The last several years have seen the rise of a sort of anti-productivity movement. Knowledge workers who feel burned out and that work is pointless, meaningless, and grinding, have been talking more about opting out, “quiet quitting,” and doing nothing.
My guest would argue that, in fact, productivity itself isn’t the problem and that most people actually want to do good work. Instead, he says, it’s our whole approach to productivity that’s broken and needs to be transformed.
Cal Newport is a professor of computer science and the author of books like Deep Work and Digital Minimalism. His latest book is Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. Today on the show, Cal explains what’s led to the rise of what he calls “pseudo-productivity” and the fallout when we apply the structures of the industrial revolution to modern work. He then unpacks the tenets and tactics of the “slow productivity” approach to work, and how to implement them whether you work for yourself or for a boss. We discuss why you need to do fewer things in the short-term to do more things in the long term, the artificiality of working at the same intensity every day and how to inject more seasonality in your work, the role quiet quitting can play in achieving greater balance, and many other ideas on how to make modern work more sustainable, humane, and fruitful.
Resources Related to the PodcastHow to Develop Greater Self-Awareness
Chef-Vetted Answers to Your Cooking FAQs
The Secrets to Booking Cheap Flights
How to Turn a Boy Into a Man
Why We Like Puzzles, and What We Get From Them
The Surprising Science Behind Building Stronger Relationships
What Nietzsche Can Teach Us About Joyful Living in a Tech-Saturated World
The Humble Heroics of Four of WWII's Most Decorated Soldiers
How to Get Your Anger Under Control
Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
How Your Expectations Can Change Your Life
An Old-School Boxing Trainer on What It Means to Be a Man
Stress-Free Small Talk
The Cold Water Swim Cure
The 5 Allies Every Man Needs
Getting Along Is Overrated
The Harrowing Life of a World War II B-17 Pilot
Overcome the Decision Traps Around Diet and Exercise
The Life We’re Looking For
The U-Shaped Curve of Happiness
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West