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Cal Newport

Cal Newport is a computer science professor and a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives.

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

It’s hard to cultivate a deep life when you cannot go more than a few minutes without checking your phone. In this episode, Cal looks closer at the precise neural mechanisms at play that make the physical act of looking at your phone irresistible. Then armed with this knowledge, he explains why many popular remedies fail, and which specific responses are most likely to succeed. He then answers listener questions and discusses the five old-fashioned analog books (!) that he read last month.

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: This is your brain on phones [0:02]

 • My 11 year-old is bullied for not having a smartphone. What should I do? [47:00]
 • How can I overcome my irrational urge to show off on social media? [55:39]
 • How is video game addiction different than phone addiction? [59:12]
 • Can I become addicted to messaging? [1:03:23]
 • Is it ok to use newspaper apps on my phone? [1:06:42]

CASE STUDY: A 5th grader drops her Apple Watch [1:13:51]

CALL: An aspiring photographer and Instagram [1:18:11]

SEPTEMBER BOOKS: The 5 Books Cal in September 2025 [1:22:51]

The Ice Limit (Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston)
The Burnout Society (Byung-Chul Han)
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow)
As a Jew (Sarah Hurwitz)
The Searcher (Tana French)

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: 

rag-bone.com (Use code “DEEP”)
grammarly.com/podcast
mybodytutor.com
indeed.com/deep

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 374: This is Your Brain on Phones

In 2023, I published an episode about resetting your life that became one of my most popular. In the years since, multiple major podcasters and YouTubers have done their own videos on the same theme. In today’s episode, I extract the best ideas from five such recent videos to create an all-star reset strategy. I connect this to my work on technology and its impacts, by noting that taking control of your life can be the most important first step toward taking control of your devices.

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: The Internet’s Best Advice for Reinventing Your Life (0:02)

 • How do I extract ideas for living deeply from books? [55:44]
 • How do I avoid being overwhelmed by everything required to seriously change my life? [58:31]
 • How do I visualize my ideal lifestyle in a fast-changing world? [1:02:42]
 • I just quit my teaching job due to burn-out. How do I find what to do next? [1:09:28]

CASE STUDY: Crafting a deep life [1:13:21]

CALL: How to revise expectations with young kids [1:18:45]

CAL REACTS: The Great Lock-In of 2025 [1:28:11]

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?
youtube.com/watch?v=mSaI8Rluel8
youtu.be/wXcEtxlrPMA
youtu.be/PvvS-0mqD4c
youtube.com/watch?v=2ZXJZnAxHHI
youtube.com/watch?v=0G7Wu4DnDaw
calnewport.com/the-great-lock-in-of-2025/

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

cozyearth.com/deep
shopify.com/deep
vanta.com/deepquestions
expressvpn.com/deep

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 373: The Internet’s Best Advice for Reinventing Your Life

Last week, it was announced that Oracle would take over operation of TikTok in the US. One of the primary reasons proposed for this deal is that it was in national interests for us to take over control of TikTok’s fabled “algorithm.” But what is this algorithm? How does it work? To what extent can it be controlled? In today’s episode, Cal looks deeper at these questions and arrives at a broader philosophical point about the role these services, in general, should play in our civic culture. He then answers listener questions on the same topic and reacts to the three recent news articles about TikTok’s influence on our culture.

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: Decoding TikTok’s Algorithm [0:03]

 • Should I quit social media, even if I don’t live on the slope of terribleness? [44:44]
 • Is it bad to use TikTok to keep up with the news? [49:41]
 • How does quantum computing relate to AI? [53:48]

CASE STUDY: Trying to become a great composer [1:02:29]

CALL: Tips for dealing with growing kids [1:08:58]

CAL REACTS: Three Articles about TikTok (and Three Sighs of Exasperation) [1:18:04]

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?
the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/tiktok-surfing-challenge-manslaughter-b2832760.html
yahoo.com/news/world/article/why-people-on-tiktok-think-the-rapture-is-coming-and-that-the-world-is-ending-this-week-202334215.html
bbc.com/news/articles/c4gj5lqq52lo
youtube.com/watch?v=z7Df9yGofLo
youtube.com/shorts/xWIVA0ZJm-w

Thanks to our Sponsors:

monarchmoney.com (Use code “DEEP”)
reclaim.ai/cal
wayfair.com
makeheadway.com/deep

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 372: Decoding TikTok’s Algorithm

In this episode of IN-DEPTH, Cal is joined by Dr. Brian Keating, the Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UCSD, and one of the most prolific popularizers of science around (you may have seen him recently chatting about cosmology with Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman). They talk about Keating’s new book, HOW TO FOCUS LIKE A NOBEL PRIZE WINNER, as well as many other topics, including a deep look at Keating’s unusual path to academia, and a deconstruction of what’s needed to succeed at the highest levels of academia.

