Are You Replaceable?

The fact is that most of us can be replaced in the workplace in a heartbeat. Those who are not replaceable are those who provide massive impact.

The fact is that most of us can be replaced in the workplace in a heartbeat. Those who are not truly replaceable are generally seen as providing massive value to an organization, usually in the form of thought leadership and innovation. What skill makes an employee irreplaceable? I recently started learning more about the concept of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, courtesy of Georgetown professor Cal Newport who has written a book of the same name. Deep Work is the skill to undertake sustained, unbroken work that demands full cognitive energy. It is Deep Work that allows one the uninterrupted thinking space to innovate with the likes of Jobs and Gates, to write books, to solve complicated issues. Newport believes that it is becoming increasingly rare to find employees who are capable of engaging in Deep Work effectively at a time when such skills are increasingly valuable.

Why? We are overstimulated today in a world of constant distractions. We have come to believe, mistakenly, that we can multi-task but in fact multitasking has reduced the quality of our work and actually caused us to be less productive. Our work products as a society are increasingly shallow in nature and lacking in creativity.

I believe that Deep Work has particular significance for Millennials who may be more likely to be addicted to technology and the constant distraction of social media. Millennials who cultivate the skill of Deep Work can set themselves apart from their contemporaries both in the quality of their work product and in their overall productivity level. In addition, Newport tells us that those who deliberately practice Deep Work by developing a regular ritual will also be able to learn complicated tasks more quickly.

If you are not practicing Deep Work today, you are a commodity. You can be replaced because the shallow tasks that you undertake to produce your work are likely easily replicable and of low value. Further, if you are not undertaking Deep Work, chances are that you are not living to your full potential and not earning to your full potential either. Want to learn more about Deep Work so that you can start practicing this insanely valuable skill today? Stay tuned as I work to cultivate this skill personally, while sharing my experience and learnings with you here on this blog.

Categories: : Productivity, Focus