Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Ep. 351: Making the Internet Good Again


Listen Later

Tyler Cowen recently wrote an article arguing that spending lots of time online is in fact a good thing. In this episode, Cal looks deeper at Cowen’s argument and finds some surprising common ground. The internet can be a major source of good in your life, he argues, but only if you use it in the right way. He then answers listener questions and reviews the books he read in April.

Find out more about Done Daily at DoneDaily.com!

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: Making the Internet Good Again [5:06]

  • What are good activities for “deep breaks”? [28:38]
  • How can I approach parenting without resenting the sacrifices to deep work? [31:36]
  • How does the deep life compare to David Epstein’s book, “Range”? [38:06]
  • What is the difference between a “winner-take-all” field of work and “auction” field of work? [41:12]
  • Does “following your passion” have any connection to “lifestyle centric planning”? [47:39]
  • CASE STUDY: Implementing the concept of “Eat The Frog” [52:48]

    CALL: Introducing seasonality and the meetings being the work [55:07]

    APRIL BOOKS: The 5 books Cal read in April, 2025 [1:06:08]

    I, Robot (Isaac Asimov)
    After Disney (Neil O’brien)
    The Baseball Book of Why (John McCollister)
    The Technology Republic (Alexander Karp and Nicholas Zamiska)
    Everything is Tuberculosis (John Green)

    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?
    thefp.com/p/the-case-for-living-online

    Thanks to our Sponsors:

    shopify.com/deep
    auraframes.com [Use promo code “DEEPQUESTIONS”]
    indeed.com/deep
    harrys.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.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Deep Questions with Cal NewportBy Cal Newport

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    1,291 ratings


    More shows like Deep Questions with Cal Newport

    View all
    The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

    The Tim Ferriss Show

    16,174 Listeners

    The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish

    The Knowledge Project

    2,672 Listeners

    The Art of Manliness by The Art of Manliness

    The Art of Manliness

    14,296 Listeners

    Conversations with Tyler by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

    Conversations with Tyler

    2,461 Listeners

    The Rich Roll Podcast by Rich Roll

    The Rich Roll Podcast

    11,904 Listeners

    Best of Both Worlds Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

    Best of Both Worlds Podcast

    776 Listeners

    Modern Wisdom by Chris Williamson

    Modern Wisdom

    4,025 Listeners

    The Peter Attia Drive by Peter Attia, MD

    The Peter Attia Drive

    8,043 Listeners

    The Daily Stoic by Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures

    The Daily Stoic

    4,942 Listeners

    Your Undivided Attention by The Center for Humane Technology, Tristan Harris, Aza Raskin

    Your Undivided Attention

    1,635 Listeners

    The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos by Pushkin Industries

    The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

    14,324 Listeners

    excellence, actually by Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, & Clay Skipper

    excellence, actually

    374 Listeners

    Best Laid Plans by Sarah Hart-Unger

    Best Laid Plans

    821 Listeners

    Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

    Huberman Lab

    29,272 Listeners

    How I Write by David Perell

    How I Write

    9 Listeners