What is the correct first step in transforming your life into something deeper? Traditional advice says to start with a clear vision of what you value. Cal has been arguing that it’s instead more important to develop a foundation of discipline. In this episode, he explores a more specific variation of this idea: perhaps the best way to prepare to pursue the big is to first learn how to control the small.

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 to organize your life [2:31]

- How do I “stay deep” when facing major changes? [36:37]

- How do I relax when I’m always so busy? [39:13]

- What is the difference between rituals and routines? [43:09]

- Can playing video games be part of a deep life? [51:27]

- Can deep life buckets connect to strategic plans? [57:39]

- CALL: Juggling multiple priorities to live a deep life [1:01:39]

CASE STUDY: Becoming organized to prevent overwhelm [1:07:32]

CAL REACTS:  How many books did you read in 2023? [1:13:47]


Links:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/05/how-many-books-did-you-read-2023-see-how-you-stack-up/

FREE download for “Slow Productivity”: calnewport.com/slow

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

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

Ep. 283: How To Organize Your Life

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.

Technology

Tech News

Podcasting

Gadgets

Software How-To

We think of information as something neutral; a spotlight that helps illuminate the reality of the outside world. Accordingly, more information is better than less. In this episode, Cal pushes back on this model, arguing that the form in which information arrives can strongly impact the understanding we extract. We must therefore be more intentional about what and how we pay attention. He then answers reader questions and surveys some unusual but entertaining stories about slowness.

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: Rethinking attention [4:08]

- What books should I read to help me develop a deep life? [34:35]
- Does writing by hand have benefits for your brain? [38:40]
- Should I get a brain scan to prove I have a low IQ? [43:46]
- Should I use ChatGPT for book recommendations? [47:39]
- How can I avoid wasting your gap year? [49:40]
- CALL: Is “Slow Productivity” related to “The Burnout Society” by Buying-Chui Han? [55:32]

CASE STUDY: Utilizing the phone foyer method [1:01:58]  

FINAL SEGMENT: Slow news [1:10:58]

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?v=448bf8afad0740d18f6b109b4bd40d51 slow-watches.com/penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318747/help-wanted-one-rooster-by-julie-falatko-illustrated-by-andrea-stegmaier/rte.ie/brainstorm/2023/1108/1415296-why-handwriting-is-good-for-your-brain/ 
Thanks to our Sponsors: 


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



Ep. 298: Rethinking Attention

Why do you struggle with your grand attempts to escape distraction and aimlessness to make your life deeper? In this episode, Cal draws on an unexpected metaphor – Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, and the Analytical Engine – to help identify the subtle obstacle on your path to increase depth. With this new understanding in hand, he then details a specific gameplan to get around it. Later, he takes questions from the audience and reacts to the new AI Pin, a tool intended to render smartphones obsolete.

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: The Deep Life Hardware [4:09]

- Does personal productivity make us anxious? [34:04]
- How can I build skills without getting in the way of my existing work? [42:11]
- How can I build a deeper life after years of neglect? [46:00]
- How is Sam Sulek’s stripped down YouTube channel doing so well? [52:12]
- How can I convince my husband that I’m not a time management snob? [1:02:38]
- CALL: Obsessing over quality [1:06:04]

CASE STUDY: Shifting a mindset to do more deep work [1:11:04] 

CAL REACTS: Is the Al Pin the End of Smartphones? [1:17:46]

Links:Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow computerhistory.org/babbage/engines/theverge.com/24126502/humane-ai-pin-reviewpodcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversation-with-cal-newport-the-key-to/id1498802610?i=1000652834277 samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/363-knowledge-work Use this link to preorder a signed copy of “Slow Productivity”: https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/preorder-slow-productivity/
Thanks to our Sponsors: 

rhone.com/calshopify.com/deeppolicygenius.com/deepquestionsgrammarly.com/podcasttim.blog
Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Ep. 297: The Deep Life Hardware

In the first ever live episode of Deep Questions, recorded at People’s Book in Takoma Park, MD, Cal extracts a modern productivity lesson from the tale of Jane Austen’s frustrated ambitions, before taking questions from the audience. 

