Down With Pseudo-Productivity: Why We Need to Transform the Way We Work

Down With Pseudo-Productivity: Why We Need to Transform the Way We Work

The last several years have seen the rise of a sort of anti-productivity movement. Knowledge workers who feel burned out and that work is pointless, meaningless, and grinding, have been talking more about opting out, “quiet quitting,” and doing nothing.

My guest would argue that, in fact, productivity itself isn’t the problem and that most people actually want to do good work. Instead, he says, it’s our whole approach to productivity that’s broken and needs to be transformed.

Cal Newport is a professor of computer science and the author of books like Deep Work and Digital Minimalism. His latest book is Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. Today on the show, Cal explains what’s led to the rise of what he calls “pseudo-productivity” and the fallout when we apply the structures of the industrial revolution to modern work. He then unpacks the tenets and tactics of the “slow productivity” approach to work, and how to implement them whether you work for yourself or for a boss. We discuss why you need to do fewer things in the short-term to do more things in the long term, the artificiality of working at the same intensity every day and how to inject more seasonality in your work, the role quiet quitting can play in achieving greater balance, and many other ideas on how to make modern work more sustainable, humane, and fruitful.

Resources Related to the PodcastConnect With CalNewport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(1158)

#661: Get Better Sleep by Stressing About It Less

#661: Get Better Sleep by Stressing About It Less

Over the past decade, there's been an emerging focus on the importance of sleep. Thousands of books and articles have been put out which drive home just how central sleep is in our mental and physical...

16 Nov 202052min

#660: How Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Heal the Soul

#660: How Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Heal the Soul

When you think about ancient Greek tragedies, you probably think about people in togas spouting stilted, archaic language -- stories written by stuffy playwrights to be watched by snooty audiences. My...

11 Nov 202054min

#659: Do You Want to Be Rich or Wealthy? (And Why the Difference Matters)

#659: Do You Want to Be Rich or Wealthy? (And Why the Difference Matters)

When we think about finance, we typically think about numbers and math. My guest today, however, argues that doing well with money is less about what you can put on a spreadsheet and more about what g...

9 Nov 202051min

#658: In Praise of Maintenance in a World Obsessed With Innovation

#658: In Praise of Maintenance in a World Obsessed With Innovation

Humans like starting new things much more than taking care of older things. This is true on both an institutional and individual level: it's more exciting to build a new road than to maintain it; more...

4 Nov 202038min

#657: Why You Don't Change (But How You Still Can)

#657: Why You Don't Change (But How You Still Can)

Anyone who's ever tried to lose weight, curb their temper, quit smoking, or alter any other habit in their lives knows that personal change is hard. Really hard. Most self-help books out there treat p...

2 Nov 202047min

#656: The Hidden Pleasures of Learning for Its Own Sake

#656: The Hidden Pleasures of Learning for Its Own Sake

When we typically think about learning, we tend to think about being in a structured school, and doing it for some reason -- to get a grade, to get a degree, to get a certain job. But my guest today s...

28 Okt 202042min

#655: Simple, Excuse-Busting Advice for Getting in Shape

#655: Simple, Excuse-Busting Advice for Getting in Shape

When it comes to getting in shape, there are always a bunch of excuses to use as to why you can't get yourself in gear: you don't know what program to start, you don't have time, you don't have any eq...

26 Okt 202056min

#654: How to Astronaut

#654: How to Astronaut

If you grew up in the ‘80s like me, there's a good chance you really wanted to go to space camp and you really wanted to be an astronaut. You probably had a lot of questions about what it was like to ...

21 Okt 202046min

Populært innen Fakta

mikkels-paskenotter
fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
treningspodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-bisarr-historie
jakt-og-fiskepodden
hverdagspsyken
sinnsyn
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
fryktlos
level-up-med-anniken-binz
gravid-uke-for-uke
rss-kunsten-a-leve
rss-kull
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
hagespiren-podcast
uroskolen