Ep. 240: Disciplined Laziness

In today's episode, I talk with Joshua Fields Milburn, who along with Ryan Nicodemus make up the powerhouse duo known simply as the Minimalists. You probably know Joshua from the wildly successful Netflix documentaries, MINIMALISM and LESS IS NOW, or the popular podcast he co-hosts with Ryan. The story of how the Minimalists got started is well-told, so I thought I would focus on a natural follow question: what happened next? Starting with when I first met him in 2012, I ask Joshua to walk us through the building of the Minimalist brand -- how they went from an amateur blog to being recognized on the street a dozen times a day. In doing so, we learn a lot about the inspiring, value-driven approach that Joshua and Ryan have taken in their careers, in which living right is more important than making the most money or accusing the most likes. Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 Mar 20211h 36min

Below are the topics covered in today's mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.- Spending too much time on Trello. [8:47]- Reducing instant messenger use. [18:33]- The inflexibility of time blocking. [27:30]- Finishing a thesis on time. [34:32]- Working deeply during a coup. [37:33]Thanks to listener Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

25 Feb 202140min

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.WORK QUESTIONS - What makes a day "productive" for a researcher? [5:10] - How do I get past imposter syndrome in academia? [9:29]  - Should I get a PhD to become a writer? [14:22] - How can I make my team less reactive? [18:06] - How do I make daily/weekly planning a habit that sticks? [28:12]TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS - Is attention training going to become an important sector? [31:47]  - How do I organize my electronic files and folders? [37:26] - Where do I store random ideas? [44:46] - How do I schedule my podcasting and blogging? [48:35]DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS - What do I do about a significant other who wallows in the shallows? [50:45]  - Can I become rich while living a deep life? [58:00] - How do I cultivate a stronger sense of community? [1:01:56]Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

22 Feb 20211h 10min

Below are the topics covered in today's mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.- Excessive planning syndrome. [3:29]- Deep work and the distraction of social anxiety. [6:48]- Writing for top tier publications. [11:53]- Social media for artists. [17:16]- Hobby overload (and the curse of busyness). [30:18]- Getting started on hard creative work. [38:15]Thanks to listener Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 Feb 202142min

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.DEEP DIVE: The Autonomy Trap [7:25]WORK QUESTIONS - How do I focus when working on a distracting computer? [19:58] - How do you maintain energy while increasing deep work? [23:34] - Can the pomodoro technique help achieve deep work? [29:00] - How can I time block when working with two kids in a small apartment? [31:29] - Have I thought about updating my student books? [38:!7]TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS - Are project management tools like Basecamp just a fancier version oof email? [42:26] - How can I integrate OmniFocus into daily, weekly, quarterly planned work schedules? [46:38] - What about the social costs of missing invitations because you're not on social media? [55:09]DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS - How do I organize my life as a newly published author? [1:01:10] - How do I balance rigor and accessibility in my non-fiction writing? [1:07:52] - How young is too young for getting kids started on the deep life? [1:14:08]Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

15 Feb 20211h 21min

Below are the topics covered in today's mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Timing productive meditation. [6:32] - Extracting wisdom from past plans. [14:00] - Writing a thesis as a side project. [22:44] - Adapting college advice to high school students (plus: a bonus digression on my experience writing books in academia). [30:00] - Getting things done during an isolating pandemic. [36:30]Thanks to listener Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

11 Feb 202144min

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.WORK QUESTIONS - How do I finish my day strong when time blocking? [5:09] - What should I do to succeed as a new professor? [9:48] - How do I protect deep work even as I become more recognized? [14:38] - What are strategies for handling large ambiguous work tasks? [19:37] - How do I stay productive in a one-bedroom apartment? [24:06]TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS - Can ASMR support deep work? [32:44] - Do audiobooks count as long-form reading? [40:21] - Should families use shared task lists? [40:45] - How how I use YouTube while avoiding entertainment black holes? [46:29]DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS - How does one find joy in deep leisure? [50:00] - It Eisenhower Box useful for constructing a deep life? [58:05]  - How do I escape the social media bubble the pandemic trapped me inside? [1:03:44]Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

8 Feb 20211h 12min

Below are the topics covered in today's mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.  - Handling short tasks. [4:37]  - Time blocking with auto-scheduled meetings. [11:45]  - Taming excessive phone usage. [18:18]  - Hiring yourself as an assistant. [25:05]  - How to avoid losing steam during time off. [36:05]Thanks to listener Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

4 Feb 202141min