Ep. 158: LISTENER CALLS: The Story of My First Book Deal

In this episode, Cal visits eight of the most influential books in personal productivity, identifying for each a single idea that ended up most resonating both with his own work and the culture more generally.  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  Today’s Deep Question: What productivity ideas from other authors are the most worth paying attention to? [4:54]  - How do I time-block for the unanticipated “a-ha!” moment of insight? [40:23] - Is my life as a surgeon dooming me to a reactive life? [45:19] - Is it possible to read too many productivity books? [52:10] - Is the Deep Life influenced by The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? [58:55] - Am I a disciplined worker if I only respond to deadlines? [1:01:09]  The 5 Books Cal Read in August 2023 [1:09:31]  Thanks to our Sponsors:  cozyearth.com hensonshaving.com/cal mintmobile.com/deep moshlife.com/deep  Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

11 Sep 20231h 23min

Change is unavoidable. You can either fear it or learn to master it. In this interview episode, Cal talks with longtime friend of the show, Brad Stulberg, about his new book, “Master of Change.”  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  INTERVIEW: How to Master Change (with Brad Stulberg) [3:55]  Links:  bradstulberg.com/  Thanks to our Sponsors:  blinkist.com/deep grammarly.com/go expressvpn.com/deep zocdoc.com/deep  Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

4 Sep 20231h 20min

Too many people believe that the New Year is the right time to undertake major improvements to your life. In this episode, Cal argues that it is instead right now, at the beginning of fall, that is the best time to turn over a new page. He lays out a detailed 4-month journey through the deep stack that will have you done with a major overhaul by the time everyone else is just getting started early next year.  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  Today’s Deep Question: How can I reinvent my life in 4 months? [6:30]  - How can I ease into Cal's more advanced time management strategies? [44:06] - Can unstructured work be a part of the deep life? [47:42] - How can I stop changing my mind about what I want to do with my life? [51:50] - Can I pursue the deep life if I need a job? [59:33] - How do you pursue the deep life with depression? [1:03:58]  Cover Reveal for Slow Productivity [1:13:20]  Thanks to our Sponsors:  mybodytutor.com policygenius.com shopify.com/deep cozyearth.com  Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

28 Aug 20231h 24min

When it comes to generating fantastic ideas – the type that can make your career – you don’t have to passively wait for inspiration to strike. You can, instead, *hack* the creative process to increase the odds of coming up with something great. In this episode, Cal explores one of the more powerful forms of “creativity hacking”: making use of strange locations.Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvoVideo from today’s episode:  youtube.com/calnewportmediaToday’s Deep Question: Why do you work better in strange locations? [3:31]- Does Cal read online articles? [34:35]- Is fitness tracking on my Apple Watch an excuse to stay distracted? [40:09]- Which is better for original thinking: the city or the country? [43:05]- How do I organize the pursuit of deep ideas? [47:19]- Does reading books from unrelated genres help idea generation? [51:57]CAL REACTS: Over stimulation is ruining your life! [59:11]Links:blog.computationalcomplexity.org/2020/02/pre-publish-and-perish.htmlcalnewport.com/on-using-inspiring-locations-to-inspire-deeper-work/youtube.com/watch?v=yYWvUoN4yt8Thanks to our Sponsors:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions and get on your way to being your best selfhensonshaving.com/calblinkist.com/deepladderlife.com/deepThanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

21 Aug 20231h 15min

In celebration of the newly released *second* edition of the Time Block Planner, Cal provides some additional expert tips for getting the most out of a time blocking discipline before answering listener questions on the general topic of time management. He closes by discussing the recent claim that phones are ruining peoples’ ability to watch movies.  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  Today’s Deep Question: How can I double what I accomplish each week by better controlling my time? [16:54]  - How do I deal with the guilt of missing time blocks? [44:17] - How does Cal reconcile slow productivity with the urgency of time blocking? [49:22] - How do I block enough time to keep up with all the internet content I want to read? [52:40] - How do I stick to my block schedule if no one is forcing me to? [1:02:11] - How can Cal be both a computer science professor and yet still be so bad at technology? [1:07:00]  Something Interesting: Have Phones Ruined Movies? [1:15:45]  Links:  washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/08/05/barbenheimer-bad-movie-behavior/  Thanks to our Sponsors:  moshlife.com/deep mintmobile.com/deep expressvpn.com/deep 80000hours.org/deep  Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

14 Aug 20231h 32min

One of the most popular (and widely forgotten) slogans of the ancient world was Festina Lente, or, “Make Haste Slowly.” In this episode, Cal looks deeper at what this phrase meant, and in doing so uncovers an ancient version of slow productivity.  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  Today’s Deep Question: What can Octavian Caesar Augustus teach us about productivity? [5:37]  - How can I help my team move fast to slow productivity? [26:12] - How do I figure out how long to spend on a task? [33:08] - What’s up with Cal’s podcast album art? [38:14] - Why is my partner so slow? [40:49] - How does Cal’s Remarkable tablet change his working memory.txt habit? [46:23]  CASE STUDY: Not allowing work to dominate your life [53:28]  The 5 Book Cal Read in July 2023 [1:03:21]  Links:  bigthink.com/the-learning-curve/festina-lente/  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festina_lente  Thanks to our Sponsors:  zocdoc.com/deep hensonshaving.com/cal mybodytutor.com blinkist.com/deep  Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

7 Aug 20231h 20min

Do you ever feel completely overwhelmed by everything you have to do? The writer Oliver Burkeman recently experimented with an unexpected response to this common sensation: he decided to work much less. In more detail, he wanted to see what would happen if he reacted to overload by restricting his work to only four hours per day. In this episode, Cal reviews what Burkeman discovered in this experiment and what it teaches the rest of us.  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  Today’s Deep Question: What happens when you cut your workday in half? [5:51]  - What does the “celebrate” deep life bucket include? [30:34] - When are big life changes the right thing to do? [38:38] - When does Cal “start” his work day? [49:04] - How do I save for a good retirement without making my current lifestyle worse? [50:05]  CASE STUDY: The Joys of Doing Less [56:44]  CAL REACTS: Chris Nolan doesn’t own a phone [1:05:21]  Links:  hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oppenheimer-christopher-nolan-cast-interview-film-1235535418/  Thanks to our Sponsors:  shopfiy.com/deep cozyearth.com grammarly.com/go policygenius.com  Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

31 Juli 20231h 13min

Do history’s greatest thinkers care about time management? In today’s episode, Cal analyzes the system that the mathematician and philosopher, Kurt Godel, used to structure his days, weeks, and years to produce meaningful work over a long period of time.  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  Today’s Deep Question: How do geniuses structure their life? [8:00]  - How do I follow through on the projects I start? [34:33] - Is creating a deep environment one of the deep life buckets? [42:14] - How do I find examples of my ideal lifestyle? [48:24] - Should I switch jobs, I’m bored (but effective)? [59:20]  CAL REACTS: The ReMarkable 2 tablet. Is it worth it? [1:11:57]  Thanks to our Sponsors:  This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions and get on your way to being your best self drinklmnt.com/deep 80000hours.org/deep hensonshaving.com/cal  Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

24 Juli 20231h 26min