Ep. 321: Escaping Your Phone

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

It has become second nature to maintain a continuous partial participation in the world of digital networks. In today’s episode, Cal reflects on a week in which he spent too much time online, and argues why this continuous partial participation is dehumanizing, and what you can do to escape. He then takes questions and calls from listeners and reviews the five books he read in September.

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 Your Phone Is Changing You [1:43]

- How do I teach my bosses to be deeper? [28:34]

- How can I focus as a doctor when I have to keep switching from one patient to the next?” [35:46]

- How do I overcome notebook overwhelm? [39:13]

- Can “creativity” be added to the deep life buckets? [40:47]

- How do I overcome the guilt of no longer being pseudo-productive? [44:51]

- CALL: The Pomodoro Technique and overcoming distraction [49:33]

CASE STUDY: A 39-year-old changes careers [54:21]

FINAL SEGMENT: The 5 Books Cal Read in September 2024 [1:02:50]

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?

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions

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

Chapter

1. Ep. 321: Escaping Your Phone (00:00:00)

2. Deep Dive: How Your Phone Is Changing You (00:01:43)

3. How do I teach my bosses to be deeper? (00:28:34)

4. How can I focus as a doctor when I have to keep switching from one patient to the next?” (00:35:46)

5. How do I overcome notebook overwhelm? (00:39:13)

6. Can “creativity” be added to the deep life buckets? (00:40:47)

7. How do I overcome the guilt of no longer being pseudo-productive? (00:44:51)

8. CALL: The Pomodoro Technique and overcoming distraction (00:49:33)

9. CASE STUDY: A 39-year old changes careers (00:54:21)

10. FINAL SEGMENT: The 5 Books Cal Read in September, 2024 (01:02:50)