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: Will Offices Survive the Pandemic? [6:01] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - How do I practice my writing better? [22:07] - Is it harder to write a dissertation or a book? [25:08] - Will 10-minute sitting breaks destroy my concentration? [29:04] - Am I good at time management or just lazy? [35:52] - How do I get the most out of an assistant wh...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Interacting with potential clients while avoiding constant distraction. [2:10] - Self-promotion without social media. [8:21] - Dealing with an overflowing "to read" folder. [13:19] - Correcting weekly plan drift. [18:13] - The secrets of my high-volume reading. [22:47] - Personal vs. organizational productivity. [27:29] - Balanc...
Oct 14, 2021•51 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast DEEP DIVE: Why Am I Uncomfortable With Facebook Backlash? [1:16] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS: - How do I work deeper in a job that is inherently fractured? [17:29] - How do I switch tasks without everything going to hell? [23:21] - How do I build relationships with colleagues if I prioritize deep work? [26:50] - How can I reduce the craziness of my college schedule? [33:39] DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS: - How can I relaxed if I'm extremely driven? [38:49] - Can on lead a life as a recognized intellectual outside...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. OPENING: Some Thoughts on Slow Productivity. [0:21] LISTENER CALLS - Taming client email as a busy lawyer.[3:44] - How I maintain my systems. [11:42] - The danger of too much productivity. [[17:02] - Benjamin Franklin, tedious Harvard types, and awe. [22:54] - Students and theory. [34:12] - Reversing burnout. [38:05]...
Oct 07, 2021•54 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast 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 WORK QUESTIONS - How do virtual office hours work with multiple participants? [4:26] - Is time spent in front of a computer screen bad (bonus rant: we work too much!)? [8:18] - How do I remember goals when I'm in danger of distraction? [14:20] - Why do I ignore monthly planning? [16:26] - How do I survive running two companies? [18:08] ...
Oct 04, 2021•51 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. RANT FOLLOW-UP: A doctor's perspective on kids and smartphones. [0:35] GUEST CHAT: Scott Young stops by to talk about our new online course. [5:00] LISTENER CALLS: - Returning to regular deep work after the pandemic. [22:06] - Deciding what tasks to execute. [29:34] - Integrating your values into your daily activities. [34:08] - L...
Sep 30, 2021•57 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast 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: Is the Desire to Produce Negative? [5:14] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - What are the most popular workflows used to escape excessive email? [17:07] - How do I read academic papers effectively? [27:40] - How much studying is enough for a college student? [31:38] - How do I defeat the allure of distraction? (Plus: Why Soto should get more M...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast OPENING RANT: Facebook Knows It's Hurting Teenagers [3:22] LISTENER CALLS: - Interfacing with the hive mind. [17:45] - The relationship between tasks and daily plans. [24:58] - My weekly planning ritual. [31:04] - Discovering books. [39:42] - How I manage my non-work tasks. [46:25]
Sep 23, 2021•52 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm hiring! [0:20] DEEP DIVE: The Elements of the Deep Life [3:51] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - How should I get started in a new remote work job? [16:56] - How I time block a purely reactive job? [21:56] - Should I bother capturing tasks that are fast to complete? [25:26] - How do I tame multiple concurrent projects? [29:00] - How do...
Sep 20, 2021•56 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Balancing availability and depth as a leader. [5:12] - Being available to students without being overwhelmed. [12:08] - Rapid fire questions (each answer under 1 minute). [18:18] -- Working eight hours in a row. -- Quarterly plan format. -- Reading metrics. - Sticking to a schedule once made. [26:36] - Keeping up with an academi...
Sep 16, 2021•42 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast 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: Is Organization the Opiate of the Knowledge Work Masses? [1:02] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - How do I choose skills to work deeply on? [15:18] - What if I don't know what I want to do with my career or life? [20:11] - How do I stop my students from overwhelming me right before deadlines? [23:38] - When should you say "no" to interesting ...
Sep 13, 2021•59 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. OPENING: My new reading habit [6:53] LISTENER CALLS: - Retaining information from books. [11:16] - The value of an agile personal productivity system. [18:33] - An impractical vision for a highly productive building. [26:16] - Marketing a course without social media. [37:45] - The art of "no". [43:14] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for th...
Sep 09, 2021•55 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode, I am joined by longtime friend of the show Brad Stulberg, who has a new book out called THE PRACTICE OF GROUNDEDNESS (https://thegrowtheq.com/books/groundedness/). Brad helps me answer your questions on topics including the decision to start a company, recovering from a pandemic-induced demotion, preventing productivity from diminishing leisure, and dealing with inertia. Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering.
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - My home office setup. [3:59] - Working while tired. [12:29] - Writing three hours a day. [17:19] - Details of my strategic plans. [26:09] - Ignoring strategic plans. [31:08] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering.
Sep 02, 2021•39 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast 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: How Reachable Should We Be? [1:48] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - What should I do if I finish a time block early? [8:31] - How do I work deeply at home with a crying newborn? [12:57] - How I work deeply while taking care of a child full time? [17:54] - How do I manage a shared mailbox with my team? [23:14] DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS - What is di...
