The Cal Newport Show

An increasing number of people are suffering from “super distractions” that rise above the level of harmless diversion and instead start to actively hold them back in their life. Some of the common culprits cited include social media, online pornography, and alcohol. In this episode, Cal takes a closer look at what creates super distractions and uses this insight to come up with an effective game plan for fighting back. 

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:  Taking control of your life from super distractions [8:09] 

- How can I stay productive while in between goals? [36:24] 

- Will I become depressed from a dopamine fast? [40:46] 

- How can I overcome negative thoughts? [44:01] 

- Are there rituals to help me handle shallow work more efficiently? [50:19] 

CASE STUDY: Success with an electronic detox [58:27] 

Cal Reacts: NPR left Twitter and the effects are negligible [1:06:59] 

Links: 

niemanreports.org/articles/npr-twitter-musk/ 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

mintmobile.com/deep 

cozyearth.com 

blinkist.com/deep 

ladderlife.com/deep 

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

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After an episode in which Cal reviewed ancient wisdom on cultivating a deeper life, he turns his attention back to more recent advice. Focusing on three of the more unconventional but unambiguously effective ideas that he has proposed in his twenty years of professional writing on these topics. 

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 started is overrated [6:29] 

- How can I become more confident in social settings? [36:15] 

- Is it ok to be an ordinary person? [40:52] 

- Is it important to have friends? [46:41] 

- I took a pay cut to become a teacher again. How can I better organize my life to prioritize craft? [49:36] 

- Is it ok to use YouTube to discover new ideas? [57:28] 

Reader’s React: Is Productivity Natural? [1:05:04] 

Links: 

calnewport.com/dangerous-ideas-getting-started-is-overrated/ 

calnewport.com/treat-your-mind-as-you-would-a-private-garden/ 

calnewport.com/should-you-work-like-maya-angelou-or-eric-schmidt/ 

calnewport.com/on-tire-pressure-and-productivity/ 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

moshlife.com/deep 

zocdoc.com/deep 

hensonshaving.com/cal 

mybodytutor.com 

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

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Stoicism seems to be all the rage at the moment. In what ways is it relevant to our question to live deeply in a distracted world? And in what ways is it not? Cal takes a closer look at Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and discusses his relationship with the philosophy more generally. 

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 Ideas from Marcus Aurelius’s, “Meditations” [2:30] 

- Can I realistically make an impact as an English teacher? [35:28] 

- Can a seasoned professional screenwriter switch careers after 23 years? [40:02] 

- I’m an accomplished professional but lack a competitive drive to do more. Is there a way to build this? [45:34] 

- How can a CEO lower his anxiety with elements of work that aren’t strengths? [54:37] 

- How can I bounce back from a deflating work setback? [1:02:52] 

The 5 Books Cal Read in September 2023 [1:11:07] 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

grammarly.com/podcast 

policygenius.com 

blinkist.com/deep 

expressvpn.com/deep 

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

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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 more fixable than we expect.

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

Deep Dive: Tiredness and the ability to produce work [8:18] 
- How can I read more without falling asleep? [34:25]
- Is screen time before bed killing my sleep? [38:19]
- How can I still have fun while being productive? [44:20]
- Is discipline an identity or a tool? [50:21]
- How do I find my way back to the deep life? [56:39]

CASE STUDY: A magazine editor integrates projects into a deep life [1:02:00]

Final Segment: Lauren Groff’s slow productivity [1:35:06]

Links:

Authors for Voices of Color auction: Afvoc2023.givesmart.com
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/books/lauren-groff-vaster-wilds.html
https://www.thefp.com/p/why-i-traded-my-smartphone-for-an-ax
https://midland-school.org/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749597809000399
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/books/lauren-groff-vaster-wilds.html

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.rhone.com/cal
https://www.shopify.com/deep

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

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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. He offers instead an alternative approach based on zero-based budgeting your technological 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 

Today’s Deep Question: What does it really take to cure your smartphone addiction? [3:33] 

- How can I build an audience without being consumed by social media? [31:20] 

- If my kid uses an iPad for school, will he become cursed with digital distraction? [40:33] 

- Does the digital minimalist community approve of Goodreads and Letterboxd? [48:52] 

- I’m 30 years old and lost. How can I get my life back on track? [53:43] 

- How can I stay on top of current events without scrolling social media? [1:02:11] 

Closing Discussion: Is the Friendship Recession Real? What can you do to escape it? (w/ Jamie Kilstein) [1:08:38] 

 Links:

https://www.thefp.com/p/why-i-traded-my-smartphone-for-an-ax
https://midland-school.org

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

ladderlife.com/deep 

mybodytutor.com 

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 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 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: What productivity ideas from other authors are the most worth paying attention to? [4:54] 

- How do I time-block for the unanticipated “a-ha!” moment of insight? [40:23] 

- Is my life as a surgeon dooming me to a reactive life? [45:19] 

- Is it possible to read too many productivity books? [52:10] 

- Is the Deep Life influenced by The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? [58:55] 

- Am I a disciplined worker if I only respond to deadlines? [1:01:09] 

The 5 Books Cal Read in August 2023 [1:09:31] 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

cozyearth.com 

hensonshaving.com/cal 

mintmobile.com/deep 

moshlife.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

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 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: How to Master Change (with Brad Stulberg) [3:55] 

Links: 

bradstulberg.com/ 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

blinkist.com/deep 

grammarly.com/go 

expressvpn.com/deep 

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

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 to turn over a new page. He lays out a detailed 4-month journey through the deep stack that will have you done with a major overhaul by the time everyone else is just getting started early next year. 

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 reinvent my life in 4 months? [6:30] 

- How can I ease into Cal's more advanced time management strategies? [44:06] 

- Can unstructured work be a part of the deep life? [47:42] 

- How can I stop changing my mind about what I want to do with my life? [51:50] 

- Can I pursue the deep life if I need a job? [59:33] 

- How do you pursue the deep life with depression? [1:03:58] 

Cover Reveal for Slow Productivity [1:13:20] 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

mybodytutor.com 

policygenius.com 

shopify.com/deep 

cozyearth.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

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.

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

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. He closes by discussing the recent claim that phones are ruining peoples’ ability to watch movies. 

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 double what I accomplish each week by better controlling my time? [16:54] 

- How do I deal with the guilt of missing time blocks? [44:17] 

- How does Cal reconcile slow productivity with the urgency of time blocking? [49:22] 

- How do I block enough time to keep up with all the internet content I want to read? [52:40] 

- How do I stick to my block schedule if no one is forcing me to? [1:02:11] 

- How can Cal be both a computer science professor and yet still be so bad at technology? [1:07:00] 

Something Interesting: Have Phones Ruined Movies? [1:15:45] 

Links: 

washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/08/05/barbenheimer-bad-movie-behavior/ 

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

moshlife.com/deep 

mintmobile.com/deep 

expressvpn.com/deep 

80000hours.org/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