February 20, 2024
#722: Cal Newport — How to Embrace Slow Productivity, Build a Deep Life, Achieve Mastery, and Defend Your Time
The Tim Ferriss ShowAbout this episode
Cal Newport is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University, where he is also a founding member of the Center for Digital Ethics. His books have sold millions of copies and been translated into over forty languages. He is also a contributor to The New Yorker and hosts the popular Deep Questions podcast . His new book is Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout . Please enjoy! Timestamps for this episode are available below. Resources from this episode: https://tim.blog/2024/02/21/cal-newport-slow-productivity/ Sponsors: AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://drinkag1.com/tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase.) Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: https://eightsleep.com/Tim (save $200 on the Pod Cover by Eight Sleep this winter) Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for 20% off) Timestamps: [00:00] Start [06:14] Unforced Errors: The Internet Story . [09:41] Techno-selectionism. [18:06] Why YouTube and podcasts aren’t ideal bedfellows. [23:03] Amish technology and Steve Martin. [28:07] What prompted Cal to write Slow Productivity? [31:35] Becoming a better writer through blogging. [36:54] The benefits of obsessing over quality. [40:54] How did Cal decide to identify himself as a writer? [52:02] People who exemplify slow productivity. [58:45] Trade-offs on the path to 21st-century slow productivity. [1:03:16] Push systems vs. pull systems. [1:04:34] Quota systems. [1:06:08] Why slow productivity isn’t a zero-sum game. [1:09:33] Language that clarifies. [1:13:17] Sender filters. [1:16:20] What people might miss about Slow Productivity‘s message. [1:21:24] How Cal defines productivity. [1:25:36] Derek Sivers and money as a neutral indicator of value. [1:28:34] Contemporary slow productivity champions. [1:33:18] Asynchronous vs. real-time conversations. [1:35:51] Making group scheduling less hellish. [1:40:13] Cal’s problem with Frederick Winslow Taylor. [1:42:01] How The New Yorker maintains its old-timey charm where other publications fail. [1:49:05] Cal’s dream publications. [1:51:07] Mental models for cultivating a slow productivity mindset. [1:56:27] The consequences of playing the algorithm game. [2:03:14] The renewed viability of newsletters. [2:08:03] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast . For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter ( 5-Bullet Friday ) at tim.blog/friday . For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts . Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books . Follow Tim: Twitter : twitter.com/tferriss Instagram : instagram.com/timferriss YouTube : youtube.com/timferriss Facebook : facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld , Hugh Jackman , Dr. Jane Goodall , LeBron James , Kevin Hart , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Jamie Foxx , Matthew McConaughey , Esther Perel , Elizabeth Gilbert , Terry Crews , Sia , Yuval Noah Harari , Malcolm Gladwell , Madeleine Albright , Cheryl Strayed , Jim Collins , Mary Karr, Maria Popova , Sam Harris , Michael Phelps , Bob Iger , Edward Norton , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Neil Strauss , Ken Burns , Maria Sharapova , Marc Andreessen , Neil Gaiman , Neil de Grasse Tyson , Jocko Willink , Daniel Ek , Kelly Slater , Dr. Peter Attia , Seth Godin , Howard Marks , Dr. Brené Brown , Eric Schmidt , Michael Lewis , Joe Gebbia , Michael Pollan , Dr. Jordan Peterson , Vince Vaughn , Brian Koppelman , Ramit Sethi , Dax Shepard , Tony Robbins , Jim Dethmer , Dan Harris , Ray Dalio , Naval Ravikant , Vitalik Buterin , Elizabeth Lesser , Amanda Palmer , Katie Haun , Sir Richard Branson , Chuck Palahniuk , Arianna Huffington , Reid Hoffman , Bill Burr , Whitney Cummings , Rick Rubin , Dr. Vivek Murthy , Darren Aronofsky , Margaret Atwood , Mark Zuckerberg , Peter Thiel , Dr. Gabor Maté , Anne Lamott , Sarah Silverman , Dr. Andrew Huberman , and many more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .