The Cal Newport Show

DEEP DIVE: Is the Era of Social Media Ending? [2:37]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:

 - Did COVID-19 closures change my (Cal's) thoughts on my working situation? [18:01]
 - Should I stick with management consulting? [37:06]
 - How do I lead my organization away from email? [40:17]
 - How do I pick a specialization in a broad field? [44:55]


DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:

 - Do I (Cal) use my smartphone for directions and photos? [48:48]
 - How do I choose my minor? [51:37]
 - What is something I (Cal) have changed my opinion on in recent years? [55:00]
 - Should I publish this book? [56:53]
 - Do I (Cal) regret becoming a public intellectual? [1:02:28]


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 mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.


DEEP DIVE: Smartphones and moral panics. [3:43]


LISTENER CALLS:
 - Scheduling when you've fallen behind. [12:29]
 - Squandering autonomy. [18:06]
 - Hacking habits and the shortcomings of raw discipline. [26:11]
 - Tenure and valuable skills. [31:38]
 - Adding more to your plate without it tipping over. [36:24]
 - Frustration and the Deep Life (and an update on my next book). [42:41]


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

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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: Will Offices Survive the Pandemic? [6:01]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS
 - How do I practice my writing better? [22:07]
 - Is it harder to write a dissertation or a book? [25:08]
 - Will 10-minute sitting breaks destroy my concentration? [29:04]
 - Am I good at time management or just lazy? [35:52]
 - How do I get the most out of an assistant who handles my inbox? [40:24]



DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS
 - How do I structure all my leisure time when I have no kids? [44:13]
 - Is digital nomadism making a comeback? [46:53]
 - Are RSS feeds a good alternative to social media? [52:37]
 - How do I find fellow Deep Questions listeners to hang out with? [58:49]


Thanks to 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.


 - Interacting with potential clients while avoiding constant distraction. [2:10]
 - Self-promotion without social media. [8:21]
 - Dealing with an overflowing "to read" folder. [13:19]
 - Correcting weekly plan drift. [18:13]
 - The secrets of my high-volume reading. [22:47]
 - Personal vs. organizational productivity. [27:29]
 - Balancing deep and shallow work. [36:10]


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

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DEEP DIVE: Why Am I Uncomfortable With Facebook Backlash? [1:16]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:

 - How do I work deeper in a job that is inherently fractured? [17:29]
 - How do I switch tasks without everything going to hell? [23:21]
 - How do I build relationships with colleagues if I prioritize deep work? [26:50]
 - How can I reduce the craziness of my college schedule? [33:39]


DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:
 - How can I relaxed if I'm extremely driven? [38:49]
 - Can on lead a life as a recognized intellectual outside of academia? [42:48]
 - How do I get better at thinking critically? [47:38]

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: Some Thoughts on Slow Productivity. [0:21]

LISTENER CALLS

 - Taming client email as a busy lawyer.[3:44]
 - How I maintain my systems. [11:42]
 - The danger of too much productivity. [[17:02]
 - Benjamin Franklin, tedious Harvard types, and awe. [22:54]
 - Students and theory. [34:12]
 - Reversing burnout. [38:05]

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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 WORK QUESTIONS
  - How do virtual office hours work with multiple participants? [4:26]
  - Is time spent in front of a computer screen bad (bonus rant: we work too much!)? [8:18]
  - How do I remember goals when I'm in danger of distraction? [14:20]
  - Why do I ignore monthly planning? [16:26]
  - How do I survive running two companies? [18:08]
  - How do I make my YouTube channel popular? [22:43]
  - How should I train new hires? [27:09]
  - How do I avoid getting stuck waiting for a needed response? [30:43]


DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS

  - Can I (Cal) give feedback to all submitted questions [32:48]
  - Can my (Cal) philosophy be summarized as "deep intentionalism"? [34:33]
  - Which phones and phone apps do you use? [37:18]
  - What are some ideas for keystone habits in the creativity bucket? [38:41]
  - How should a college student approach digital minimalism? [43:17]


Thanks to 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.


RANT FOLLOW-UP: A doctor's perspective on kids and smartphones. [0:35]

GUEST CHAT: Scott Young stops by to talk about our new online course. [5:00]

LISTENER CALLS:
 - Returning to regular deep work after the pandemic. [22:06]
 - Deciding what tasks to execute. [29:34]
 - Integrating your values into your daily activities. [34:08]
 - Lessons from Virginia Woolf. [39:44]
 - Phone use degrading reading ability. [44:28]


Thanks to 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 the Desire to Produce Negative? [5:14]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS

 - What are the most popular workflows used to escape excessive email? [17:07]
 - How do I read academic papers effectively? [27:40]
 - How much studying is enough for a college student? [31:38]
 - How do I defeat the allure of distraction? (Plus: Why Soto should get more MVP votes than Harper) [35:17]
 - Is it too inefficient to copy a time block schedule into Outlook? [36:51]
 - Are the processes from A World Without Email productivity pr0n? [38:59]


DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS

 - Why do you (Cal) not pursue FIRE? [42:52]
 - How do you avoid confirmation bias? [49:50]
 - Should I use TikTok because that's where people are? [54:07]
 - Is deep work a philosophy? [55:26]


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

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OPENING RANT: Facebook Knows It's Hurting Teenagers [3:22]

LISTENER CALLS:

 - Interfacing with the hive mind. [17:45]
 - The relationship between tasks and daily plans. [24:58]
 - My weekly planning ritual. [31:04]
 - Discovering books. [39:42]
 - How I manage my non-work tasks. [46:25]

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