note-taking

A deep life requires that you encounter and make sense of a large amount of incoming information, from narrow data relevant to a professional project, to broad insights into your purpose. How do you keep track of all of this? In this episode, Cal proposes a minimalist approach aimed at minimizing the friction required to keep tabs on what matters.

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: How to track information that matters [2:55]

- How should I make use of non-cognitive time? [27:37]
- Can people with ADHD become better at learning? [32:49]
- What does Cal think of Gloria Mark’s “4 myths of attention span”? [36:31]
- How can I concentrate on my dissertation when I have a full-time job? [47:04]
- How can I stop wasting my afternoon time blocks? [53:20]
- CALL: How can I better organize my idea notebooks? [1:01:38]

CASE STUDY: Avoiding the hyperactive hive mind to work more efficiently [1:05:46]   

CAL REACTS: Is it bad to be slow? [1:13:46]

Links:
dailystoic.com/try-not-to-be-so-slow/
gloriamark.com/attention-span

Use this link to preorder a signed copy of “Slow Productivity”:
peoplesbooktakoma.com/preorder-slow-productivity/

FREE download excerpt and 2 Bonuses for “Slow Productivity”:
calnewport.com/slow

Thanks to our Sponsors:

grammarly.com/podcast
drinklmnt.com/deep
cozyearth.com (promo code “cal”)
expressvpn.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.

View the Show Notes For This Episode

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Jim Kwik is an internationally acclaimed authority in the realm of brain optimization, memory improvement, and accelerated learning. With more than 30 years of experience, Jim has dedicated his life to helping people tap into their brain’s full potential. After overcoming learning challenges from a childhood brain injury, Jim embarked on a journey with the mission to leave no brain behind.

Through his teachings, Jim inspires others to unlock their inner genius, empowering them to live a life of greater power, productivity, and purpose. From students and tech mavens to CEOs, Hollywood celebrities, and professional athletes, Jim's teachings resonate with a diverse audience. Industry giants like Google, Virgin, Nike, SpaceX, and 20th Century Fox, along with institutions like Harvard and the United Nations, have embraced his methodologies.

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In this episode, we discuss (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

• Learning as a skill to unlock greater success in all areas of life (8:49 / 6:49)
• Practical tips for up-leveling our ability to learn (13:11 / 11:11)
• The “four supervillains” that stand in our way of learning and how we can conquer them (21:01 / 19:01)
• The four brain types and how to determine yours (30:17 / 26:16)
• The simple two-minute exercise Jim does first thing in the morning to keep from falling victim to his technology (47:56 / 43:55)
• Creating a What-Not-To-Do list (52:28 / 48:24)
• Jim’s message if you’re going through a hard time (1:03:10 / 59:09)
• Eating and nootropics for the brain (1:04:07 / 1:00:03)

Get a copy of, Limitless Expanded Edition: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life.

Discover your Kwik Brain C.O.D.E. at MyBrainAnimal.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 18th century doctor, civic leader, and renaissance man Benjamin Rush was one of the youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence, edited and named Thomas Paine's Common Sense, implemented medical practices that helped the Continental Army win the Revolutionary War, made sure Benjamin Franklin attended the Constitutional Convention, and shaped the medical and political landscape of the newly formed United States.

Yet despite his outsized influence, the varied and interesting life he led, and the close relationships he had with other founding fathers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, Rush is hardly remembered today. That's because of just how close his relationship with those other founders was. Rush was a personal physician to them and their families, and after his death, they suppressed his legacy, not wanting the intimate and unflattering details he had recorded in his letters and journals to be publicized. In fact, his memoir was considered too dangerous to be published and wasn't found for nearly 150 years.

My guest will re-introduce us to this forgotten figure. His name is Stephen Fried, and he's the author of Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father. Today on the show, Stephen takes us through Rush's fascinating life, from his self-made rise out of inauspicious childhood, to how he was able to reconcile an estranged Jefferson and Adams before his death, and what Stephen has learned from studying a character who lived through very fraught and not totally unfamiliar times.

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: Why Are We Burnt Out?  [1:31]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:

- Should I exercise before or after deep work?  [20:28]
- Why plan every quarter instead of every month or year? [23:56]
- How do I master a hard technical skill?  [26:12]
- What does my (Cal) knowledge management system look like? [30:17] 


DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:

- Are my (Cal’s) online courses applicable to people with ADHD?  [40:37]
- How do I apply deep work to my busy life?  [45:10]
- How do I balance work, school, and kids?  [49:45]
- What are my (Cal’s) thoughts on sleep?  [52:36]
- How do I (Cal) think about earnings and personal finance? [56:23]


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

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 what it was like appearing on the Netflix reality show Indian Matchmaker.

I apologize that I don't have timestamps for the individual questions for this episode. In the moment, I forgot to take notes. In future collaborative Q&A episodes I'll make sure to get the questions written down so I can deliver the timestamps to you here.

Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music and Mark Miles for mastering.

Below are the topics covered in today's mini-episode (with timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

- Taking notes in meetings. [3:41]
- Switching from Bullet Journal to Trello. [8:42]
- Speeding up time blocking. [13:56]
- Scheduling daily tasks. [23:41]
- Avoiding hard assignments (plus: a comment on YouTube addiction). [28:26]

Thanks to listener Jay Kerstens for the intro music.