Deep Questions with Cal Newport
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
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Technology
Ep. 250: In Defense of Thinking
The art of thinking – plain, old-fashioned, hard con...
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May 29 2023 1h 19m
Chapter 1 22 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Why is it important to preserve the vanishing art of thinking?Chapter 2 5 mins
How do I integrate movies and shows into the deep life?Chapter 3 2 mins
Can I read after a long day of deep work?Chapter 4 6 mins
Is a digital “second brain” a good idea to keep up with the latest advancements in your field?Chapter 5 9 mins
Would Cal consider consolidating his notebooks?Chapter 6 12 mins
Is Maria Popva’s note taking method better than Cal’s method?Chapter 7 14 mins
The Books I Read in April 2023
Ep. 249: The Good Enough Job (w/ Simone Stolzoff)
Do you live to work or work to live? In this episode...
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May 22 2023 1h 44m
Chapter 1 54 mins
DEEP DIVE: Cal talks about the Good Enough Job with author Simone StolzoffChapter 2 5 mins
What kind of a job do I want?Chapter 3 11 mins
If I enjoy my job, why can’t I focus?Chapter 4 7 mins
Should I give up on finding an academic job?Chapter 5 9 mins
Should I cut my salary in half to escape the hyperactive hive mind?Chapter 6 10 mins
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Apple’s most interesting new tech strategy has nothing to do with A.I.
Ep. 248: Decoding Overload
Few professional experiences feel worse than overloa...
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May 15 2023 1h 8m
Chapter 1 22 mins
Today’s Deep Question: How does overload actually operate?Chapter 2 10 mins
Does Cal use an executive assistant?Chapter 3 6 mins
How do I write an effective communication policy for my team?Chapter 4 5 mins
Does overhead compound exponentially?Chapter 5 3 mins
How rare are high expectation/low overhead jobs?Chapter 6 7 mins
My job has few shallow obligations. What should I do with my free time?Chapter 7 8 mins
Something Interesting: The future of social media is less social
Ep. 247: The Productive Life
We talk a lot on this show about how to be more orga...
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May 8 2023 1h 56m
Chapter 1 58 mins
Today’s Deep Question: How do I adapt professional productivity techniques to my life outside of work?Chapter 2 5 mins
What system does Cal use to track his life admin?Chapter 3 3 mins
Don’t I need some sort of plan for time outside of work?Chapter 4 4 mins
How do I stay on top of ongoing projects, initiatives, or hobbies?Chapter 5 13 mins
Should I calculate the monetary cost of household tasks?Chapter 6 22 mins
Something Interesting: The AI Null Hypothesis
Ep. 246: Kids and Phones
Are smartphones bad for kids? Cal walks through the ...
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May 1 2023 1h 25m
Chapter 1 46 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Are smartphones bad for kids?Chapter 2 4 mins
Is the deep life dull?Chapter 3 3 mins
How do I stop doom-scrolling when I’m tired?Chapter 4 4 mins
Are smartphones bad for older people?Chapter 5 4 mins
How does Cal decide to adopt new technology or software?Chapter 6 6 mins
How do I stay deep while traveling at conferences?Chapter 7 13 mins
The Books Cal read in March 2023
Ep. 245: “Crazy” Productivity
In this episode Cal – against his better judgment – ...
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Apr 24 2023 1h 8m
Chapter 1 22 mins
Deep Dive: What was Twitter anyway?Chapter 2 4 mins
Is there a difference between passion and calling?Chapter 3 4 mins
What are the four principles to reimagine knowledge work?Chapter 4 2 mins
Is movie watching part of the Deep Life?Chapter 5 2 mins
Does fixed schedule productivity work on a weekly scale?Chapter 6 2 mins
How does effective altruism fit in value-based lifestyle career planning?Chapter 7 2 mins
What are Cal’s thoughts on David Graber’s book, “Bull Shit Jobs”?Chapter 8 1 min
Do distracted adolescents risk losing the ability to focus as they grow older?Chapter 9 12 mins
Does slow productivity assist with parenting and professional development?Chapter 10 7 mins
Something Interesting: Rob Drydek’s productivity system
Ep. 244: Thoughts on ChatGPT
Are new AI technologies like ChatGPT about to massiv...
