The Cal Newport Show

The mega-bestselling writer Arthur Brooks is one of the rare individuals to have both lived a carefully cultivated deep life and written a book on the topic (co-authored with Oprah!). In today’s episode, Cal interviews Brooks, going deep into the details of his unusual and inspiring career and extracting proven rules from his experience.

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

INTERVIEW: Mega-bestselling writer Arthur Brooks [6:39]

Cal’s Favorite Completely Unnecessary and Embarrassingly Geeky Things for 2024 [1:16:04]

Links:
https://www.calnewport.com/slow

Thanks to our Sponsors:

rhone.com/cal
shopify.com/deep
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.

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

We talk a lot on this show about getting more done, but what’s the best way to handle the inevitable situation in which you have too much to do? Cal walks through a sensible response to the crazy-making reality of overload.

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

Deep Dive: Controlling Overload [4:48]

- Is building a “second brain” important? [37:53]
- How can I bill 40 hours a week without getting overloaded? [43:30]
- What book should I buy my department to best increase their work quality? [46:31]
- How do I make progress on projects that have lots of overhead? [51:53]
- How can my wife deal with her new position and the overload that comes with it? [57:35]
- CALL: What is Cal excited to gif this holiday season? [1:06:14]

CASE STUDY: Quitting Twitter to build a better life [1:09:55]

CAL REACTS: Why did students get dumber starting in 2012? [1:17:31]

Links:
https://twitter.com/DKThomp/status/1734436486727254218


Thanks to our Sponsors:

https://www.ladderlife.com/deep
https://www.blinkist.com/deep
https://www.hensonshaving.com/cal
This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.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.

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

One of the most important skills for cultivating a satisfying and high impact life is one we rarely discuss: the art of serious thinking. In this episode, Cal makes the case for serious thinking as an ability to specifically cultivate, then describes five specific practices you can put into place to launch a crash course in developing an effective life of the mind.

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

Deep Dive: How to Think [4:07]

- Does reading count as Deep Work? [38:50]
- How do I make sense of the topics I think about? [41:48]
- How should I manage boredom in a job without hurting my ability to focus? [45:12]
- How can I provide quick answers to management if I’m a slow thinker? [50:40]
- CALL: How should I structure my Deep Holiday? [56:44]

CASE STUDY: A successful Digital Detox allowing one to think in peace. [59:55]

CAL REACTS: Does collaboration make us less creative? [1:07:29]

Thanks to our Sponsors:

https://www.shopify.com/deep
https://www.mintmobile.com/deep
https://www.cozyearth.com (promo code: CAL)
https://www.mybodytutor.com

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

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

We talk a lot on this show about remaining organized in a digital workplace that drowns us with incoming obligations. In this episode, Cal focuses on the key question of how you get *started* toward this goal. What do you do, in other words, on day one of your quest to find depth amidst the shallows. 

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: Getting organized in a distracted world [6:46] 

- How do I get more excited about my work plans? [45:55] 

- How do I get my classmates to get better about time management? [53:59] 

- How should I organize my deep work blocks? [1:00:13] 

- How do I account for contingencies in my quarterly plan? [1:05:11] 

- When does Cal find time to read? [1:05:50] 

- CALL: How to train Deep Focus muscles [1:11:06] 

CASE STUDY: Investing concentrated time [1:17:04] 

The 5 books Cal read in November 2023 [1:24:08] 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

expressvpn.com/deep 

blinkist.com/deep 

hensonshaving.com/cal 

zocdoc.com/deep 

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

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

One of the most common types of messages sent in from listeners of this podcast are self-recriminations about laziness. But what does “laziness” actually mean? In this episode, Cal takes a deeper look at the common terms and sees that it’s often used to describe two unrelated phenomena. He then gives a big idea for overcoming each. 

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: Overcoming laziness [4:00] 

- How should I track small projects? [39:39] 

- How do I find time to bodybuilder when I have a demanding job? [44:56] 

- How do I remain motivated to work after graduation?[53:12] 

- How do I make the shift from warehouse work to web development? [59:20] 

- How do I deal with decision fatigue? [1:03:18] 

- CALL: Implementing advice from pragmatic non-fiction books [1:07:53] 

CASE STUDY: Pursuing a life of depth [1:11:31] 

CAL REACTS: Algorithms act as conveyor belts [1:22:51] 

LINKS: 

jonathanhaidt.substack.com/p/algorithms-hijacked-my-generation 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

rhone.com/cal 

moshlife.com/deep 

grammarly.com/podcast 

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at 

betterhlep.com/deepquestions 

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

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

 How you accomplish important goals: The type that can transform your life in remarkable ways? In this episode, Cal breaks down the common mistakes we make in pursuing hard goals and then details the reverse goal setting strategy he has found to work much more consistently. 

