Focus doesn’t make it faster

You probably think your only problem is distraction. That once you beat procrastination and enter deep focus, you’ll finally move faster on your goals.

But here’s the shocker: deep work doesn’t always make things faster. In fact, it often feels slower, as you begin to realize there’s far more to be done.

That’s because focus reveals the truth. The rushed, last-minute work you used to celebrate was only surface-level. But now, as you dig deeper, more layers appear and more nerves open. New questions emerge. More dots need connecting. You start to see how much more time it takes to do things properly. Your standard of excellence begins to rise, naturally, painfully.

Suddenly, your timeline feels naive. You thought you could finish today. Or this week. Or this month. You put in more and more deep hours. But what once felt close now reveals its true distance, and that can hurt.

You might also feel guilty—for all the years you never worked this way. Because while it’s taking longer now, you understand and appreciate why it should.

Now you know. And once you’ve tasted that depth, it’s hard to go back. Even if it takes longer, you won’t want to do shallow work again.

Because even though this way may be slower, it feels like the true application of yourself. It stretches you. And it feels like it leads somewhere worth going.