Ep. 355: Quit Social Media (For Real This Time)

Ep. 355: Quit Social Media (For Real This Time)

A common complaint about social media skepticism is that we’re falling into a classic moral panic. We’ve been concerned about many past mass media technologies, and ultimately came to realize that they’re not so bad. So why would we expect anything different about social media? In this episode, Cal tackles this complaint, drawing on an unexpected analogy to find clarity. He then answers listener questions and discusses the books he read in May, but not before first confronting a truly bizarre (or, perhaps, brilliant) piece of art work created by a fan of the show.

Find out more about Done Daily at DoneDaily.com!

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

Deep Dive: Quit Social Media [6:18]

- How can I become a better, more analytical thinker? [23:04]
- How can I stay motivated, productive, and balanced while working mostly alone during my first remote internship? [28:56]
- How much time should I dedicate to developing secondary skills? [30:10]
- How does TikTok seem to know so much about me? [32:09]
- What are the best workflow strategies when using AI agents? [43:45]

CASE STUDY: A simple, analog approach to productivity [49:31]

CALL: Too focused on metrics [53:15]

MAY BOOKS: The 5 Books Cal Read in May 2025 [1:03:19]

May Books:

  • Building: A Carpenter’s Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work (Mark Ellison)
  • Thoreau’s Axe (Caleb Smith)
  • 9 Innings (Daniel Okrent)
  • Let Them (Mel Robbins)
  • Against the Machine (Paul Kingsnorth)

Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
amazon.com/Four-Days-Week-Life-Changing-Well-Being/dp/0063382431/r
calnewport.com/on-ultra-processed-content/
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cal-newport-5-28-19/id814550071?i=1000647135862
rehearsal.so/blog/how_to_stay_in_flow_while_using_cursor_or_windsurf

Thanks to our Sponsors:

cozyearth.com/deep
shopify.com/deep
harrys.com/deep
calderalab.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for the slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.


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Ep. Ep 381: Life Advice from Legendary Writers

Ep. Ep 381: Life Advice from Legendary Writers

In today’s episode, Cal reviews some of his favorite advice from legendary writers (plus a bonus piece of advice from his own craft). Within each suggestion, he finds a general idea that can apply to ...

1 Dec 20251h 38min

Ep. 380: ChatGPT is Not Alive!

Ep. 380: ChatGPT is Not Alive!

There has been a lot of loose talk online recently about the capabilities of existing AI tools. In this episode, Cal reacts to a specific recent clip from the Joe Rogan podcast in which the guest argu...

24 Nov 20251h 18min

Ep. 379: The Flexibility Myth

Ep. 379: The Flexibility Myth

When companies began instituting return-to-office plans after the pandemic, a disproportionate number of women chose instead to leave the workforce. Why? The obvious answer is that they wanted the fle...

17 Nov 20251h 55min

Ep. 378: The Lost Art of Long Thinking

Ep. 378: The Lost Art of Long Thinking

We often talk on this show about how digital devices undermine our ability to consume more complicated and meaningful ideas. But what about our ability to produce such ideas from scratch? In this epis...

10 Nov 20251h 28min

Ep. 377: The Case Against Superintelligence

Ep. 377: The Case Against Superintelligence

Techno-philosopher Eliezer Yudkowsky recently went on Ezra Klein's podcast to argue that if we continue on our path toward superintelligent AI, these machines will destroy humanity. In this episode, C...

3 Nov 20251h 31min

Ep. 376: The Lincoln Protocol

Ep. 376: The Lincoln Protocol

How do you escape a world where constant digital distractions and darkness threatens to pull you down? Maybe take a page out of Abraham Lincoln’s life. In this episode, Cal argues that Lincoln faced a...

27 Okt 20251h 23min

Ep. 375: Did OpenAI Just Kill Social Media?

Ep. 375: Did OpenAI Just Kill Social Media?

Ep. 375: Did OpenAI Just Kill Social Media?OpenAI has been making waves recently with their release of their Sora 2 video generation model, which they have launched alongside a TikTok-style social med...

20 Okt 20251h 36min

Ep. 374: This is Your Brain on Phones

Ep. 374: This is Your Brain on Phones

It’s hard to cultivate a deep life when you cannot go more than a few minutes without checking your phone. In this episode, Cal looks closer at the precise neural mechanisms at play that make the phys...

13 Okt 20251h 38min

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