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

INTERVIEW: Focus like a Nobel Prize Winner (w/ Brian Keating) [3:20]

Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Impossible-Laureates-Collaboration-Imagination/dp/1544523491

Sponsors:
https://www.donedaily.com

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Kieron Rees for the theme music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

IN-DEPTH: Focus like a Nobel Prize Winner (w/ Brian Keating)

We seem to be stuck in a purgatory when it comes to the worst of the social media platforms. We know they’re not great, but it’s hard to muster enough motivation to bother to leave. In today’s episode, motivated by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Cal puts on his technology critic hat and offers a step-by-step technical explanation for why these platforms are strictly and incessantly making your life worse and why the only reasonable response is to quit them. He then answers listener questions on the topic and reacts to some recent news about the US Congress getting involved.

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: Is it Finally Time to Leave Social Media? [0:40]

 • How do I find everything I should be blocking on my kid’s phone? [38:59]
 • Is it okay that I make YouTube Videos? [43:39]
 • Shouldn’t we focus on using social media better? [49:13]

CASE STUDY: A musician and social media [58:00]

CAL REACTS: US House panel asks internet CEOs to testify after Charlie Kirk assassination [1:10:42]

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?
reuters.com/world/us/us-house-panel-asks-online-forum-ceos-testify-after-charlie-kirk-assassination-2025-09-17/
youtube.com/watch?v=gjVm0K_ETX8

Thanks to our Sponsors:

calderalab.com/deep
miro.com
grammarly.com/podcast
1password.com/deep

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 371: Is it Finally Time to Leave Social Media?

A recent study called into question a core assumption about the generative AI revolution: that these tools, at the very least, will make us more productive. In this episode, Cal dives deep into the study and argues that when it comes to efforts that require deep work, AI can sometimes make things worse. He then answers listener questions and then takes a closer look at an article claiming that the lack of Wi-Fi in a West Virginia school is making their students dumber. 

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: Deep Work in the Age of AI [0:38]

 • Can ChatGPT chats act as single purpose notebooks for projects? [26:16]
 • When should I apply active recall? [29:34]
 • Do you have insights into AI’s environmental impact? [31:16]
 • What would you do if you left academia? [38:40]

CASE STUDY: Using strategies to develop a Deep Life [43:04]

CAL REACTS: Does lack of Wi-Fi make students dumber? [53:09W]

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?
metr.org/blog/2025-07-10-early-2025-ai-experienced-os-dev-study/
theatlantic.com/economy/archive/2025/09/ai-bubble-us-economy/684128/
marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/08/the-school-without-wifi.html
educationrecoveryscorecard.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/report_WV_5401140_pocahontas-county-schools.pdf

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp:
betterhelp.com/deepquestions
cozyearth.com/deep
shopify.com/deep
mybodytutor.com

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 370: Deep Work in the Age of AI

IQ scores had been steadily rising since WWII. But, more recently, this phenomenon has stopped. Since 2010, we’ve actually been getting dumber. In this episode, Cal gets into the common theories for why this is true before offering his own take, which leads to some practical takeaways to help you thrive in an increasingly stupider world. He then answers listener questions and talks about something he read recently.

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: I Want Work-Life Balance. Am I Doomed to Mediocrity? [0:41]

 • How can a west coast executive schedule deep work despite constant meetings with east coast colleagues? [37:14]
 • Is it bad that I fill all of my quiet moments with media? [41:04]
 • How can I focus on personal projects? [46:24]
 • How should a software engineer transition to consulting? [53:05]
 • How should a former lawyer update her systems now that she’s a professor? [56:43]

CASE STUDY: A songwriter works deep and slow [1:06:43]

CALL: Getting out of the weeds [1:14:04]

WHAT I’M READING: Who is still against school cell phone bans? [1:23:28]

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?
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289623000156
youtube.com/watch?v=u4jW8MOxIKY
rebeccaschiffman.com/beachvacation
rebeccaschiffman.bandcamp.com
nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/school-cell-phone-ban-nyc.html

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

expressvpn.com/deep
oracle.com/deepquestions
indeed.com/deep
vanta.com/deepquestions

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 369: Why Are We Getting Dumber? A Debate.

