ability will stand out. (This is no secret, yet to do this is where the problem is.🫠)

Newport breaks it down: there are two types of work—shallow work and deep work. Shallow work is easy, repetitive, and often unimportant. Deep work, on the other hand, is what drives breakthroughs, innovations, and career-defining contributions.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

Well, you see, as creators, 9-5ers, or entrepreneurs, our greatest challenge isn’t just doing more—it’s doing the right work that moves the needle. Newport’s principle is simple but profound:

Protect your time like your business depends on it—because it does.

For those of us balancing tight deadlines, competing priorities, and the endless ‘ping’ of notifications, Newport’s rules for cultivating deep work are non-negotiable.

1. Work Deeply

Carve out time for high-value work and protect it fiercely. Block your calendar. Say “no” to low-priority asks. Treat deep work sessions like revenue-generating activities—they pay dividends in clarity, creativity, and results.

2. Embrace Boredom

Sounds counterintuitive, right? But Newport argues that we’ve trained ourselves to seek constant stimulation. To succeed, we must rewire our brains to tolerate boredom—because breakthroughs come in moments of stillness, not busyness.

3. Quit Social Media

Hot take: not every tool deserves your attention. Newport challenges us to cut distractions that don’t directly contribute to our goals. Social media might be “good” for networking, but does it deliver measurable ROI for your productivity?

4. Drain the Shallows

Audit your calendar and ask yourself: Which tasks are shallow, and which are deep? Delegate the shallow ones. Automate them. Eliminate them if possible. Your time is too valuable to spend on work that doesn’t drive results.

One of Newport’s standout points for me is this:

Deep work is like a superpower in our distracted world.

Think about that for a second. If mastering your focus can make you an outlier in your field, why wouldn’t you invest in it?

Since we are in class… Here’s Your Take-home Assignment:

Much like Sabri Suby’s Sell Like Crazy, Newport emphasizes prioritization and ROI—but for your time and attention. Ask yourself:

• What tasks in your day drive real value for your career, your team, company, product, customers, or your own well-being?

• What would happen if you focused exclusively on those tasks for 2-3 hours a day?

The 80-20 rule applies here, too. Spend your best hours on the 20% of work that delivers 80% of your results. As Newport says, it’s not about working harder—it’s about working smarter, deeper, and with intention.

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash

If you want to reclaim your time and tap into productivity ‘pro max’, then you can and should check out Deep Work (see “demo” here)

But more importantly, figure out that ONE thing you can do to insulate yourself from the never-ending bustle, and actually get stuff done. Is it to reduce the number of social media platforms where you are a known tenant? Or maybe like me, you can explore having a fixed sleep duration/time and (early) wake up time to be able to feel rested and lock-in couple of hours to yourself?

Whatever it is, I assure you, you can do so much MORE than you’re currently doing now, if you can identify where the leaks are and deal with them, then you can start getting Deep & meaningful work done!

I hope my 2 Cents have at least increased your account balance to be able to PAY ATTENTION…enough to make a difference in your life.

I would love to hear all about your struggles, wins and any other thoughts you may have.

Steady rooting for you, deeply and meaningfully.

Keep breathing.

Jisike!