---
title: Deep Work Blocks Produce 500% More Value
date: 2025-09-07T04:04:26.855420
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So, the sun hits my desk at this weird angle every morning, making it almost impossible to see my screen without squinting. I should buy curtains or something, but then again, maybe I like the sun in my eyes? It feels like nature’s way of telling me to get up, move around, maybe stop doom-scrolling Instagram. Which reminds me, I deleted Instagram last week, again. I don't know. Will this time stick?
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about productivity, or my complete lack thereof. Like, how there’s this thing called "deep work" that everyone’s raving about. You know Cal Newport? I think he wrote a book, maybe a few. I remember reading somewhere—or maybe it was a podcast?—that if you work in these uninterrupted blocks of time, like four hours or something, you get, like, 500% more done? That number seems wild. But also, weirdly possible? Because, I get it, when I’m just dodging notifications and trying to remember what I was doing every ten minutes, it feels like my brain is just endlessly loading. Like those buffering circles, just without the soothing animation.
There's this thing, a flow state—I think athletes talk about it a lot. Like when you're so into something that everything else fades away. But how do you even get into that state these days? Between buzzing phones, the constant ping of emails—or the infinite rabbit holes of YouTube “suggested next”? I find myself wondering if I’ve maybe ever truly done deep work or if I’m just, I don’t know, deep scrolling?
Every time I try to schedule these mythical four-hour blocks, something always comes up. My cat decides it’s the perfect time to knock everything off the shelf, or suddenly, I need to deep clean my fridge, which is definitely not procrastination, right? The whole context switching thing supposedly takes a toll. Like, there was this study, probably decades ago, that said it can take around 20 minutes to get back on track after interruptions. But, you know, who’s really counting?
I’m skeptical of these promises. Like, what if I’m just fooling myself into thinking a bit of sunlight-induced productivity guilt is the same as this "deep work"? Maybe I should just accept that my brain works in chaotic bursts. Besides, four hours feels like an eternity. Does anyone really work uninterrupted for that long?
All these strategies, these life hacks—they sound good in theory. But, in practice, I’m not sure if they’re just a mirage. Maybe I haven’t given it a proper go. Or maybe I’m just doomed to be a fragmented worker, forever battling distractions in my sun-drenched living room.
But maybe that's okay. I don't know. I never seem to reach any grand revelations. Maybe I just need another coffee. Or to finally buy those blinds. Who knows?