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Apr 17 2023 1h 29m
Chapter 1 46 mins
Today’s Deep Question: How does ChatGPT work? (And should we worry about it?)Chapter 2 4 mins
Is there anything AI won’t do better than humans?Chapter 3 5 mins
How will AI end up disrupting knowledge work?Chapter 4 4 mins
Should I quit web development before AI eliminates the industry?Chapter 5 9 mins
Will AI create mass job loss in the next five years?Chapter 6 8 mins
NPR leaves Twitter
Ep. 243: In The Weeds!
Cal Newport answers 10 questions from his audience r...
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Apr 10 2023 57m
Chapter 1 10 mins
Why doesn’t Cal care about idea management systems?Chapter 2 4 mins
Does Cal still use Workflowy to capture tasks?Chapter 3 6 mins
Are women better at multi-tasking than men?Chapter 4 5 mins
What is the difference between pursuing depth versus passion?Chapter 5 4 mins
What are the “Contemplation” and “Celebration” buckets in the context of the Deep Life?Chapter 6 2 mins
What’s the best way to study math?Chapter 7 1 min
Can I jump from a master’s at a small school to a PhD at a prestigious one?Chapter 8 7 mins
How do I know if I’ve successfully cultivated a Deep Life?Chapter 9 5 mins
How do I become a successful political nonfiction writer?Chapter 10 6 mins
Is the Deep Work hypothesis affected by survivorship bias?
Ep. 242: The Simple Life
Why do stories of people moving to the country to de...
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Apr 3 2023 1h 24m
Chapter 1 24 mins
Today’s Deep Question: What do we (really) seek when we seek the Simple Life?Chapter 2 4 mins
Are daly deep life habits too frequent?Chapter 3 5 mins
How do I juggle more projects?Chapter 4 13 mins
Can I quit my job to reach online full time?Chapter 5 6 mins
How do I convince my husband that the “deep life” isn’t an excuse to ignore me?Chapter 6 11 mins
CASE STUDY: A Writing Shed For Slow ProductivityChapter 7 12 mins
Utah limits teens’ ability to use social media
Ep. 241: The Virality Trap
Why does Twitter maintain such a strong grip on thos...
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Mar 27 2023 1h 9m
Chapter 1 21 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Given all the advantages of controlling your own digital press, why do so many content producers rely on Twitter?Chapter 2 8 mins
Does Twitter’s new view count feature make the service even worse?Chapter 3 7 mins
Why do so many important business/thought leaders spend so much time on Twitter?Chapter 4 10 mins
Does this professor need Twitter?Chapter 5 7 mins
Does Mastadon stand a chance against Twitter?Chapter 6 1 min
Started From the Bottom podcastChapter 7 10 sec
Untitled_1#09.5Chapter 8 6 mins
Australian senators backing 4-day work week
Ep. 240: Disciplined Laziness
You can’t just turn a “work harder” or “relax” knob....
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Mar 20 2023 1h 4m
Chapter 1 17 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Is productivity about optimization or autonomy?Chapter 2 6 mins
Should I start a blog to prepare to write a book?Chapter 3 5 mins
How do I recover from burn out?Chapter 4 4 mins
How do I prioritize when I have too many interests?Chapter 5 3 mins
Should I ditch my side hustle?Chapter 6 10 mins
How do I convince my self-focused colleagues to participate in more efficient group systems?Chapter 7 10 mins
The five books I read in February 2023
Ep. 239: On Time and Stress
The relationship with time is one of the more intere...
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Mar 13 2023 1h 14m
Chapter 1 23 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Is our relationship to time broken?Chapter 2 8 mins
Do we need AI-driven time management tools? (Rant alert)Chapter 3 2 mins
Is slow productivity compatible with becoming world class in a competitive field?Chapter 4 9 mins
What deep accomplishments are Cal and Jesse most proud about?Chapter 5 8 mins
CASE STUDY: A composer embraces slow productivityChapter 6 5 mins
Quiet quitting in academia?
Ep. 238: The Joys of the Reading Life
The reading life is a deep life. The screen-filled l...
