Ep. 53: Covey's Quads, "Perfect" Productivity Systems, and Reducing Laziness

Ep. 53: Covey's Quads, "Perfect" Productivity Systems, and Reducing Laziness

In this episode of Deep Questions I answer reader questions about Stephen Covey's quad systems, the quixotic quest for a "perfect" productivity system, and reducing laziness, among many other topics.

To submit your own questions, sign up for my mailing list at calnewport.com. You can also submit audio questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/CalNewport

Please consider subscribing (which helps iTunes rankings) and leaving a review or rating (which helps new listeners decide to try the show).

Here’s the full list of topics tackled in today’s episode along with the timestamps:


DEEP DIVE: The Deep Reset, Part 3

WORK QUESTIONS
- Why did I become a scientist? [13:50]
- Time blocking scrum teams. [18:27]
- Stephen Covey’s quad systems. [22:50]
- Is an MS essential? [27:28]
- Time blocking the night before. [28:52]

TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS
- The futility of perfecting productivity systems [31:41]
- Thoughts on pair programming. [41:44]
- Keeping track of novel connections between ideas. [52:14]
- Forced social media use [55:15]

DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS
- Deep living for stay-at-home parents. [1:02:02]
- Dealing with people not interested in personal development. [1:08:56]
- Reducing laziness. [1:12:51]


Thanks to listener Jay Kerstens for the intro music.


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