Planning
Batch Shallow Work Planner
Newport's rule: drain the shallows by batching email, Slack, and admin — not sprinkling them through deep work. Four questions to place your shallow windows so deep work survives.
Results
Answer the questions to get your shallow-work batch schedule.
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How to Do Deep Work
Answer 4 questions and get a Cal Newport–style deep work plan — scheduling, environment, shallow-work cuts, and your first protected focus block.
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Shallow Work Audit
Calculate how much of your workweek is shallow work — meetings, email, Slack, and admin — versus time left for deep work. Cal Newport–style audit in 60 seconds.
Deep or Shallow Work Quiz
Is this task deep or shallow work? Answer 4 questions about any task and get a clear verdict — protect, batch, delegate, or eliminate — based on Cal Newport's framework.
Frequently asked questions
- What is batching shallow work?
- Processing email, Slack, and admin in fixed windows instead of all day — so deep work blocks stay uninterrupted. Core to Newport's "drain the shallows."
- How often should I check email?
- Twice daily works for most knowledge workers — late morning and late afternoon. Sync cultures may need a third batch; never during deep work.
- How is this different from the shallow work audit?
- The audit quantifies how much is shallow. This tool schedules when to process it — action plan after the numbers.