Cal Newport is a guide, a visionary, a role model to me and millions of others on living an intentional and productive life amidst our noisy, scatterbrained, tech-drenched world.
He’s an MIT-trained computer science professor at Georgetown University and author of 10 books which have collectively sold over 2 million copies including ‘Deep Work,’ ‘Digital Minimalism,’ and his latest bestseller, ‘Slow Productivity.’
“I sometimes joke that my entire career is built on giving two-word terms to things everyone thinks and knows,” Cal says, but the truth is he’s doing a lot more than that.
Take ‘Slow Productivity.’
He’s boiled this new phrase down into three principles: 1) Do fewer things, 2) Work at a natural pace, and 3) Obsess over quality.
Sounds simple, right? Trite, even! But that’s when you raise your head and realize the world is conspiring against you doing any of these. Doesn’t our world today reward… doing *more* things, working at an *unnatural* pace, and obsessing over *quantity*?
There’s a reason Cal has no social media apps on his phone. Why he has no social media accounts at all…and never has! With his books, and his wonderful podcast ‘Deep Questions,’ he is focused on helping us find our way as we navigate ever-changing technology and work patterns that increasingly feel at odds with our shared quest of living intentional lives.
Cal has a giant mind and it was on full display in this chat as we discuss: how Cal measures success, the neuroscience of reading, Denis Villeneuve, the relationship between rest and work, the ideal age for unrestricted Internet access, The Washington Nationals, leetspeak and productivity pr0n, the role of books today and their future, Andrew Huberman, positive reinforcement theory, Jonathan Haidt and ‘The Anxious Generation,’ technology boundaries for children, and much, much more…
Let’s turn the page to Chapter 135 now…
Chapter 128: Heather McGowan listens to lessons from the Lakota and Legacy of Luna
Page 34: How do you measure trust?
Page 33: How to see (and drop) the narrative
Page 32: Why you should get off the plane
Page 31: How to tell yourself a different story
Chapter 127: Lenore Skenazy on killing coddling to create capable kids
Page 22: How to build trust with strangers
Page 21: How to get people to open up
Chapter 126: Jully Black on anthem alterations and attitude absolutions
Page 13: Fighting book shame
Page 12: How to prioritize reading
Page 11: Why I started this podcast
Chapter 125: Two Syrian Chefs share sheep and shawarma shopkeeping shenanigans
Bookmark: Live At 'Word On The Street' Book Festival
Chapter 124: Martellus Bennett weaves Willy Wonka with warrior wisdom
Bookmark: Rocking and rolling with ravishing Rich Roll
Chapter 123: Suzy Batiz on suffering, surviving, and selling shit
Bookmark: Honing healthy happy habits with the Holdernesses
Chapter 122: Tank Sinatra on masterpiece microdosing and meme mastery in our manufactured madness
Bookmark: On braving bushy brambles and becoming a birder
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