One Pager Cheat Sheet

• Newport, an Associate Professor of Computer Science himself, has written Deep Work to make the argument that deep work is essential for modern day knowledge workers, and has provided practices and habits to help cultivate this ability.
• In a winner takes all market, one skill determines success, while in an auction market multiple skills are required to succeed.
• Software engineering combines a technical skill of writing high-quality code with elements of a marketing or auction where value is determined by a variety of factors beyond just the code itself.
• Developing software that is successful requires the timely launch of a good product through the completion of a technical project, where the success is dependent on clear requirements and continuous progress.
• In order to attain higher levels of success in software engineering, there should be a minimum bar of technical knowledge that must be met, but being a reliable technical contributor should also be overwhelmingly focused on in order to achieve "winner takes all" rather than an "auction profession".