Productive Meditation

Vishal Tarole
Oct 27, 2022
3 min read

What is Productive Meditation

Productive Meditation is explained by Cal Newport in his book DEEP WORK. In which he describes Productive Meditation as

"One takes a period of time during which they are doing something else physically like walking, running, biking, driving and while doing so focuses on one particular, well defined problem" -Cal Newport

The practice is defined by it’s ability to rapidly improve your ability to think deeply. The goal here is to solve the Problem.

How Productive Meditation Is Beneficial

It can actually increase your professional productivity instead of taking time away from your work
It is forcing you to resist distractions and actively returning to that well defined problem that we are able to focus deeper and concentrate on it.
It helps strengthen your distraction resisting muscle
It forces you to push your focus deeper and deeper on a single problem
It sharpens your concentration by going deeper and deeper on a single task. This is different from simply thinking, just as reading a book is different from studying it.

How To Implement Productive Meditation

To succeed with productive meditation, it requires practice to do well. So patience will be necessary

While implementing Productive Mediation when going to and from work, Cal Newport work out the chapter outline for one of his books. Newport start incorporating walks into their workdays. And they told that their session of productive meditation increase professional productivity.

In productive Meditation, you must continue to bring your attention back to the problem at hand when it wanders. Depending on your profession, this problem might be outlining a article, writing a talk, making progress on proof, attempting to sharpen a business strategy.

You can participate in at least two or three sessions in a typical week. Finding time for this strategy is easy, as it takes advantage of periods that would otherwise be wasted like walking the dog or commuting to work. And while doing so you can apply productive meditation to your most pressing problem at moment

Things To Be Aware Of

1. Be Wary Of Distraction

When you begin a productive meditation session, your mind’s first act of rebellion will be to offer unrelated but seemingly more interesting thoughts. When you notice your attention is slipping away from problem at hand, gently remind yourself that you can return to that thought later, then redirect your attention back.

2. Looping

When faced with a hard problem, your mind, as it was evolved to do, will attempt to avoid excess expenditure of energy when possible. One way it might attempt to sidestep this expenditure is by avoiding diving deeper into the problem by instead looping over and over again on what you already know about it. When you notice it, remark to yourself that you seem to be in a loop, then redirect your attention toward the next step

How To Structure Deep Thinking

Step 1 Writer suggest by starting with a careful review of the relevant variables for solving the problem and then storing these values in your working memory. For example, if you are working on the outline for a book chapter, the relevant variables might be the main points you want to make in the chapter.
Step 2 Once the relevant variables are identified, define the specific next step question you need to answer using these variables. What’s the next question I need to answer, now that I have these variables? For example “How am I going to effectively open this chapter?”

With the relevant variables stored and the next step question identified, you now have specific target for your attention

Step 3 The final step of this structured approach to deep thinking is to consolidate your gains by reviewing clearly the answer you identified This cycle of reviewing and storing variables, identifying and tackling the next step question, then consolidating your gains (i.e. Step 1 to 3) is like an intense workout routine for your concentration ability. It will help you get more out of your productive meditation sessions and accelerate the pace at which you improve your ability to go deep

Action Steps In Short

Think of a problem or a topic you want to explore.
Select a routine activity (driving, walk, gym, cooking, dishwashing) you can use to practice productive meditation.
Practice productive meditation.
Write about what you discovered in the session, immediately afterwards so that you don’t forget (with time you will get better to remember what you discovered).
Schedule another session for the week

Reference- DEEP WORK by Cal Newport

Thanks For Reading