Deep Questions with Cal Newport

By Cal Newport

Technology

What's Deep Questions with Cal Newport about?

Cal Newport is a computer science professor and a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives.

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Ep. 267: Why Are You Tired?

09.25.2023

Knowledge workers increasingly describe themselves as exhausted and burnt out. Why is this happening? In this episode, Cal argues that some of the obvious answers aren’t enough to explain the phenomenon. The real answer is both less expected and perhaps ...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport episodes:

09.25.2023 Ep. 267: Why Are You Tired? Knowledge workers increasingly describe themselves as exhausted and burnt out. Why is this happening? In this episode, Cal argues that some of the obvious answers aren’t enough to explain the phenomenon. The real answer is both less expected and perhaps ...
09.18.2023 Ep. 266: Take Control of Your Technology Habits Do we need to move to a ranch in the middle of nowhere to take control of our technology habits? Cal argues that these types of extreme examples are counter-productive, making it seem like real changes are close to impossible. ...
09.11.2023 Ep. 265: Big Ideas for Deeper Living In this episode, Cal visits eight of the most influential books in personal productivity, identifying for each a single idea that ended up most resonating both with his own work and the culture more generally. Below are the questions covered ...
09.04.2023 Ep. 264: IN-DEPTH: How to Master Change (with Brad Stulberg) Change is unavoidable. You can either fear it or learn to master it. In this interview episode, Cal talks with longtime friend of the show, Brad Stulberg, about his new book, “Master of Change.” Below are the questions covered in ...
08.28.2023 Ep. 263: Overhaul Your Life Too many people believe that the New Year is the right time to undertake major improvements to your life. In this episode, Cal argues that it is instead right now, at the beginning of fall, that is the best time ...
08.21.2023 Ep. 262: Creativity Hacking 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 ...
08.14.2023 Ep. 261: Control Your Time In celebration of the newly released second edition of the Time Block Planner, Cal provides some additional expert tips for getting the most out of a time blocking discipline before answering listener questions on the general topic of time management. ...
08.07.2023 Ep. 260: Make Haste Slowly One of the most popular (and widely forgotten) slogans of the ancient world was Festina Lente, or, “Make Haste Slowly.” In this episode, Cal looks deeper at what this phrase meant, and in doing so uncovers an ancient version of ...
07.31.2023 Ep. 259: The Four-Hour Work Day Do you ever feel completely overwhelmed by everything you have to do? The writer Oliver Burkeman recently experimented with an unexpected response to this common sensation: he decided to work much less. In more detail, he wanted to see what ...
07.24.2023 Ep. 258: Godel’s Deep Life Stack Do history’s greatest thinkers care about time management? In today’s episode, Cal analyzes the system that the mathematician and philosopher, Kurt Godel, used to structure his days, weeks, and years to produce meaningful work over a long period of time. ...
07.17.2023 Ep. 257: Refusing Overwork Sometimes the most effective way to contain your workload is to simply declare how long you’re willing to work and then refuse to violate your pledge. In this episode, Cal revisits this “fixed-schedule productivity” strategy, which he first introduced way ...
07.10.2023 Ep. 256: Start with Discipline In Cal’s new “deep life stack” the first layer toward finding more meaning is to develop discipline. Why does this come first? In this episode, Cal dives deeper into the importance of starting with discipline. Below are the questions covered ...
07.03.2023 Ep. 255: The Failure of Cybernetic Productivity Over the past twenty years, “productivity” has come to be synonymous with using digital tools to speed up non-essential parts of knowledge work. As cal argues in this episode, this “cybernetic” approach has proven to be a complete failure. He ...
06.26.2023 Ep. 254: The Laws of Less Some of the most interesting and impactful people in the world build their work around a commitment to doing only a few things very well. No one remembers that it took Newton decades to finish The Principia, they just know ...