In this episode of IN-DEPTH, Cal is joined by bestselling author and podcaster, Tim Ferriss. Tim rocketed to prominence with his 2007 book, “The Four Hour WorkWeek” which basically redefined a generation’s relationship with work, meaning, and the possibilities for building an interesting life. More recently, Tim created a card game! It’s called Coyote. And he created it with one of the top designers in the business, the same company that created Exploding Kittens.

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

INTERVIEW: The Game of Life (w/ Tim Ferriss) [3:16]

Links:
https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/coyote

Sponsors
https://www.reclaim.ai/cal

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Kieron Rees for the theme music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

IN-DEPTH: The Game of Life (w/ Tim Ferriss)

A 22-year-old made a splash recently when he published a Wall Street Journal op-ed claiming that work-life balance makes you mediocre. He went on to brag about how sleeping less than 4 hours a night and gaining 80 pounds helped him become a millionaire. In this episode, Cal wades into the furious debate this article sparked. He argues that once you look past the author’s dorm bro bravado, the kid does actually ask a good question. It’s just that his answers are lacking. Cal then tackles listener questions and reviews the books he read in August.

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: I Want Work-Life Balance. Am I Doomed to Mediocrity? [1:06]

Is it possible to stay focused when having to check my phone for text messages? [42:20]

When did you switch back to your teaching schedule to your summer schedule? [44:05]

How has your deep life evolved since Episode 1? [49:22]

How can I stop obsessively checking my work email? [53:47]

Can you summarize how values and strategic planning documents, birthday projects and lifestyle centric planning combine? [58:14]

CASE STUDY: Organizing household admin [1:01:44]

CALL: How to tame Trello cards [1:06:39]

AUGUST BOOKS: The 5 books Cal read in August 2025 [1:13:26] 

Boundless Realm (Foxx Note)
Collisions (Alec Nevala-Lee)
Before the Birds Sang Words (Ken Bruce)
Desperation Reef (T Jefferson Parker)
Shift (Hugh Howey)

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?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX1XHMlX1J0

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

ridge.com (use code “Cal”)
drinklmnt.com/deep
shopify.com/deep
calderalab.com/deep

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 368: I Want Work-Life Balance. Am I Doomed to Mediocrity?

In recent years, it’s been hard not to react to the possibilities of generative AI without a mixture of euphoria or dread. But after OpenAI’s lackluster GPT-5 launch, a new, almost heretical-seeming question has emerged: what if progress on AI is stalled well short of the wild predictions we were promised? In today’s episode, Cal draws from reporting on his recent New Yorker article to go deep into this question. What is going on with AI? How did we get here? What does it mean for our personal quest to live deeper lives? He then answers listener questions and ends by discussing his recent brush with literary acclaim.

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: What if AI Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This? [1:00]

 • Will AI leave me unemployed in 10 years? [1:06:26]
 • How should I structure the next 10 years as a recently retired college professor? [1:13:58]
 • I just moved. How should I arrange my book collection? [1:15:36]

CALL: Overhead tax [1:17:47]

CAL REACTS: Ed Sheehan and the Booker Prize [1:27:55]

Links:

Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.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?
newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/what-if-ai-doesnt-get-much-better-than-this
youtube.com/watch?v=zju51INmW7U
youtube.com/watch?v=Dtdue31z-X8
youtube.com/watch?v=0SXCIfFK5r8
youtube.com/shorts/dYZmGHOLNRU
youtube.com/watch?v=k82RwXqZHY8
youtube.com/watch?v=qhnJDDX2hhU
youtube.com/watch?v=qbIk7-JPB2c&t=3s
youtube.com/watch?v=k82RwXqZHY8
youtube.com/shorts/JCImeOUVTJE

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

grammarly.com/podcast
cozyearth.com/deep
calderalab.com/deep
shipstation.com/deep

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 367: What if AI Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This?

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 WORK QUESTIONS:

- Are some people more suited for deep work than others? [4:54]
- How do I tame post-shutdown excitement? [8:33]
- How to I deal with ambiguous deep work? [14:41]
- Can you (Cal) elaborate on the Friction/Flow/Finalization project pathway? [17:41] 
- How do you time-block plan in a company obsessed with last minute meetings? [23:21]

DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:

- Are you (Cal) a control freak? [41:16]
- What have you (Cal) learned from the pandemic? [45:07]
- Would you (Cal) do your CS research and writing if you couldn’t share it? [51:54]
- How did you (Cal) never get tempted to join a social media platform? [56:11]
- Is the monastic life the ultimate deep life? [59:24]

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

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep.147: Why Did I Never Join Social Media?

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