Deep Work 30: One 90-Minute Focus Block a Day for 30 Days
Deep Work 30 is a 30-day challenge to complete one uninterrupted 90-minute deep work block every day. No email, no messages, no notifications: just one important task. The idea of deep work comes from Cal Newport’s book of the same name. In GLIN it is a built-in template you do with a friend.
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Scan with your phone to download GLIN.Deep Work 30 at a glance
| Length | 30 days |
|---|---|
| Category | Work |
| Rules | 3 |
| GLIN target | 1 point per day |
| In GLIN | Built into GLIN: start it in one tap |
The rules
- Complete one 90-minute block of focused work every day for 30 days.
- During the block: no email, chat, social media or phone notifications.
- Work on one important task, decided before the block starts.
What you track in GLIN
The Deep Work 30 template sets this up for you. Edit anything before you start.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Complete one 90-minute deep work block | 1 |
Daily target: 1 point per day. Invite a friend, set your stakes, and you’re in.
Where the idea comes from
Computer science professor Cal Newport defined deep work as “professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit” in his 2016 book Deep Work. His argument: the ability to focus is becoming rare and valuable at the same time. Deep Work 30 turns that idea into a daily practice you can measure.
How to do Deep Work 30 in GLIN
- In GLIN, open Explore and tap Deep Work 30. One action, “Complete one 90-minute deep work block”, worth 1 point a day.
- Invite a friend who also needs focus time: a fellow founder, a student, a writer.
- Set a stake for quitting.
- When you finish a block, log it. Your partner gets a notification, which usually means they start theirs.
Tips for protecting the block
- Schedule it like a meeting. Same time each day if you can. Mornings work for most people before the inbox wins.
- Decide the task the night before. Starting the block by choosing what to work on wastes the best minutes.
- Remove the phone. Another room beats Do Not Disturb.
- Keep a distraction list. When something pops into your head, write it down and get back to work.
Want more structure after 30 days? The 100 adds outreach and content to your deep work, scored with points.
Frequently asked questions
What is deep work?
Deep work is focused, distraction-free work on a cognitively demanding task. The term was popularized by computer science professor Cal Newport in his 2016 book "Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World".
Why 90 minutes?
Ninety minutes is long enough to get past the warm-up and make real progress on hard problems, but short enough to fit into most days. If 90 minutes is too much at first, start with 60 and edit the action in GLIN.
Can I split the 90 minutes into two blocks?
The challenge is one continuous block, because the benefit comes from sustained focus. If your schedule truly cannot fit that, agree on an alternative with your partner before you start and write it into the action name.
How do I do Deep Work 30 with a friend?
Start the Deep Work 30 template in GLIN and invite a friend. Each of you logs your block when it is done, and the other gets a notification, which is a strong nudge to start your own.
Start Deep Work 30 with a friend
Free to download. Invite a friend and start today.
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