Deep work: study in one window
Every switch between tabs and apps costs attention; keeping your study in one place keeps you focused.
4 min read
Deep work is focused, uninterrupted work on something hard: the kind of study that actually builds understanding. The term comes from Cal Newport's book of the same name.
What switching costs
When you switch away from a task, part of your attention stays with it for a while, so the next task gets less of you. Researchers call this attention residue. Jumping between a PDF, a notes app, a flashcard app and a chat window pays this cost again and again.
Leroy (2009), “Why is it so hard to do my work?”, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes; Newport (2016), Deep Work.
How to do it
- Decide what this session is for before you start.
- Close everything that isn't that. Put your phone in another room.
- Work in timed blocks (see Pomodoro).
Doing it in Qenot
Qenot puts reading, highlighting, notes, questions and practice in one window, so a study session doesn't need other tabs. Full screen hides even the sidebar, and the focus timer keeps the session bounded.
Try it in Qenot
Open a topicCommon questions
Is a quick check of my phone really that bad?
It's more costly than it feels: part of your attention stays on what you switched to for a while afterwards. A few checks an hour add up to a lot of shallow study.