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: Jane Austen’s To-Do List [3:22]

— Is Cal building his YouTube channel with social media tactics? [27:36]
— How can I do less in such a busy world? [31:53]
— How do I escape the flow state? [37:01]
— How can someone become a star while obsessing over craft? [40:52]
— How can I apply Slow Productivity to unrelated projects? [46:40]
— How does Cal develop his writing frameworks? [50:20]
— How can I apply Slow Productivity principles to a team? [52:48]
— How can I avoid the Zoom apocalypse? [57:48]
— Is there a conflict between working at a natural pace and obsessing over quality? [1:07:16]
— How can a personal trainer build a wellness solution company? [1:09:46]
— How can our team not get delayed with technical problems? [1:13:00]
— How can a young lawyer manage peer relationships with teams? [1:16:38]          


Links:

— Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
— Use this link to preorder a signed copy of “Slow Productivity”: peoplesbooktakoma.com/preorder-slow-productivity/ 
— Cal’s Monthly Books directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?v=448bf8afad0740d18f6b109b4bd40d51 


Thanks to our Sponsors: 

blinkist.com/deep
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cozyearth.com  (Use promo code “Cal”)


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

Ep. 296: Jane Austen’s To-Do List (LIVE)

In this episode Cal takes a closer look at a growing trend of artists quitting social media and instead reverting to old-fashioned websites. Are these acts of principled sacrifice or a sustainable way to be creative online? Cal argues for the latter, showing how the internet without social media curation algorithms can be a place of rich discovery and audience building. He then takes questions on similar topics and ends by playing a few rounds of “deep or crazy” during the final segment.

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: A Quiet Revolt Against Social Media [7:37]

- Is my deep living too extreme? [45:06]
- LinkedIn is getting toxic. Should I quit that too? [47:39]
- Where do online articles fit into the life of a digital minimalist? [51:09]
- Did Cal design the specifications for the hardcover copy of “Slow Productivity”? [54:04]
- How do I not feel overwhelmed by online content after a Digital Declutter? [58:07]
- CALL: Obsessing over quality [1:01:08]

CASE STUDY: Applying lessons from “Digital Minimalism” [1:06:37]

CAL REACTS: Deep or Crazy? [1:13:54]

Links:Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slowpeoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ twitter.com/HumanitiesGU/status/1772436799727472942youtube.com/watch?v=W3h9gV_z8OMyoutube.com/watch?v=tV6BbPTN5PQyoutube.com/watch?v=r0RqucKwIcw
Thanks to our Sponsors: 

mybodytutor.comshopify.com/deepdrinklmnt.com/deepmauinuivenison.com/deepquestions
Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Ep. 295: Artists Revolt Against Social Media

One of the biggest problems afflicting knowledge workers in the digital age is frantic busyness; days filled with emails, chats, and meetings, without much to show for all the effort. In today’s episode, Cal dives into one of the most-discussed ideas from his new book, Slow Productivity, which offers a simple, tactical assault on this state of persistent busyness. He then answers listener questions about similar issues and lists the book he read in March.

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:  hyoutube.com/calnewportmedia

Deep Dive: A Tactical Assault on Busyness [3:47]

- How can I stop chasing the “perfect” productivity system? [34:51] 
- How do I avoid losing my day to distraction? [39:08]  
- How do I help my partner escape meeting quickstand? [42:31]
- How do we design the perfect client/task/scheduling system? [48:59]
- Can Apple Vision Pro help deep work? [54:46]

The 5 Books Cal Read in March 2024 [1:06:43] 

A Short History of England (Simon Jenkins)
Into the Impossible (Brian Keating)
The Amen Effect (Sharon Brous)
Sink the Bismark! (CS Forester)
Hidden Potential (Adam Grant)

Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow 
newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/can-an-ai-make-plans
Thanks to our Sponsors: 

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions
expressvpn.com/deep
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notion.com/cal

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

Ep. 283: How To Organize Your Life

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