Deep Questions with Cal Newport

By: Cal Newport
  • Summary

  • 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.
    © 2024 Deep Questions with Cal Newport
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Episodes
  • Ep. 349: Sam Altman On Productivity
    Apr 21 2025

    Cal talks a lot about his ideas for producing meaningful work in a distracted world. But how do other people tackle this goal? To help better under this question, Cal reacts to a 2018 article from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in which he details his productivity philosophy. Cal then answers listener questions and concludes with a dystopian tech corner.

    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: Sam Altman On Productivity [2:20]

    - How do I prevent administrative sprawl? [22:01]
    - When is the best time to schedule Deep Work? [31:12]
    - How can a gardener gain career capital? [32:43]
    - How can one go from good performance to exceptional performance? [36:21]
    - Is it better to write with a single monitor? [38:33]

    CALL: Slow Productivity in a changing world [43:09]

    CALL: Rory Mcllroy and his phone [48:35]

    TECH CORNER: Will AI Destroy Humanity by 2027? [56:46]

    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?
    blog.samaltman.com/productivity
    ai-2027.com
    daveshap.substack.com/p/common-bad-takes-in-ai-safety-a-response

    Thanks to our Sponsors:

    shopify.com/deep
    zocdoc.com/deep
    vanta.com/deepquestions
    expressvpn.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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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • IN-DEPTH: Architecting a Deep Life (w/ David Dewane)
    Apr 17 2025

    In this episode of IN-DEPTH, Cal is joined by David Dewane, the architect responsible for the “eudaimonia machine” featured in DEEP WORK. In this wide-ranging conversation, Cal and David talk about the challenges of finding depth in a distracted world, and the results of David’s personal experimentation in creating a deep life of his own.

    Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

    INTERVIEW: Architecting a Deep Life (w/ David Dewane) [04:06]

    Links:
    https://www.calnewport.com/slow

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

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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • Ep. 348: Manage Your Time in 5 Minutes a Day
    Apr 14 2025

    Cal has been writing about time management for a *long* time. In this episode, he returns to a chapter from a book he wrote twenty years ago that is titled “manage your time in 5 minutes a day.” He revisits his old advice to see what he thinks still works and what needs updating. He then answers listener questions and returns to the tech corner to get back in the weeds on a topic involving AI.

    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: Manage Your Time in 5 Minutes a Day [3:11]

    - How specific should I make my Quarterly Plan? [27:28]

    - Does reading Mangas count as reading? [29:30]

    - How do I store information related to tasks? [34:14]

    - How do I speak better at work in spontaneous conversations? [38:31]

    - Are paper and pencil calendars suitable to use if my work is in two different time zones? [45:42]


    CALL: Utilizing coaching [51:38]

    CALL: Embracing boredom [57:48]

    TECH CORNER: RL vs. LLM [1:08:04]


    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?


    Thanks to our Sponsors:

    grammarly.com/podcast

    cozyearth.com/deep

    oracle.com/deepquestions

    expressvpn.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.

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 23 mins
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