In this episode of Deep Questions I answer reader questions on work resistance, the state of techno-criticism, tales from the MIT theory group, and the depth-destroying power of children. I also play some question roulette and tackle the audio question of the day. (Hint: it’s about my reading habits.)

To submit your own questions, sign up for my mailing list at calnewport.com (I send a survey to this list soliciting questions on a semi-regular basis).

Here’s the full list of topics tackled in today’s episode along with the timestamps:

* The organizational power of plain text files [1:18]

* Confronting an overwhelming number of obligations [4:00]

* Getting back on track after lockdown disrupted work habits [7:15]

* Dealing with resistance to work [9:39]

* Audio question of the day: managing a variety of different inputs [18:28]

* Avoiding social media on the phone browser [23:26]

* The need for a distraction-reducing phone operating system [26:06]

* Tracking birthdays without Facebook [28:32]

* My podcast habits [31:07]

* Humane tools and the state of techno-criticism [33:57]

* Question roulette: my book reading habits [43:46]

* Life inside the MIT Theory Group (bonus: cracking the superstar code) [48:47]

* The seeming impossibility of deep work with kids [1:02:42]

* Curing your spouse’s Facebook addiction [1:14:10]

* On the deep value of work [1:16:12]

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.

Marcus Mumford

The Zane Lowe Interview Series

The Importance of Community and Support

The AI-powered Podcast Player