Aug 30, 2021•50 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Organizing notes on technical articles and books. [3:00] - Finding depth amidst a vast shallows. [8:35] - Should I get an MBA if it's free? [24:12] - Optimal counts of deep projects. [33:30] - The value habit. [36:37] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering....
Aug 26, 2021•43 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast 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 WORK QUESTIONS - Does deep work apply to everybody? [5:15] - Who watches your kids when you do deep work? [12:48] - How do I design a deeper work environment from scratch? [19:23] - What should I focus on as a postdoc? [23:39] - Do I (Cal) really not work in the evening? [28:12] DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS - How much deep leisure should I sched...
Aug 23, 2021•55 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Naturally disorganized people. [3:23] - Coping with highly reactionary schedules. [11:07] - Digital versus analog weekly plans. [16:32] - Summer reading (plus: my idea for a novel). [21:29] - Prioritizing friendly connections. [32:25] - Figuring out your values. [36:59] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles f...
Aug 19, 2021•45 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode, I am joined in studio by my longtime podcasting friend Srini Rao, host of the incredible Unmistakable Creative podcast (https://unmistakablecreative.com/), on which I've been a guest many times. Srini helps me answer your questions on both deep work and the deep life. We also talk about his podcasting company recently raising a series A round of venture capital funding, and what it was like appearing on the Netflix reality show Indian Matchmaker. I apologize that I don't have...
Aug 16, 2021•2 hr 45 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Saving a software team from the hyperactive hive mind. [3:21] - Working from near home on a student budget [6:18] - Students' diminishing focus. [13:10] - Useful academic work. [24:15] - Deep work subverting deep leisure. [29:09] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering....
Aug 12, 2021•33 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast 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: Does Accomplishment Require Overload? [3:16] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - How do you figure out what to get good at? [15:35] - Should I quit teaching to become a lifestyle coach? [23:24] - Why did I (Cal) become a computer scientist? [28;39] - How do I stop my firm from killing itself with email? [34:07] - As the multipurpose nature of c...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Stopping excess emails from students. [8:39] - Finding ideas for books. [16:46] - The nuances of weekly planning. [19:58] - A primer on my value-driven planning philosophy. [29:46] - Deep work for politicians. [43:47] - Inefficient workflows. [49:53] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering....
Aug 05, 2021•56 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast 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 WORK QUESTIONS - How do I find free time as a working mother? [2:10] - How do I time block unpredictable support tasks? [13:56] - How many items are on my (Cal's) task lists and how often do I review? [18:51] - How do I stay productive without clear deadlines? [27:09] - How do get started writing? [32:33] - How do I know if an idea is g...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness join me to talk through Matt Crawford's classic 2009 book: "Shop Class as Soulcraft." We get into its impact on our own thinking, attempt to deconstruct its popularity, and seriously consider quitting our jobs to repair motorcycles. For more on Brad and Steve: https://wthegrowtheq.com Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering.
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, podcast maven Jordan Harbinger joins me for a collaborative deep dive on the topic of podcasting. We take a close look at the current state of this technology, including a look at specific numbers: How much money are people making? How many people are making that money? Why is SMARTLESS worth $20 million a year to Amazon? We then tackle the future of the industry. Will independent audio-only podcasting as we know it today still be around in 5 years, or is this just a step toward...
Jul 19, 2021•2 hr 44 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Balancing necessary shallow and important deep work. [3:23] - Increasing reading retention. [9:556] - Keeping track of goals or ideas for future pursuit. [13:59] - Growing a podcast without social media. [19:32] - Seasonal breaks from work. [30:51] - Community bucket struggles. [33:54] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music ...
Jul 15, 2021•38 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. BOOK REPORT: The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin [1:30] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - How do I eliminate the hive mind from interaction with other departments? [13:36] - How do I capture small tasks so I don't forget them? [23:23] - How do I (Cal) feel about career counselors? [29:31] - Are there professions for which time blocking doesn't work...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Breaking up big projects into small tasks. [4:19] - The productivity baby steps (epic answer alert). [8:58] - Taming late night meetings. [26:02] - Best book of mine for college students. [34:45] - Shutdown routines with unpredictable schedules. [38:28] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering....
Jul 08, 2021•44 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. FROM THE NEWSLETTER: Notes on Quentin Tarantino's Writing Routine [3:39] DEEP WORK QUESTIONS - How fluid are my quarterly plans? [17:00] - What is a good approach to take notes in meetings? [19:59] - What do you include ads o your podcast? [23:31] - How do I install a deep work mindset in my team? [25:25] - How do you (Cal) use Evernote? [32...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast Below are the topics covered in today's listener calls mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast. - Why people get mad at me. [1:21] - Scheduling reading. [7:06] - Semester goals and time block planners. [11:41] - McKeown's effortlessness vs. Newport's automation. [25:05] - Translating the deep life into concrete action. [30:23] Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering....
Jul 01, 2021•36 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast 
