The Cal Newport Show1 Syys 2025

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 and gaining 80 pounds helped him become a millionaire. In this episode, Cal wades into the furious debate this article sparked. He argues that once you look past the author’s dorm bro bravado, the kid does actually ask a good question. It’s just that his answers are lacking. Cal then tackles listener questions and reviews the books he read in August. 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: I Want Work-Life Balance. Am I Doomed to Mediocrity? [1:06] Is it possible to stay focused when having to check my phone for text messages? [42:20] When did you switch back to your teaching schedule to your summer schedule? [44:05] How has your deep life evolved since Episode 1? [49:22] How can I stop obsessively checking my work email? [53:47] Can you summarize how values and strategic planning documents, birthday projects and lifestyle centric planning combine? [58:14] CASE STUDY: Organizing household admin [1:01:44] CALL: How to tame Trello cards [1:06:39] AUGUST BOOKS: The 5 books Cal read in August 2025 [1:13:26] Boundless Realm (Foxx Note)Collisions (Alec Nevala-Lee)Before the Birds Sang Words (Ken Bruce)Desperation Reef (T Jefferson Parker)Shift (Hugh Howey) Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slowGet a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX1XHMlX1J0 Thanks to our Sponsors: ridge.com (use code “Cal”)drinklmnt.com/deepshopify.com/deepcalderalab.com/deep Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(465)

Do Hard Things (Featuring: Jerry Seinfeld)

The most recent episode of the Acquired podcast featured a story about Jerry Seinfeld that provides a critical lesson for succeeding in our current AI moment. Video from today’s episode: youtube.c...

30 Loka 15min

When Productivity Theory Meets Practice

What happens when neat theoretical ideas about productivity are deployed in the messy real world? In this episode, Cal is joined by Haley Pulli, a productivity coach from the company DoneDaily, to dis...

26 Loka 1h 6min

Why Did Big Tech Stop Building Useful Products?

Tesla’s recent demo of a rocket-powered Roadster doing a kick-flick over a parked car touched a nerve in me. It seemed to epitomize changes to the tech sector in recent years that have been largely ne...

22 Loka 14min

“Rogue” AI Not Inevitable. It’s a Choice.

A lot of attention has been paid recently to examples of AI going “rogue.” What’s missing from this discussion, however, is a more detailed explanation of what specific types of systems are causing pr...

19 Loka 1h 18min

An Unlikely Team Tackles AI Brain Rot

How do we stop from becoming so reliant on LLMs that we lose our ability to think. A new paper explores answers based on an unlikely source: rigorous mathematical models. In this episode, Cal explains...

12 Loka 1h 5min

A Stark Warning From a Former AI Doomer

Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Cal interviews Emile Torres who provides a stark warning about AI. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) A stark war...

8 Loka 1h 17min

Combating the Whirlwind with a Single Sheet of Paper

One of the more debilitating experiences in our current digital world is the sense of being trapped in relentless, reactive, busyness. This “whirlwind” can separate you from both ambition and presence...

5 Loka 1h 6min

An Insider's Guide to AI Doom

The conversation around AI harms has become incredibly heated in recent weeks. But it's also incredibly confusing. In this short explainer episode, Cal walks through the three major categories of beli...

1 Loka 28min