Cal Newport
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
Cal Newport is a computer science professor and a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives.
Author
Cal Newport
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Jul 9, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
Ep. 139: Am I Good at Time Management or Just Lazy? 18.10.2021 1:03:31
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] ...
Ep. 138: LISTENER CALLS: How I Read So Much 14.10.2021 51:03
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 sec...
Ep. 137: Why Am I Uncomfortable With Facebook Backlash? 11.10.2021 1:04:18
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...
Ep. 136: LISTENER CALLS: Reversing Burnout 07.10.2021 54:13
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 Harvar...
Ep. 135: Is Screen Time Bad? 04.10.2021 51:07
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?...
Ep. 134: LISTENER CALLS: Returning to Deep Work After the Pandemic 30.09.2021 57:06
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] - Decidin...
Ep. 133: How Do I Defeat Distraction? 27.09.2021 1:05:57
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 coll...
Ep. 132: LISTENER CALLS: Managing Non-Work Tasks 23.09.2021 52:10
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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep. 131: The Elements of the Deep Life 20.09.2021 56:23
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...
Ep. 130: LISTENER CALLS: Leadership vs. Availability 16.09.2021 41:59
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...
Ep. 129: How Do I Get My Kid Off His Smartphone? 13.09.2021 58:49
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 stude...
Ep. 128: LISTENER CALLS: The Art of "No" 09.09.2021 54:40
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] - Market...
Ep. 127: Does Productivity Diminish Leisure? (with Brad Stulberg) 06.09.2021 1:27:58
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...
Ep. 126: LISTENER CALLS: A Tour of My Home Offices 02.09.2021 38:33
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...
Ep. 125: What is Discipline (and How Do I Get It?) 30.08.2021 49:43
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...
Ep. 124: LISTENER CALLS: Preserving Depth in the Vast Shallows 26.08.2021 42:52
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...
Ep. 123: What Is My Daily Routine? 23.08.2021 55:27
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...
Ep. 122: LISTENER CALLS: Figuring Out Your Values 19.08.2021 44:48
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. [3...
Ep. 121: Is Writing Everyday Overrated? (with Srini Rao) 16.08.2021 1:44:40
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 wha...
Ep. 120: LISTENER CALLS: Students' Diminishing Focus 12.08.2021 33:01
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]T...
Ep. 119: Does Accomplishment Require Overload? 09.08.2021 1:09:37
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...
Ep. 118: LISTENER CALLS: A Primer On My Planning Philosophy 05.08.2021 55:47
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 work...
Ep. 117: Should I Quit My Job to Become a Writer? 02.08.2021 1:20:26
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 wi...
Ep. 116: RE-READING: Shop Class as Soulcraft (with Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness) 26.07.2021 1:28:02
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.comThanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mast...
Ep. 115: JORDAN HARBINGER: What is the Future of Podcasting? 19.07.2021 1:43:39
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...
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