How Carl Newport stayed focused

Brilliant long-form:

Another lesson of my M.I.T. years was the fundamental separation between busyness and productivity. Scientists who work in labs, and have to run experiments or crunch numbers, can famously work long hours. Theoreticians can’t, as there’s only so much time you can usefully think about math. Right before a paper deadline, you might push hard to get results written up. On the other hand, weeks could go by with little more than the occasional brainstorming session. An average day might require two or three hours of hard cogitation.

Source: How I Learned to Concentrate

• The author pursued their PhD in theoretical computer science at MIT, studying in the Theory of Computation group.
• The group placed a strong emphasis on concentration, which the author came to see as the most important skill in their field.
• The group included exceptionally talented researchers, including child prodigies and multiple Turing Award winners.
• Theoretical computer scientists at MIT focused on mathematical proofs rather than programming or experiments.
• Researchers demonstrated formidable ability to focus, understanding complex proofs with minimal explanation.
• Productivity was defined not by busyness but by meaningful breakthrough ideas, however infrequent.
• Valuable insights could emerge from casual conversations rather than intense work.
• The group focused on human cognition over digital tools and artificial intelligence.
• The culture at MIT was highly selective and focused exclusively on research excellence.
• The author believes the group’s emphasis on concentration and true productivity remain broadly important lessons.