We’re tired, burnt out, and searching for a reprieve from hustle culture. Something needs to change if we’re going to get to real productivity: doing that is meaningful and fulfilling rather than just checking boxes off an endless to-do list. On today’s episode, Cal Newport joins the podcast to explore slow productivity, deep work, and how we can achieve more by doing less.

About our Guest: Cal is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and the bestselling author of eight books including Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World and most recently, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. He also has a YouTube channel and hosts the podcast Deep Questions with Cal Newport. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

2:45: Slow productivity vs. pseudoproductivity

10:35: Anxiety, procrastination, and overwhelm

17:40: Meaningful work and anti-productivity

22:40: Technology, anti-capitalist philosophy, and knowledge work

28:55: The cognitive drain of multitasking

32:45: The distraction of phones social media

36:00: The ratio of deep work to lighter work

41:00: How timeblocking actually reduces stress

45:20: Office hours and shared documents

48:05: Common misconceptions about Cal’s work

55:45: Tailoring advice to your individual situation

1:00:40: Life transitions, and the deceptive advice to “follow your passion”

1:08:00: Obsessing over quality while avoiding perfectionism

1:17:30: Recap

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod 

Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!

Connect with the show:

Subscribe on iTunes

Follow Forrest on YouTube

Follow us on Instagram

Follow Forrest on Instagram

Follow Rick on Facebook

Follow Forrest on Facebook

Visit Forrest's website

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.