396: Cal Newport - A World Without Email Is Coming

Watch the full video interview on YouTube here: https://bit.ly/calnewport396

Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, where he specializes in the theory of distributed systems, as well as a New York Times bestselling author who writes for a broader audience about the intersection of technology and culture.

He's the author of seven books, including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, which have been published in over thirty languages.

Cal's also a regular contributor on these topics to national publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Wired, and is a frequent guest on NPR.

His blog, Study Hacks, which he's been publishing since 2007, attracts over three million visits a year and his podcast, Deep Questions with Cal Newport, has just surpassed 1 million downloads after launching in May 2020.

Today we're discussing topics from Cal's latest book, A World Without Email.

In this episode, we discuss:

• A world without email
• The importance of undistracted focus
• The history of email
• What is the hyperactive hive mind?
• The influence of smartphones on email response times
• Solve the problem by fixing the processes
• Clarity trumps accessibility
• Knowledge work is different than industrial work
• When the hive mind style of interaction works
• Process redesign is a pain in the short-term but worth it in the long-term
• The older model of doing less
• The artificial way of collaborating
• It's a cognitive catastrophe to check your inbox & Slack every 5-6 minutes
• Set up a communication protocol
• The misinterpretation of email communication
• How to resolve inbox ping-pong
• Email filters vs. email autoresponders
• Overhaul your email inbox
• How to deal with non-interactive emails
• Email addresses should be tied to a function not an individual
• Setting boundaries for responding to emails
• It's the workflow, not the inbox
• Cal's recommendations for scheduling software
• The future of communication & productivity

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Related links:

Cal Newport - A World Without Email (book)

Cal Newport's website

Cal Newport - Digital Minimalism (book)

Cal Newport - Deep Work (book)

Cal Newport (books)

Deep Questions with Cal Newport (podcast)

Listen to Cal Newport previously on TUHP (episode #286)

Leslie Perlow - Sleeping With Your Smartphone (book)

Tim Ferriss (books)

Merlin Mann - Inbox Zero

Slack

Cal Newport - Slack Is The Right Tool For The Wrong Way To Work (The New Yorker article)

Peter Drucker (books)

David Allen (books)

Henry Ford

Trello

Calendly

Rescue Time

Dave Ramsey (books)

Instapaper

Unroll.me

Acuity Scheduling

OnceHub (Schedule Once)

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250: Greg McKeown – Essentialism • The Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) • The Cost of Saying Yes

097: John Lee Dumas – A Solid Morning Routine Begins The Night Before • Don't Fall Prey To Imposter Syndrome • Setting and accomplishing BIG goals

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