Apr 23, 2024
Cal Newport is a guide, a visionary, a role
model to me and millions of others on living an intentional and
productive life amidst our noisy, scatterbrained, tech-drenched
world.
He’s an MIT-trained computer science professor at Georgetown
University and author of 10 books which have collectively sold over
2 million copies including ‘Deep Work,’ ‘Digital Minimalism,’ and
his latest bestseller, ‘Slow Productivity.’
“I sometimes joke that my entire career is built on giving two-word
terms to things everyone thinks and knows,” Cal says, but the truth
is he’s doing a lot more than that.
Take ‘Slow Productivity.’
He’s boiled this new phrase down into three principles: 1) Do fewer
things, 2) Work at a natural pace, and 3) Obsess over
quality.
Sounds simple, right? Trite, even! But that’s when you raise your
head and realize the world is conspiring against you doing any of
these. Doesn’t our world today reward… doing *more* things, working
at an *unnatural* pace, and obsessing over
*quantity*?
There’s a reason Cal has no social
media apps on his phone. Why he has no social media accounts at
all…and never has! With his books, and his wonderful podcast ‘Deep
Questions,’ he is focused on helping us find our way as we navigate
ever-changing technology and work patterns that increasingly feel
at odds with our shared quest of living intentional
lives.
Cal has a giant mind and it was on full display in this chat as we
discuss: how Cal measures success, the neuroscience of reading,
Denis Villeneuve, the relationship between rest and work, the ideal
age for unrestricted Internet access, The Washington Nationals,
leetspeak and productivity pr0n, the role of books today and their
future, Andrew Huberman, positive reinforcement theory, Jonathan
Haidt and ‘The Anxious Generation,’ technology boundaries for
children, and much, much more…
Let’s turn the page to Chapter 135 now…