Ep. 291: Do Better, Do Less

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

What does the story of the rise of the singing superstar Jewel teach us about escaping busyness in our knowledge work jobs? In this episode, Cal makes the connection, extracting a key lesson about quality as an engine for slowness, and then providing concrete advice and examples for applying this lesson to your own professional life. Also: listener questions and the books Cal read in February.
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: Doing Better, Do Less [5:00]
- Is my job too hard? [38:25]
- How do I sell myself better? [42:52]
- How do I convince myself to do actual hard work? [45:42]
- How do I find time to get better if I'm busy? [48:46]
- What is the values plan? [53:23]
The 5 books Cal read in February 2024 [1:01:45]
The Sabbath (AJ Heschel)
Making Movies (Sidney Lumet)
Killer of the Flower Moon (David Grann)
Orthodoxy (G.K. Chesterton)
The Good Shepherd (CA Forestor)
Links:
FREE download excerpt and 2 Bonuses for “Slow Productivity”:
calnewport.com/slow
Thanks to our Sponsors:
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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. 291: Do Better, Do Less (00:00:00)

2. Deep Dive: Doing Better, Do Less (00:05:00)

3. Is my job too hard? (00:38:25)

4. How do I sell myself better? (00:42:52)

5. How do I convince myself to do actual hard work? (00:45:42)

6. How do I find time to get better if I'm busy? (00:48:46)

7. What is the values plan? (00:53:23)

8. The 5 books Cal read in February 2024 (01:01:45)