06.19.2023 Ep. 253: Making Time for What Matters (w/ Laura Vanderkam) In this episode, Cal is joined by Laura Vanderkam (author of Tranquility by Tuesday and co-host of the Best of Both Worlds podcast). Cal and Laura tackle a collection of your questions about the struggle to make time for the ...
06.12.2023 Ep. 252: The Deep Life Stack How do you leave a life of superficial distraction and cultivate something deeper? In today’s episode, Cal describes “The Deep Life Stack,” an approach to cultivating a deep life that starts with overhauling the person before making the big decisions. ...
06.05.2023 Ep. 251: The Efficiency Trap Productivity YouTube is filled with breathless videos about optimizing systems and squeezing every ounce of speed out of your common habits. But does all of this efficiency really end up improving the quality of the most important things you produce? ...
05.29.2023 Ep. 250: In Defense of Thinking The art of thinking – plain, old-fashioned, hard concentration on useful ideas – is rapidly vanishing as our culture recasts humans as the custodians and recipients of digital computation. In this episode, Cal explains why this is a problem and ...
05.22.2023 Ep. 249: The Good Enough Job (w/ Simone Stolzoff) Do you live to work or work to live? In this episode, Cal talks with author Simone Stolfzoff about his provocative new book, THE GOOD ENOUGH JOB. Cal then answers listener questions about escaping professional unhappiness, and then switches gears ...
05.15.2023 Ep. 248: Decoding Overload Few professional experiences feel worse than overload. But what really causes this unfortunate state? In this episode, Cal takes a closer look at overload, identifying its main culprits, identifying solutions, and helping listeners with their specific overload-related questions. Below are ...
05.08.2023 Ep. 247: The Productive Life (w/ Sarah Hart-Unger) We talk a lot on this show about how to be more organized and intentional in how you spend your time at work. But what about at home? In this episode, Cal is joined by Sarah Hart-Unger (https://theshubox.com/), a leading ...
05.01.2023 Ep. 246: Kids and Phones Are smartphones bad for kids? Cal walks through the data on this question, including how researchers came to be worried, their findings, critiques of their findings, and where we are today. He then gives recommendations for how to think about ...
04.24.2023 Ep. 245: “Crazy” Productivity 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 ...
04.17.2023 Ep. 244: Thoughts on ChatGPT Are new AI technologies like ChatGPT about to massively disrupt our world? Drawing from his recent New Yorker article on the topic, Cal explains exactly how programs like ChatGPT work, and uses this knowledge to explain why we can calm ...
04.10.2023 Ep. 243: In The Weeds! Cal Newport answers 10 questions from his audience ranging from idea management to the Deep Life to writing. Throughout all the answers, you’ll hear Cal explain his core concepts and how they apply to everyday working life. Below are the ...
04.03.2023 Ep. 242: The Simple Life Why do stories of people moving to the country to dedicate their lives to simple living resonate so strongly with us overworked knowledge workers? Cal explores lessons we can extract from these instincts that can improve our lives right now, ...
03.27.2023 Ep. 241: The Virality Trap Why does Twitter maintain such a strong grip on those who produce things with their minds for a living? Is it really so critical that we all spend so many hours spreading our output on this particular platform? In today’s ...
03.20.2023 Ep. 240: Disciplined Laziness You can’t just turn a “work harder” or “relax” knob. Once you realize that productivity ideas can offer you great autonomy in shaping your life - however you decide to do that - your relationship with it becomes more nuanced ...
03.13.2023 Ep. 239: On Time and Stress The relationship with time is one of the more interesting things going on in work culture. Many knowledge workers take on too much work and become overloaded. If we have less to do, our relationship with time can be repaired. ...
03.06.2023 Ep. 238: The Joys of the Reading Life The reading life is a deep life. The screen-filled life can be primitive and exhausting. Which one do you want? Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: ...
02.27.2023 Ep. 237: Reimagining the Internet Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: https://youtube.com/calnewportmedia Today’s Deep Question: Should we consider a radically reimagined internet? [7:03] - Can we ...
