lifestyledesign

Cal has been writing professionally about issues related to personal productivity for two decades. In today’s episode, he provides a short history of what he’s observed during this period about out constantly shifting relationship with this topic, from the quiet optimism of the 1990s, to the techno-mania of the early 2000s, to the whiplash shift from anti-distraction to anti-work sentiments in the 2010s. He ends with a summary of where we are today and what he currently thinks matters in thinking about getting things done. During the Q&A session, Cal is joined by special guest host Scott Young (whose new book is GET BETTER AT ANYTHING) to help answer your questions. We conclude with a list of the books Cal read in April.

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: The 20-year history with personal productivity [4:20]

- How does Cal organize his files as a technical researcher? [1:04:55]
- How slow is too slow? [1:18:48]
- Does “Monk Mode” actually work? [1:27:25]
- How do I adapt my organizational systems to do more complicated work? [1:36:07]
- What are the most underrated habits for living a great life? [1:49:46]

CASE STUDY: Unconventional slow productivity [1:55:56]

FINAL SEGMENT: The 5 Books Cal Read in April 2024 [2:04:51]

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?v=448bf8afad0740d18f6b109b4bd40d51
moehrbetter.com/gtd-advanced-workflow-diagram.html

Books Discussed in Deep Dive:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People
How To Become CEO
Getting Things Done
The Four Hour Work Week
Essentialism
How To Do Nothing

April Books:

An Empire of Their Own by Neal Gabler
Co-intelligence by Ethan Mollick
Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan
The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb
To Heal a Fractured World by Jonathan Sacks

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions
notion.com/cal
zocdoc.com/deep
shopify.com/deep

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

Have you ever wanted to escape the grind and follow your dreams? This week we're discussing "The 4-Hour Workweek," which reveals that all you need is a plan, a willingness to take risks and a modestly sized fraud operation built on Third World labor.

Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Where to find us: 

• Twitter
• Peter's other podcast, 5-4
• Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase

Sources:

• The Fraud and the Four-Hour Workweek
• Revisiting "The 4-Hour Workweek"
• New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life!
• From Productivity to Psychedelics: Tim Ferriss Has Changed His Mind About Success

 Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!