Twofer: "Deep Work" & Cultivating Attention
In the spirit of seeing an idea and having it's message reflected in something else (there has to be special term for this connection), I'm writing a short post here that quickly summarizes two sources and then attempts at summary. This could potentially get fun down the line as I find sources that seemingly have nothing to do with each other but the answers are in the depth or in some "meta" thinking that each is floating above.
Deep Work, by Cal Newport: So proper source credit I heard about the current idea of Deep Work from a podcast during my hour gym experience. I take all sorts of suggestions for both conventional and unconvential podcasts, and a friend of mine suggested "The Art of Manliness" (http://www.artofmanliness.com). After checking it out, Manliness (as positioned by this podcast) is all sorts of ideas tied into both modern and historical best qualities of man: self and other respect, presentation and style, networking, men's health & fitness needs, getting outdoors and in nature, being a great father & mentor, sucessful relationships and marriages, etc. Some of these concepts are uni-sex, clearly, but the authors of this web content in this case are tailoring their message for the needs of a male audience, or those interested in those needs. That umbrella of concepts surrounding current conversations of "man" could include a lot, and sometimes the discussions are pretty random and interesting.
Anyway, the host Brett McKay invited author and Assistant Professor of Computer Science Cal Newport to speak about his book "Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distract World." The link to the episode is here. To attempt to summarize, Cal provides an impresion of a world that is inherently designed to distract us in ways that are momentary and "surface." Think of your phone, constantly notifying you or sending your text/social media alerts. Firing of dopamine everytime you see a kitten, or "sale" alert, or a funny meme. Or maybe the short nature that we consume most media, play games, or check out. Conversely, Cal argues that for the above reason and the demands of goal pursuit, we need to find ways to harness deep work, or deep processing. What I liked from Brett's interview is that deep work should be set up for it to happen: Setting aside uninterrupted time in the day, music that gets you in the zone, during off your phone (you'll get to whatever it is in two hours), having drink and snack at arms reach to prevent you from breaking concentration. I added a few examples of my own in there, but you get the idea. I find that I can get lost for hours in work if I have the right preconditions, and if I limit how "reachable" I am (if you're reading this saying, "impossible, I'm a mother, I have responsiblites" I get it...you're challenge with this may be greater in your personal situation). For me my best writing happens when I shut everything down and just write (either early morning, late at night, or with headphones on at work in my office pretending I'm not there).
Cultivating Attention, Dr. Jim Baesler: I have a fantastic colleague at Old Dominion University that has taken on this call to foster these deeper thinking moments as a part of his classroom education. From a different angle. Dr. E. "Jim" Baesler, Professor of Communication recently published an article in Listening Education, entitled "Meditation in the Classroom: Cultivating Attention and Insight."
What's cool is that in this article he details his process for establishing a teaching practice of setting his students up to embrace deeper listening. In particular, he field tested a meditation activity in four different classes. He sets up the activity by holding loosely onto several interelated goals: loosely, then the goal is more easily approached. For this class meditation activity, the instructor might loosely hold several interrelated goals for their students:
"Cultivate experiences of first person attention, concentration, and awareness while simultaneously developing capacities for insight, imagination, exploration, and discernment of ideas related to class content and applications to everyday life. Another goal of the class meditation is to provide an opportunity for students to share and dialogue about their personal insights discovered during meditation." (8)
Interestingly Baesler describes meditation as "self-listening" and one of many contemplative practices, aimed toward deeper understanding. Mediation used in the beginning of class can help students transition for stresses of the day to a more open-minded learning experience.
To set this up, he reminds students that meditation isn't about a particular religion but rather a practice aimed at relaxing the body and increasing awareness. After guiding them through body posture, positions of arms and legs, and head, face, and neck, he talks them through breathing routines. Then he asks students to think about a "context for the mediation," which can include a word or a phrase, for a few minutes. This is written on the board in the front of the class. As students are exploring this word and the thoughts the emerge as a result, Baesler encourages them to let them exisit without judgement, but to be mindful of the "center" of their practice (adjusting if necessary). When the time period is reached, he helps the students bring the practice to a close.
Interesting take-aways:
Baesler advises to avoid overemphasizing the goal of meditation (itself), which can imped the process...instead approach loosely (see block quote above for other goals loosely related).
Baesler asks students to "turn off" their devices and "turn on" their inner world through meditation. (If there is a competition, in the movement of our daily lives one gets steamrolled out right?)
After meditation, there is an optional reflective writing activity about the practice, and even guided discussion. Reflective writing is often helpful with just about any process we want to think further about, in ways that can help us appreciate or incrementally improve.
Mediation in classrooms is not typical, and Baesler notes that it may be awkward for students and teacher alike...he recommends a 20-30 minute daily practice for the instructor before attempting to teach.
Some students will react strongly: "I don't feel like it." or "I don't like meditating." Baesler sees this as an opportunity to teach about trying new things, and hanging in there: He noted in the article that by the 3rd or 4th session those students adapt, finding their own way to approach the practice.
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In conclusion, these two sources of related information appeared on my radar within weeks of each other. Both provide different angles on a challenge we face in our worlds today: Finding time and mental space for our own thoughts, processing our own feelings, and for work that actually requires uninterrupted time to deeply connect ideas.
Communication and information technology, in a media ecology sense, has given us so many benefits (e.g., ease of connection, plethora of infomation about anything, entertainment, functionality), while sacrificing things valued in past eras. Consider: Quiet, uninterrupted time to focus on hobbies or a good book; A conversation with someone we care about and don't see often without a phone going off or being pulled out, or a day that doesn't have 1-2 of our waking hours almost mindless searching the internet for a dopamine hit of social information or amusement (often about people we don't see or have immediate impact on our current lives).
I'm not above all this. I'm not writing this from a typewriter in the mountains with a lantern and an oldtimey radio in the background. Instead my phone is next to me, my laptop has 8 browser windows open from my scattered mind (I'm being creative, dammit), and a random "bling" just went off from some device somewhere in the house. I momentarily wondered what it was, although in truth it likely goes off the same time every day for some bygone reminder reason set to "daily" by accident. Yeah some of these blips are trival, or maybe more beneficial than not, but they add up right? And what would your world look like without them? If the result is worry or anxiety, that's an emotional response akin to conditioning or programming.
References:
Art of Manliness (website & podcast): http://www.artofmanliness.com
Newport, Cal (201). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.
Baesler, E. J. (2015). Mediation in the Classroom: Cultivating Attention and Insight. Listening Education, 6/2015, 8-15.
