Quotes About Commitment

Feynman was adamant in avoiding administrative duties because he knew they would only decrease his ability to do the one thing that mattered most in his professional life: "to do real good physics work.

Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.

To do real good physics work, you do need absolute solid lengths of time … it needs a lot of concentration … if you have a job administrating anything, you don't have the time. So I have invented another myth for myself: that I'm irresponsible. I'm actively irresponsible. I tell everyone I don't do anything. If anyone asks me to be on a committee for admissions, "no," I tell them: I'm irresponsible.

Don't follow your passion; rather, let it follow you in your quest to become, in the words of my favorite Steve Martin quote, "so good that they can't ignore you.

the differences between expert performers and normal adults reflect a life-long period of deliberate effort to improve performance in a specific domain." American

When deciding whether to follow an appealing pursuit that will introduce more control into your work life, seek evidence of whether people are willing to pay for it. If you find this evidence, continue. If not, move on.

There is a middle ground, and if you're interested in developing a deep work habit, you must fight to get there.

Se tan bueno que no puedan ignorarte.

monastic philosophy of deep work scheduling. This philosophy attempts to maximize deep efforts by eliminating or radically minimizing shallow obligations.

Conclusion #3: Passion Is a Side Effect of Mastery

the monastic philosophy of deep work scheduling. This philosophy attempts to maximize deep efforts by eliminating or radically minimizing shallow obligations. Practitioners of the monastic philosophy tend to have a well-defined and highly valued professional goal that they're pursuing, and the bulk of their professional success comes from doing this one thing exceptionally well.

Without this patient willingness to reject shiny new pursuits, you'll derail your efforts before you acquire the capital you need.

I keep a tally of the total number of hours I've spent that month in a state of deliberate practice.

True missions, it turns out, require two things. First you need career capital, which requires patience. Second, you need to be ceaselessly scanning your always-changing view of the adjacent possible in your field, looking for the next big idea. This requires a dedication to brainstorming and exposure to new ideas. Combined, these two commitments describe a lifestyle, not a series of steps that automatically spit out a mission when completed.

As long as we remain committed to a workflow based on constant, ad hoc messaging, our Paleolithic brain will remain in a state of low-grade anxiety.

the big red Xs on the calendar.

Conclusion #2: Passion Takes Time

Hours spent in serious study of the game was not just the most important factor in predicting chess skill, it dominated the other factors.

this approach, in which you fit deep work wherever you can into your schedule, the journalist philosophy.

Do fewer things. Do them better. Know why you're doing them

By working on a single hard task for a long time without switching, Grant minimizes the negative impact of attention residue from his other obligations, allowing him to maximize performance on this one task.

1: Prioritize demanding activity over passive consumption.

To summarize, big trends in business today actively decrease people's ability to perform deep work, even though the benefits promised by these trends (e.g., increased serendipity, faster responses to requests, and more exposure) are arguably dwarfed by the benefits that flow from a commitment to deep work (e.g., the ability to learn hard things fast and produce at an elite level).

To leave the distracted masses to join the focused few, I'm arguing, is a transformative experience.