Ep. 289: The Email Catastrophe

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

How did we end up tyrannized by our inboxes? How is this related to Tyrannosaurus? What was it like working at a high-tech company at the exact moment email was introduced? In this episode, Cal weaves together all these questions into a story about the unexpected ways technology impacts our lives and what we can do after the fact to make things better.
Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo
Video from today’s episode: https://youtube.com/calnewportmedia
Deep Dive: The Email Catastrophe [3:47]
- How do I deal with email overload in a government job? [45:34]
- How do I deal with an employer who demands constant responsiveness?[55:36]
- How can I concentrate when coding when I need to use my web browser? [58:27]
- How do I overcome my fear of missing important emails? [1:02:35]
- CALL: Can slow productivity work for an academic? [1:06:38]
CAL REACTS: Reader Comments on his NYT Op-Ed [1:17:47]
Links:

• newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-day-the-dinosaurs-died
• pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1817407116
• newyorker.com/magazine/1994/01/10/e-mail-from-bill-gates
• blog.rescuetime.com/communication-multitasking-switches/
• nytimes.com/2024/02/16/opinion/creative-work-productivity-seasonality.html
• 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

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

Chapter

1. Ep. 289: The Email Catastrophe (00:00:00)

2. Deep Dive: The Email Catastrophe (00:03:47)

3. How do I deal with email overload in a government job? (00:45:34)

4. How do I deal with an employer who demands constant responsiveness? (00:55:36)

5. How can I concentrate when coding when I need to use my web browser? (00:58:27)

6. How do I overcome my fear of missing important emails? (01:02:35)

7. CALL: Can slow productivity work for an academic? (01:06:38)

8. CAL REACTS: Reader Comments on his NYT Op-Ed (01:17:47)