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Mar 6 2023 1h 9m
Chapter 1 23 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Why is it important to read books?Chapter 2 3 mins
Should I buy physical copies of books I enjoyed on my kindle?Chapter 3 5 mins
How should I organize my notes when writing a non-fiction book?Chapter 4 9 mins
How do I train myself to become a reader?Chapter 5 4 mins
How should I build a library?Chapter 6 7 mins
What does Cal think about Sam Bankman-Fried’s claim that books are worthless?Chapter 7 7 mins
Something Interesting:
Ep. 237: Reimagining the Internet
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Feb 27 2023 1h 17m
Chapter 1 22 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Should we consider a radically reimagined internet?Chapter 2 6 mins
Can we build a better internet?Chapter 3 8 mins
Will the coming augmented reality make the deep life impossible?Chapter 4 5 mins
How do I become more disciplined about shutting down my phone?Chapter 5 6 mins
Is the internet alive?Chapter 6 15 mins
How does Cal see the connection between his professor and writer roles?Chapter 7 6 mins
Something Interesting: Michael Cera Doesn’t Use a Smartphone
Ep. 236: Hacking Remote Work
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Feb 20 2023 1h 20m
Chapter 1 28 mins
Today’s Deep Question: How can I significantly decrease the footprint of my remote job (without anyone noticing)?Chapter 2 3 mins
How do I leverage a shift to remote work to gain a deeper life?Chapter 3 10 mins
How can I work deeply in a remote job that requires me to be available?Chapter 4 1 min
How do I make time for my individual projects while working remotely?Chapter 5 4 mins
How do I avoid being promoted out of a nice remote position into a miserable management role?Chapter 6 9 mins
CASE STUDY: Alternative Workflow PitfallsChapter 7 10 mins
Something Interesting: The five books I read in January, 2023
Ep. 235: Is Productivity Overrated?
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Feb 13 2023 1h 12m
Chapter 1 24 mins
Today’s Deep Question: Does Cal Still Think That Productivity is Overrated?Chapter 2 4 mins
Should I abandon my careful plan when I get on a roll?Chapter 3 5 mins
How do I achieve slow-and-steady work mode?Chapter 4 5 mins
How do I make my the most out of idle time?Chapter 5 3 mins
How does a deep work lover survive the shallows?Chapter 6 11 mins
Does productivity require that you’re anti-social?Chapter 7 9 mins
Something Interesting: Rethinking productivity in academia
Ep. 234: Ambition without Burnout
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Feb 6 2023 1h 31m
Chapter 1 33 mins
Today’s Deep Question: How can we be ambitious without burning out?Chapter 2 19 mins
How do I create a hit podcast? (Special guest JORDAN HARBINGER)Chapter 3 4 mins
How do I overcome boredom in my purposefully under-scheduled life?Chapter 4 7 mins
How do I manage multiple side hustle projects?Chapter 5 2 mins
Do I need two planning documents if I have two jobs?Chapter 6 8 mins
How do I get my 15-year-old brother to stop using his phone so much?Chapter 7 7 mins
Something Interesting: The slow productivity of Maryam Mirzakhani 
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Ep. 233: Escaping Your Tyrannical Inbox
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Jan 30 2023 1h 19m
Chapter 1 35 mins
Today’s Deep Question: How can I free myself from spending all day in my inbox?Chapter 2 3 mins
Why does Cal suggest having multiple email addresses?Chapter 3 5 mins
How do I convince my colleagues to actually read process-centric emails?Chapter 4 5 mins
How do I work with people who enjoy email check-ins?Chapter 5 3 mins
How do I get key information out of email an into a better system?Chapter 6 11 mins
How can I focus when my job demands an open door policy?Chapter 7 7 mins
Something Interesting: Alex Haley wrote on a cargo ship
Ep. 232: The Lumberjack Paradox
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Jan 23 2023 1h 14m
Chapter 1 29 mins
Today’s Deep Question: What are lumberjacks happier than lawyers?Chapter 2 5 mins
Should I leave a good job to gain more autonomy?Chapter 3 7 mins
Should I quit my trainer job?Chapter 4 8 mins
What does Cal’s workday look like?Chapter 5 3 mins
How can I create a career without skills?Chapter 6 6 mins
CASE STUDY: The Slow LawyerChapter 7 8 mins
Books Cal Read in December
Ep. 231: Fight Burnout with Work Cycles
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Jan 16 2023 1h 15m
Chapter 1 26 mins
DEEP DIVE: Work CyclesChapter 2 12 mins
Should I leave my relaxing job to make more money?Chapter 3 7 mins
Is there a need for deep work retreats?Chapter 4 4 mins
How do I find time to work deeply when I’m busy?Chapter 5 4 mins
Case Study: On Walking and Remote WorkChapter 6 8 mins
Can Cal explain more about the “celebration” bucket?Chapter 7 2 mins
Deep work cafeChapter 8 2 mins
Gloria Mark’s new book
Ep. 230: How Well Are You Living?
