The Cal Newport Show

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:

- How can a freelancer perform deep work? [9:56]
- Should I follow my skill or my passion? [12:50]
- How do you manage group projects in college? [21:51]
- Do you recommend listening to music while doing deep work? [24:16]
- What do you do when your boss has allocated you to a team “half time”? [26:20]

DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:

- How do you return to time blocking after falling off the wagon? [36:25]
- How do you include non-work activities into your workday? [38:53]
- How do you structure you time if you love what you do? [40:10]
- How should you think about the Deep Life in retirement? [43:12]

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

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Because I'm away on vacation these week, I'm replaying a classic show from the Deep Questions archives. This is Episode 125, which originally ran back in August. 

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Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.


DEEP DIVE: How Reachable Should We Be? [1:45]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS

 - What should I do if I finish a time block early? [8:28]
 - How do I work deeply at home with a crying newborn? [12:54]
 - How I work deeply while taking care of a child full time? [17:50]
 - How do I manage a shared mailbox with my team? [23:11]


DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS

 - What is discipline (and how do I get it)? [32:18]
 - Should I take a harder job to get better faster? [40:04]
 - What about people who don't want to do deep work? [43:49]


Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering.

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Because I'm away on vacation these week, I'm replaying a classic show from the Deep Questions archives. This is Episode 109, which originally ran back in June. 

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Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.


BOOK REPORT: The Square and the Tower [04:28]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS

 - What should I do if I like my job but dislike the industry? [12:32]
 - How hard should I push back against a shallow company culture? [17:06]
 - Is productivity only for people with certain personality types? [25:57]
 - What is the best strategy for an aspiring academic? [28:22]
 - Should I ask experts or learn on my own? [30:14]
 - Can you tell me more about the CIA's mail tubes? [35:36]
 - How do I get on the New York Times bestseller list? [41:28]



DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS
 - Is there value in keeping a daily record of significant activity? [50:32]
 - Can I pursue the deep life if I have mental health issues? [56:46]
 - Are there wrong ways to pursue the deep life? [1:01:01]
 - How much time do I (Cal) spend reading? [1:04:48]


Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering.

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Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

LISTENER CALLS:

- Was Tesla the ultimate deep thinker? [4:01]
- Writing for academic audiences (bonus: the story of my first book deal).  [7:03]
- The difference between deep work and the deep life buckets (bonus: Jesse and I discuss the latest progress on my new book). [19:05]
- Do YouTubers have a terrible job? [45:06]
- Preparing for the GMAT and job interviews. [52:18]


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

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In this episode, author Jenny Blake joins me for a conversation about her new book, FREE TIME: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business  (https://itsfreetime.com/book), which helps entrepreneurs engineer the stress out of their work. I ask her to use myself as a case study and apply her principles to helping me reduce stress in my working life.

Though FREE TIME doesn’t come out until March, if you pre-order a copy now (at https://itsfreetime.com/book) you’ll get immediate access to a pair of free copies of the audiobook: one for you and one for a friend.


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

Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.


OPENING CHAT: Cal is excited about his new email setup.
 

LISTENER CALLS:

- Shutdown struggles. [13:58]
- The difference between value-based planning and the deep life buckets. [17:47]
- Drowning in meeting prep. [28:21]
- Fiction book recommendations. [32:34]
- My process for writing New Yorker Articles. [40:27]


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

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.


DEEP DIVE: Is your productivity system leaking? [6:01]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:

- How do I accomplish big projects in small amounts daily effort? [12:50]
- How do I make more money as I become more efficient? [17:28]
- What’s the best way to add structure to chaotic non-profit? [21:22]
- How do I build an autopilot schedule for unpredictable work? [27:10]


DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:

- How do I modify your student advice for a part-time student? [33:32]
- How do I filter news? [40:31]
- Where should start in planning for the future? [43:22]
- Why does the FIRE movement get so much attention? [47:19]
- How do I convince myself to execute my plans? [53:41]

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

Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

LISTENER CALLS:

- Doctors and depth. [6:42]
- Career capital in the military. [10:39]
- Coping with a hyperactive job. [14:45]
- Making a teaching plan for the semester. [27:32]
- Managing references. [33:53] 

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

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

OPENING CHAT: The 5 Books I Read in November (Bonus Rant: Why did Jurassic Park need an assessment from a chaos theoretician?) [2:06]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:

- Is it worth becoming good at skills that you only need short term? [21:51]
- How do I seem present online when working on side projects? [26:43]
- Should I revise my weekly plan if things change? [36:09]
- How should I manage reading I want to do? [39:29]



DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:

- How can I take a deep approach to networking? [46:21]
- How can I focus on deep work with so much suffering around me? [50:59
- How do I teach my students to not buy into the hyperactive hive-mind? [57:35]
- What’s your (Cal’s) advice for “jack of all trades” people who want to become so good they can’t be ignored? [59:37]


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

Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

OPENING CHAT: YouTube vs. Social Media

LISTENER CALLS:

- The magic of autopilot scheduling [16:35]
- Tips for finding a non-hyperactive good boss [23:18]
- Alternatives to email-based workflows [27:24]
- Taming Trello [35:07]
- Study tactics [38:58] 

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

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