Ep. 53: Covey's Quads, "Perfect" Productivity Systems, and Reducing Laziness

In this episode of Deep Questions I answer reader questions about Stephen Covey's quad systems, the quixotic quest for a "perfect" productivity system, and reducing laziness, among many other topics. To submit your own questions, sign up for my mailing list at calnewport.com. You can also submit audio questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/CalNewport Please consider subscribing (which helps iTunes rankings) and leaving a review or rating (which helps new listeners decide to try the show). Here’s the full list of topics tackled in today’s episode along with the timestamps: DEEP DIVE: The Deep Reset, Part 3 WORK QUESTIONS - Why did I become a scientist? [13:50] - Time blocking scrum teams. [18:27] - Stephen Covey’s quad systems. [22:50] - Is an MS essential? [27:28] - Time blocking the night before. [28:52] TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS - The futility of perfecting productivity systems [31:41] - Thoughts on pair programming. [41:44] - Keeping track of novel connections between ideas. [52:14] - Forced social media use [55:15] DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS - Deep living for stay-at-home parents. [1:02:02] - Dealing with people not interested in personal development. [1:08:56] - Reducing laziness. [1:12:51] Thanks to listener Jay Kerstens for the intro music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.