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Jan 9 2023 1h 25m
Chapter 1 16 mins
DEEP DIVE: How well are you living?Chapter 2 6 mins
How do you track deep life habits?Chapter 3 11 mins
How do I become more social? (Bonus: How does Cal avoid being killed by Jocko?)Chapter 4 7 mins
How do I distill essential ideas from complex topics?Chapter 5 5 mins
How does Cal research his articles?Chapter 6 13 mins
Should I get a Deep Life tattoo?Chapter 7 6 mins
Guillermo Del Toro Bought a Second House to Boost his CreativityChapter 8 2 mins
Kary Mullis’s Nobel-Winning Moment of InsightChapter 9 3 mins
Charles Dickens Wrote “A Christmas Carol” on Foot
Ep. 229: Developing Discipline
Below are the questions covered in today's epis...
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Jan 2 2023 1h 16m
Chapter 1 3 mins
How do I find time to study for a better job?Chapter 2 3 mins
How do I find rare and valuable skills to develop?Chapter 3 17 mins
How do I develop discipline if I have an easy job?Chapter 4 5 mins
CASE STUDY: A graduate student with 5 kids takes control of his lifeChapter 5 7 mins
Should I work or spend all my time with my son?Chapter 6 3 mins
How do I manage a strategic plan with lots of unpredictable projects?Chapter 7 4 mins
How does role-based communication work?Chapter 8 1 min
How do I plan projects with unpredictable time demands?Chapter 9 5 mins
Should I move my family across the country to accept my dream job?Chapter 10 2 mins
How do you make time for Quality time with your wife with such a busy schedule?Chapter 11 5 mins
Does Cal write reports on the books he reads?Chapter 12 3 mins
Does slow productivity apply only to knowledge workers?Chapter 13 6 mins
Why do my side hustles fail?
Ep. 228: A World Without Busyness
Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link:...
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Dec 26 2022 1h 11m
Chapter 1 17 mins
DEEP DIVE: A World Without Busyness?Chapter 2 7 mins
In an era of Quiet Quitting is it easier to become a star?Chapter 3 5 mins
How do I resist my job’s demand for out-of-hours work?Chapter 4 10 mins
Should new writers use social media to get feedback?Chapter 5 7 mins
Should I use social media to promote my filmmaking website?Chapter 6 9 mins
Am I too busy find new ideas?Chapter 7 4 mins
On Teenage LudditesChapter 8 1 min
Deep Work in StocismChapter 9 2 mins
Finding the Deep Life in the Mountains
Ep. 227: Visions of the Deep Life?
Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link:...
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Dec 19 2022 1h 28m
Chapter 1 14 mins
DEEP DIVE: Should I Manage Time or Stress?Chapter 2 23 mins
How do I switch from a push to pull model of task management?Chapter 3 8 mins
Where should I live?Chapter 4 5 mins
Is “rare and valuable” the same as “impressive”?Chapter 5 3 mins
CALL: Integrating Deep Work to create a Deep LifeChapter 6 6 mins
How do I reconcile my lifestyle vision with my husbands very different vision?Chapter 7 10 mins
How does Cal structure his values document?Chapter 8 7 mins
Twitter, Attention, and DemocracyChapter 9 1 min
Research: Walking Helps ThinkingChapter 10 4 mins
Novelist Ian Rankin’s Slow Productivity
Ep. 226: The Productivity Dragon
Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link:...
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Dec 12 2022 1h 28m
Chapter 1 7 mins
CALL: How do I balance different productivity systems?Chapter 2 6 mins
How do I deal with a sudden increase in my work responsibilities?Chapter 3 12 mins
How use the “waiting for” column on my task board when crafting a weekly plan?Chapter 4 14 mins
If I adopt a natural pace to my work will I lose the race to success?Chapter 5 5 mins
Should I quit my job to pursue a new business idea?Chapter 6 6 mins
How do I handle a short period of having too much work?Chapter 7 6 mins
I’ve lost my will to work. What do I do?Chapter 8 8 mins
Does Cal get annoyed when people incorrectly cite his ideas?Chapter 9 17 mins
Books I Read in November 2022