Ep. 299: Our Love/Hate Relationship with Personal Productivity

Ep. 299: Our Love/Hate Relationship with Personal Productivity

Cal has been writing professionally about issues related to personal productivity for two decades. In today’s episode, he provides a short history of what he’s observed during this period about out constantly shifting relationship with this topic, from the quiet optimism of the 1990s, to the techno-mania of the early 2000s, to the whiplash shift from anti-distraction to anti-work sentiments in the 2010s. He ends with a summary of where we are today and what he currently thinks matters in thinking about getting things done. During the Q&A session, Cal is joined by special guest host Scott Young (whose new book is GET BETTER AT ANYTHING) to help answer your questions. We conclude with a list of the books Cal read in April.

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

Deep Dive: The 20-year history with personal productivity [4:20]

- How does Cal organize his files as a technical researcher? [1:04:55]
- How slow is too slow? [1:18:48]
- Does “Monk Mode” actually work? [1:27:25]
- How do I adapt my organizational systems to do more complicated work? [1:36:07]
- What are the most underrated habits for living a great life? [1:49:46]

CASE STUDY: Unconventional slow productivity [1:55:56]

FINAL SEGMENT: The 5 Books Cal Read in April 2024 [2:04:51]

Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?v=448bf8afad0740d18f6b109b4bd40d51
moehrbetter.com/gtd-advanced-workflow-diagram.html

Books Discussed in Deep Dive:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People
How To Become CEO
Getting Things Done
The Four Hour Work Week
Essentialism
How To Do Nothing

April Books:

An Empire of Their Own by Neal Gabler
Co-intelligence by Ethan Mollick
Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan
The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb
To Heal a Fractured World by Jonathan Sacks

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions
notion.com/cal
zocdoc.com/deep
shopify.com/deep

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


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Ep. 368: I Want Work-Life Balance. Am I Doomed to Mediocrity?

Ep. 368: I Want Work-Life Balance. Am I Doomed to Mediocrity?

A 22-year-old made a splash recently when he published a Wall Street Journal op-ed claiming that work-life balance makes you mediocre. He went on to brag about how sleeping less than 4 hours a night a...

1 Syys 20251h 27min

Ep. 367: What if AI Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This?

Ep. 367: What if AI Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This?

In recent years, it’s been hard not to react to the possibilities of generative AI without a mixture of euphoria or dread. But after OpenAI’s lackluster GPT-5 launch, a new, almost heretical-seeming q...

25 Elo 20251h 37min

Ep. 366: How to Reinvent Your Life in 4 Months (Classic Episode from August, 2023)

Ep. 366: How to Reinvent Your Life in 4 Months (Classic Episode from August, 2023)

In this replay of one of the more popular episodes from the Deep Questions archives, originally aired in August ,2023, Cal explores some of his early strategies for cultivating a deeper life.Below are...

18 Elo 20251h 17min

Ep. 365: What Technology Wants (and How to Push Back)

Ep. 365: What Technology Wants (and How to Push Back)

Why do we end up entangled with tools that don’t have our best interests in mind? How can we fix this situation? In this episode, Cal dives deep into the difference between additive and extractive tec...

11 Elo 20251h 2min

Ep. 364: Metrics 101

Ep. 364: Metrics 101

When Cal recently returned home from his time spent up in New England he set up a whole new set of daily metrics to track in the fall to keep him pointed toward the deep life. And they failed. Hard. I...

4 Elo 20251h 9min

Ep. 363: Escaping the Digital Doldrums

Ep. 363: Escaping the Digital Doldrums

What does Walt Disney’s malaise in the 1940s have to do with our current struggles with our screens? In this episode, Cal uses a little-known story from Disney’s midlife to identify an effective strat...

28 Heinä 20251h 9min

Ep. 362: The Texting Dilemma

Ep. 362: The Texting Dilemma

When we think about unhealthy phone usage, we think about the flashing apps, like TikTok and Instagram, in which billions of dollars have been spent to grab our attention. In this episode, Cal points ...

21 Heinä 20251h 10min

Ep. 361: Do You Need an App Blocker?

Ep. 361: Do You Need an App Blocker?

Are you worried that you’re using your phone too much? An app blocker might make sense. But how do they work, and which one is right for you? In this episode, Cal goes deep into the motivation, techno...

14 Heinä 202559min

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