Book Review: Deep Work by Cal Newport (With ADHD Fixes)

by | Apr 10, 2025

Want to get more great things done in less time? Deep Work is the answer.

In our distracted world, focused work is rare and more valuable than ever. Cal Newport shows how to master this skill and transform your productivity.

But what if your brain is wired differently? For those with ADHD, Newport's principles need thoughtful adaptation. The section at the end of the article will show you exactly how to harness the unique strengths of the ADHD brain while working around its challenges to achieve deep work states that actually feel sustainable and rewarding.

Premise

Deep work is a focused, distraction-free effort that pushes your brain to its limits.

Newport defines it simply: "Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit."

Think:

  • A software engineer coding for 4 hours straight without checking email
  • A writer producing 5,000 words in a morning session with their phone off
  • A designer solving a complex problem by sketching ideas without interruption

The opposite is shallow work—those tasks you do while half-paying attention. Think email-checking, form-filling, or sitting through pointless meetings.

One of the key Newport's claims is that deep work is becoming both more rare and more valuable at the same time. This creates a huge opportunity for those willing to master it.

Why Deep Work Matters Now

Your brain is like a muscle that gets weaker every time you check your phone. Most people now check their devices 85+ times daily!

  • Each distraction costs 23 minutes of refocused time (even more for us ADHDers!)
  • The average person gets only 1 hour and 12 minutes of deep work daily
  • 75% of people can't maintain focus on one task for even 3 minutes

Newport's research shows that even a single glance at email lowers your cognitive function more than smoking a joint—yikes!

How To Recognize Deep Work

You're in deep work mode when:

  • Time seems to disappear
  • You feel mentally stretched but energized
  • You produce results that surprise even yourself
  • You finish feeling proud instead of drained

In his book, Cal Newport not only proves that deep work is crucial, but also gives practical advice for how to make it your superpower.

Deep Work Rules That Work With ADHD

Newport's deep work philosophy presents both unique challenges and surprising advantages for ADHDers. While the neurotypical approach to deep work assumes consistent executive function abilities, the ADHD brain requires thoughtful adaptations to access similar benefits.

Let's adapt Newport's rules to match how your brain actually works.

Rule #1: Work Deeply

This rule focuses on creating rituals and routines that make deep work easier and more automatic, helping you overcome the effortful nature of deep concentration in an environment and culture that makes it difficult. Newport provides different scheduling philosophies (monastic, bimodal, rhythmic, and journalistic) to help you integrate deep work into your life based on your circumstances.

ADHD Fix:

  • Work in shorter bursts, not marathon sessions, with short movement breaks. Try 25-minute focus blocks with 5-minute breaks.
  • Schedule these during your natural energy peaks—not 8am if you're a night owl!
  • Create a "launch ritual" that tells your brain it's focus time.
  • Work alongside someone else (body doubling) to stay on track.

The research backs this up. Studies show body doubling improves focus through what researchers call "the Hawthorne effect"—we focus on work better when others are present (FLOWN, 2024). This contradicts Newport's solitude recommendation but works better for ADHD minds.

For example, Sarah—a Director of Engineering with ADHD and my client—blocks 10am-noon three days a week for deep work. She breaks this into 25-minute sessions with quick stretch breaks. She gets more done in these 6 hours than she used to accomplish all week.

Rule #2: Embrace Boredom

Intense concentration is a skill that must be trained, much like athletes who take care of their bodies outside training sessions; you need to take care of your concentration outside your deep work sessions. This involves training your brain to resist distractions and building your ability to concentrate by embracing periods of boredom rather than immediately seeking stimulation.

ADHD Fix: ADHD brains have altered dopamine processing, making boredom genuinely uncomfortable (Barkley, 2024). Movement and fidgeting help regulate ADHD neurotransmitters during focus periods.

  • Practice "productive meditation" during walks (solve problems while moving).
  • Use fidget tools to manage physical restlessness.
  • Reward your brain for sticking with tough tasks.

When I was with SurveyMonkey, I frequently took my in-person 1:1s and phone meetings as a walk outside. This simple switch transformed my workday.

My fidgety energy became a useful movement instead of distraction. I listened better because my body was occupied. Ideas flowed more naturally while walking than when trapped in a chair.

Best of all, I solved the "afternoon crash" problem. Those 1-2pm meetings that used to drain me completely became energizing breaks. I'd return to my desk with clearer thinking and better solutions than if we'd sat in a stuffy conference room.

Rule #3: Quit Social Media

Rather than arguing distraction is bad, Newport celebrates the power of its opposite and suggests a more intentional approach. He suggests evaluating the value social media tools bring to your life versus their negative impacts on your ability to concentrate and do deep work.

ADHD Fix: Be strategic, not extreme.

  • Delete social apps from your phone or use tools that limit your access to them during your deep work periods. (I have been using Opal.so for a few years now, and my screen time dropped 70% as a result!)
  • Schedule specific check-in times (don't use them as breaks during deep work).
  • Turn off all notifications.
  • Fill newfound time with high-value activities you enjoy.

Attempting to deepen your focus will fail if you don't simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on distraction, but cold-turkey approaches often backfire with ADHD.

Rule #4: Drain the Shallows

This approach is about getting rid of or drastically minimizing things that can be considered shallow, such as excessive emails, meetings, and other low-value activities that fragment your attention. Newport recommends scheduling every minute of your workday and creating fixed boundaries between work and personal time to maximize deep work and recovery.

ADHD Fix: Scheduling every minute might be excessive—ADHD brains need flexibility. Create structure without rigidity.

  • Block your day into three categories: deep work, shallow work, and buffer time.
  • Use task batching for small stuff (do all emails at once).
  • Create a simple "shutdown ritual" to signal your brain work is done.
  • Use external systems (not your memory) to track everything.

Research from the Journal of Psychology shows time blocking can reduce procrastination and increase task completion by 40%, but the approach needs ADHD-specific modifications (FLOWN, 2024). The key is building in recovery time and flexibility.

One of my clients created a "shallow work power hour" each day at 3pm. All the little tasks go there. This freed his mornings for deep work while ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

The ADHD Deep Work Advantage

Your ADHD brain has a secret weapon: hyperfocus. This is essentially deep work on steroids.

The trick is channeling this superpower toward what matters:

  • Notice which activities naturally trigger your hyperfocus.
  • Create the right environmental conditions to activate it.
  • Use visual reminders to keep you on productive tasks.
  • Leverage your interest-based nervous system (connect boring tasks to interesting outcomes).

Studies show that while ADHD brains struggle with attention regulation, they can achieve extraordinary focus when engaged in stimulating tasks.

When Deep Work Feels Impossible

Some days, your executive function just isn't there. That's normal. On these days:

  • Lower expectations but don't abandon them completely.
  • Use the "This is what I'm doing now!" technique to maintain focus (ADDitude, 2021).
  • Consider if medication needs adjustment (if you take it).
  • Use more external accountability.
  • Remember: consistent imperfect effort beats perfection.

Mastering deep work with ADHD isn't about forcing yourself into a neurotypical box. It's about adapting the system to work with—not against—your unique brain wiring.

References