Deep Questions with Cal Newport

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.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Ep. 350: Is Inbox Zero Possible?

    The white whale of modern productivity discourse is achieving an empty email inbox; a goal state that’s often referred to simply as “inbox zero.” In this episode, Cal looks at why the original advice for achieving inbox zero failed and explores a strategy that might work better. He then answers listener questions and in a final segment reacts to a recent guest on the Tim Ferriss podcast who provides an interesting case study of the deep life in action.

    1h 9m

  2. 21 APR

    Ep. 349: Sam Altman On Productivity

    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.

    1h 12m

  3. 17 APR · BONUS

    IN-DEPTH: Architecting a Deep Life (w/ David Dewane)

    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.

    1h 35m

  4. 14 APR

    Ep. 348: Manage Your Time in 5 Minutes a Day

    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.

    1h 23m

  5. 7 APR

    Ep. 347: The Forgotten Phone Harms

    Phones have been receiving a lot of criticism recently, but what if these concerns are missing the mark? In this episode, Cal introduces the difference between primary and secondary phone harms, and argues how our obsession with the former hides the importance of the latter. He then answers reader questions and reviews the books he read in March 2025.

    1h 9m

  6. 31 MAR

    Ep. 346: Getting Smarter in a Dumb World

    In last week’s episode, Cal discussed data that indicate that the rise of the smartphones is making humans measurably dumber. Here he discusses aggressive strategies for resisting this reality. He then answers listener questions and ends with a tech corner.

    1h 10m

  7. 24 MAR

    Ep. 345: Are We Getting Dumber?

    Multiple listeners recently sent in a Financial Times article that asks whether humans have passed “peak intelligence.” In this episode, Cal looks closer at the data in this article to try to understand why we seem to be getting dumber, and more importantly, what are the practical steps individuals can take to avoid the trend. He then answers listener questions and ends with a tech corner segment that highlights a blind spot in current discussions of AI.

    1h 9m

  8. 17 MAR

    Ep. 344: You Are Not a Cog

    Modern knowledge work jobs should be cushy gigs. Fixed hours, air conditioning, no hard manual labor, flexibility. So why are we so often burnt out and what can we do about this reality? In this episode, Cal draws a lesson from an unexpected corner of computer science, computer security research, about how we can fix some of the big problems of work in a digital age. He then answers listener questions and returns once again to the topic of AI in a final tech corner segment.

    1h 26m
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Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Cal Newport
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    357
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Deep Questions with Cal Newport
  • Show Website
    Deep Questions with Cal Newport

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