Deep Questions with Cal Newport

In this episode Cal – against his better judgment – answers questions on the fly, with no advance plan or preparation. He also does a Deep Dive about the Twitter fog dissipating and discusses something interesting.
Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
Deep Dive: What was Twitter anyway? [4:46]
- Is there a difference between passion and calling? [27:09]
- What are the four principles to reimagine knowledge work? [31:50]
- Is movie watching part of the Deep Life? [36:05]
- Does fixed schedule productivity work on a weekly scale? [38:54]
- How does effective altruism fit in value-based lifestyle career planning? [41:01]
- What are Cal’s thoughts on David Graber’s book, “Bull Shit Jobs”? [44:00]
- Do distracted adolescents risk losing the ability to focus as they grow older? [46:57]
- Does slow productivity assist with parenting and professional development? [48:29]
Something Interesting: Rob Drydek’s productivity system [1:00:37]
Links:
nytimes.com/2023/04/18/magazine/twitter-dying.html
Thanks to our Sponsors:
fieldofgreens.com Promo Code: Deep
hensonshaving.com/cal
rhone.com/cal
huel.com/questions
Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

When it comes to generating fantastic ideas – the type that can make your career – you don’t have to passively wait for inspiration to strike. You can, instead, *hack* the creative process to increase the odds of coming up with something great. In this episode, Cal explores one of the more powerful forms of “creativity hacking”: making use of strange locations.

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

Today’s Deep Question: Why do you work better in strange locations? [3:31]

Does Cal read online articles? [34:35]

Is fitness tracking on my Apple Watch an excuse to stay distracted? [40:09]

Which is better for original thinking: the city or the country? [43:05]

How do I organize the pursuit of deep ideas? [47:19]

Does reading books from unrelated genres help idea generation? [51:57]

CAL REACTS: Over stimulation is ruining your life! [59:11]

Links:

blog.computationalcomplexity.org/2020/02/pre-publish-and-perish.html

calnewport.com/on-using-inspiring-locations-to-inspire-deeper-work/

youtube.com/watch?v=yYWvUoN4yt8

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions and get on your way to being your best self

hensonshaving.com/cal

blinkist.com/deep

ladderlife.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.
Video from today’s episode: https://tinyurl.com/b2rkctfj
CORE IDEA: Time Management [4:37]
DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:
- What does deliberate practice look like for computer programming? [30:15]
- Is it rational to quit your job if it implies a potential harm to society? [36:04]
- When is deep work not the most important metric? [39:04]
- Should I stay a job where the management actively tries to stifle productivity? [42:46]
- What are your (Cal’s) tips for a mother of two small kids getting her masters? [51:15]
DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:
- Is raising kids part of the deep life or an obstacle to achieving it? [1:00:22]
- Is listening to audiobooks just as beneficial as reading hard-copy books? [1:04:55]
- How do I accomplish a digital detox when all of my leisure involves my phone? [1:06:07]
- How can high school students excel without SATs? [1:11:06]
- Should I worry about social media getting me fired from my job? [1:12:21]
Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

We talk a lot on this show about how to organize and execute your work, but not enough about where to do it. In this episode, Cal explores the theory and practice of “adventure working,” in which you escape to novel and inspiring locations to tackle your most demanding and interesting cognitive efforts. He then answers reader questions about habits and rituals, before ending with a critical look at a famous football club’s distressing embrace of pseudo-productivity.
Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
Deep Dive: Re-Enchanting Work [5:39]
- What are Cal’s health habits? [31:12]
- What’s the difference between discipline and rituals? [34:08]
- How does Cal read so much? [37:37]
- What are Cal’s writing-related rituals? [40:44]
- Should I go slow in my job hunting? [45:05]
- CALL: Working at a natural pace as a teacher [49:47]
- CALL: How to navigate the “pull system” [54:31]
CASE STUDY: Organizing files in a household [1:00:57]
CAL REACTS: Manchester’s United’s Pseudo-Productivity [1:11:13]
Links:

• Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
• Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
• calnewport.com/adventure-studying-an-unconventional-new-approach-to-exam-preperation/
• calnewport.com/bonus-post-an-adventure-studying-case-study/
• instagram.com/p/B1y5dV3HSC9/?igshid=1r2acwbmfztew
• apcc.org/pond-stories-mary-olivers-blackwater-pond-provincetown/
• scottishfield.co.uk/scotland-travel/the-black-heart-of-scots-crime-writer-ian-rankin/
• calnewport.com/the-power-of-the-outdoor-office/
• calnewport.com/deep-habits-my-office-in-the-woods/
• theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/08/sir-jim-ratcliffe-manchester-united-remote-work-ban-email-traffic
• theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/hybrid-work-attention-productivity/677598/

Thanks to our Sponsors:

• shopify.com/deep
• blinkist.com/deep
• listening.com/deep
• drinklmnt.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

The fall is the perfect time to tune up your productivity and organizational systems. With this in mind, in this episode, Cal discusses a tool he has long used in his own life but never discussed before in public: the weekly template. He then answers questions on the theme of personal productivity from listeners and reviews the books he read in August.

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

Deep Dive: Weekly Templates [3:29]

How does Cal schedule his evening writing sessions? [26:08]

How can I leverage my current career capital to become an entrepreneur? [30:30]

How do I find time for non-urgent but interesting deep work? [35:59]

Is afternoon deep work possible? [39:16]

Can I use slow productivity to help prepare for a job interview? [45:49]

CALL: How do I not be reactionary during my busy season? [51:42]

CASE STUDY: Using Cal’s toolkit while working in the Peace Corps [56:52]

FINAL SEGMENT: The 5 Books Cal Read in August 2024 [1:06:05]

Links:

Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow

Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/

Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions

zocdoc.com/deep

notion.com/cal

ladderlife.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for the slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.