Highlights from May, 2023

Looking back at the numbers and improvements. What are your thoughts on flexible sessions?

I can't believe we're already 40% through 2023. Let's take a moment to celebrate the numbers we've had in May!

Last month, our community completed 383 sessions! We dedicated a total of 337 hours to deep work. That's some serious focus and dedication :)!

In case you’ve not visited the site in the last month, several improvements went live:

Tasks and Power Goals

If you've already dived into Cal Newport's book, "Deep Work," then you'll find the concept of "Power Goals" quite familiar. Think of them as your version of "Wildly Important Goals." These are the goals that hold real significance in your life. Let's face it, deep work can be draining, so it's crucial to invest your focused hours wisely. There's no sense in devoting precious time to things that won't make a lasting impact. The whole point of "Power Goals" is to be intentional about pursuing projects that truly matter and are worth your valuable time.

Tasks are like the trusty to-do lists you're already familiar with, but with a little twist: when creating a task, we ask you to estimate how long you think it will take. This small addition serves a vital purpose. By encouraging you to take a moment and consider the time required for each task, we aim to prevent overcommitment, overload, and the dreaded burnout.

However, the functionality still has room for improvement. As I continue to explore ways to enhance its value for you, I would like your suggestions and feedback on how to make it even better.

Beeminder Integration

When it comes to productivity tools, there are those that help you improve your life, and then there are those that have the power to transform your life. Beeminder falls into the latter category.

In case you missed the previous post, I am excited that trydeepwork now integrates with Beeminder. To learn more about this development, do check out either this post

or the one published by the amazing Beeminder team. Beeminder will sting you to your success.

Other changes

1. As soon as you finish a session, you can seamlessly transition into selecting your next session. This is designed to help you maintain your focus and momentum, keeping you in the zone without losing valuable context.

2. I've also resolved a bug that was causing completed challenges to not appear on your accomplishments page. You can now see all your completed challenges showcased on your accomplishments page as intended.

3. Your shareable dashboard no longer contains the weekly and monthly metrics. They are now moved to your monthly analytics.

Feedback

Improving sessions

If you're still reading, I would greatly appreciate your feedback on how the sessions should evolve.

One issue I encounter with the current sessions is that the tasks often have unconventional durations, such as 3 hours or 1.45 hours, and the current structure restricts me from accommodating them. Nonetheless, I still consider these tasks as deep work.

However, I am hesitant to eliminate the "levels" structure, as it motivates me to strive for completing the level I have chosen. While I work on finding ways to improve this, please feel free to share any thoughts you may have on enhancing it.

Integrations

Which other tools do you use regularly, and how would integrating them with trydeepwork be beneficial?

Presently, I am exploring the integration possibilities with Google Calendar, Notion, and Todoist.

If you have any thoughts regarding the mentioned tools, please share your feedback.

Share any other feedback using this form

Wishing you a wonderful and fruitful month of June!