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 do I follow through on transformative goals? [2:18] 

- How do I prepare for an upcoming change to my professional life? [42:26] 

- How do I schedule abundant free time? [49:43] 

- Should I feel guilty that I’m so efficient I barely work? [53:47] 

- How do I avoid doing too much? [1:00:27] 

- How do I time block work of unknown durations? [1:07:31] 

- CALL: Pursuing a career with two different paths [1:13:52] 

CAL REACTS: Joe Rogan and The Rock Talk Passion [1:21:35] 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

shopify.com/deep 

hensonshaving.com/cal 

mybodytutor.com 

blinkist.com/deep 

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

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

Based on extensive feedback from listeners and new research, Cal is ready to unveil his new and improved version of the Deep Life Stack, his foundational approach for transforming your life from shallow and distracted to deep and remarkable. 

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 Stack 2.0 [4:40] 

- Does prioritizing deep work grow your task list? [38:02] 

- Does deep work impede the development of soft skills? [41:04] 

- How do I shut down work without clean stopping points? [46:31] 

- CALL: Intrusive thoughts while doing deep work [52:29] 

- CALL: How does Cal organize his working memory.txt [57:49] 

CASE STUDY: Using slow productivity to build a house [1:00:30] 

CAL REACTS: Should you “burn the boats” to motivate ambitious action? [1:08:00] 

Links: 

amazon.com/Burn-Boats-Overboard-Unleash-Potential/dp/006308886X 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

rhone.com/cal 

mintmobile.com/deep 

cozyearth.com 

ladderlife.com/deep 

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

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

A viral video making the rounds recently argues that the key to promoting learning is to deliver education in apps that are equally addictive as social media. Cal takes a closer look at the brain science behind this claim and argues why it is fundamentally impossible to beat attention engineered apps at their own game. We shouldn’t, however, give up hope, as our brain has a completely unrelated motivation system, built on a behavior called episodic future thinking (EFT), that we can leverage to make deep activities like learning seem more rewarding than the short term distractions beckoning from our phones. Mastering the EFT system is indeed critical to cultivating a deep life. 

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: Can we make learning as addictive as social media? [2:33] 

- Can I be happy in a job that doesn’t require me to learn? [33:44] 

- How can I fight deep procrastination to learn better? [40:52] 

- How can I identify the school for my kid to learn better? [47:11] 

- How can I reflect on work concepts without feeling the urge to work? [51:48] 

- How does Ultralearning apply to Slow Productivity? [55:36] 

- CALL: Recommendations on learning [58:02] 

CASE STUDY: Designing a system to learn [1:00:50] 

The 5 books Cal read in October 2023 [1:10:14] 

Links: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6FORpg0KVo 

youtu.be/wmdG-uZk6JY?si=2_S6Mer1VnBJE3Wv&t=120

sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/ 

calnewport.com/the-father-of-deliberate-practice-disowns-flow/ 

ideas.ted.com/mental-time-travel-is-a-great-decision-making-tool-this-is-how-to-use-it/ 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

zocdoc.com/deep 

hensonshaving.com/cal 

blinkist.com/deep 

expressvpn.com/deep 

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

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

In this episode, Cal reviews what he believes to be the four essential tools for feeling on top of everything you need to do. If you’re missing one of these, you might struggle. If you use all four, you’re probably safe never thinking about “productivity” again. Cal is then joined by friend of the show, New York Times bestselling author David Epstein, to answer listener questions about their personal struggles to take control of their lives. 

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 Productivity Toolkit [2:30] 

- What is the most underrated productivity superpower? [35:05] 

- Should I journal? [43:59] 

- How do I build a system to help me remember things? [48:23] 

- Can I use a split-day strategy to time block a reactive job? [52:01] 

- Help! I’m stuck at age 30. How do I get unstuck? [54:42] 

CAL REACTS: How can we make learning as addictive as social media? [1:16:06] 

Links: 

youtube.com/watch?v=P6FORpg0KVo 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

rhone.com/cal 

grammarly.com/podcast 

policygenius.com/deepquestions 

mybodytutor.com 

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

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

Much of the advice we discuss is about how to improve things right now. But what are the right strategies for ensuring that we’re happy about where we are five or even ten years in the future. How do we ensure, in other words, that we won’t look back at major swaths of our lives with regret? In this episode, Cal discusses three big ideas for playing the long game when it comes to cultivating a deep life. 

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 

Deep Dive: What can you do now to stay content later? [3:30]  

- What habits help you escape complacency? [25:51] 

- How do I know if I need a major change to my life? [31:00] 

- How can I rediscover my drive to live deep with a boring (but stable) job? [36:08] 

- CALL: Avoiding the stress of having a large “to-do” list [41:07] 

CASE STUDY: Designing a deep work t-shirt to be productive [47:22] 

CAL REACTS: Is Social Media a Collective Trap? [56:03] 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/deepquestions 

https://www.hensonshaving.com/cal 

https://www.expressvpn.com/deep 

https://www.shopify.com/deep 

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

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