02.20.2023 Ep. 236: Hacking Remote Work Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: https://www.youtube.com/calnewportmedia Today’s Deep Question: How can I significantly decrease the footprint of my remote job ...
02.13.2023 Ep. 235: Is Productivity Overrated? 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: Does Cal Still Think That Productivity is Overrated? [6:46] - Should ...
02.06.2023 Ep. 234: Ambition without Burnout 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: How can we be ambitious without burning out? [8:23] - How ...
01.30.2023 Ep. 233: Escaping Your Tyrannical Inbox 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: How can I free myself from spending all day in my ...
01.23.2023 Ep. 232: The Lumberjack Paradox Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia Today’s Deep Question: Why are lumberjacks happier than lawyers? [3:06] - Should I leave ...
01.16.2023 Ep. 231: Fight Burnout with Work Cycles 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: Work Cycles [6:57] - Should I leave my relaxing job to make ...
01.09.2023 Ep. 230: How Well Are You Living? 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: How well are you living? [11:14] - How do you track deep ...
01.02.2023 Ep. 229: Developing Discipline 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: youtube.com/calnewportmedia Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo QUESTIONS: - How do ...
12.26.2022 Ep. 228: A World Without Busyness Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: A World Without Busyness? [4:51] - In an era of Quiet Quitting is it easier to become a star? [22:09] - How do I resist my job’s demand ...
12.19.2022 Ep. 227: Visions of the Deep Life? Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo - DEEP DIVE: Should I Manage Time or Stress? [2:50] - How do I switch from a push to pull model of task management? [27:05] - Where should I live? ...
12.12.2022 Ep. 226: The Productivity Dragon Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo - CALL: How do I balance different productivity systems? [5:24] - How do I deal with a sudden increase in my work responsibilities? [12:29] - How use the “waiting for” ...
12.05.2022 Ep. 225: Should I Become A Thriller Writer? (w/ J.T. Ellison) Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: Did Alan Turing Invent The Computer? [5:25] INTERVIEW: Thriller writer J.T. Ellison [25:23] Thanks to our Sponsors: policygenius.com eightsleep.com/deep hensonshaving.com/cal Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a ...
11.28.2022 Ep. 224: A World Without Twitter? Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: A World Without Twitter? [7:28] bit.ly/3hQ9Wh4 LIVE CALLER: Starting a new company alone [34:28] - How do I (carefully) convince my employer to embrace Deep Work? [51:48] - ...
11.21.2022 Ep. 223: Could This Meeting Have Been An Email? Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: Could This Meeting Have Been An Email? [5:48] bit.ly/3EDcuZ0 Questions for special guest host David Sax: - Is the Light Phone worth the money? [28:38] - How do ...
11.14.2022 Ep. 222: Did Cavemen Use To-Do Lists? Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: Did Caveman Use To-Do Lists? [1:28] Article Link: bit.ly/3NYRbnF - LIVE CALL: Debating a master’s program [27:59] - How do I practice the “journalistic” mode of scheduling deep ...
11.07.2022 Ep. 221: Can Parents Do Deep Work? Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: The 20% Paradox [4:54] - INTERVIEW with Yael Schonbrun [18:59] - Cal and Jesse talk about Schonbrun interview [1:13:18] MAILBAG: [1:24:00] - Twitter is losing its most active ...
11.01.2022 Ep. 220: The Two Types of Ambition Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: The Two Types of Ambition [4:36] - LIVE CALL: Escaping the “Second Control Tap” [28:10] - Can journaling make me a better writer? [53:26] - What’s an example ...
10.26.2022 Listen to This: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos Here’s a special preview of the new season of The Happiness Lab, a podcast from Pushkin Industries. You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life… more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead ...
10.24.2022 Ep. 219: The Deep Reset Link to submit questions: bit.ly/3U3sTvo DEEP DIVE: The Deep Reset [8:58] - Should I use Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break the Chain” method? [37:48] - Does Cal have a separate task board and weekly plan for his personal life? [42:07] - How ...

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