How I Boosted Deep Work to 60% and Achieved More in Less Time—Here’s My Playbook 🎯

10x your output as a software engineer.

Credit — Midjourney.

You don’t feel satisfied at the end of the workday.

Back in 2022, I was no different. I was working at my third job as a software engineer, juggling meetings, fixing bugs, writing documentation, and reviewing code like a productivity machine. But something didn’t sit right.

Every evening, I’d close my laptop and stare at my to-do list, feeling like I’d run a marathon in place. I was busy—but I wasn’t making real progress. The big projects, the ones that excited me when I joined the company, were always on tomorrow’s to-do list.

And let’s be honest: I was burned out.

Days filled with Slack pings and back-to-back meetings left me with no energy for the work I actually cared about.

Then I stumbled on a concept that changed everything: deep vs shallow work.