This chapter explores the benefits of intense practice in fields like music and software development, equating focused efforts to both professional violin players and extreme programming methods. It emphasizes the importance of balancing intense work with quality leisure activities for avoiding burnout, drawing insights from early 20th-century literature on optimizing leisure time. The discussion also touches on the future of technology where virtual screens may replace physical displays, predicting potential implications on consumer electronics and digital distraction.
We’ve become so used to our phones in our lives that we’ve stopped realizing how arbitrary and unusual the content we’re watching really has become. In this episode, Cal looks closer at what we’re really spending time doing on our phones, then provides step-by-step instructions for healing this relationship.
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: Confronting Your Phone [4:30]
- What does Cal think about Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves To Death”? [28:35]
- Can you pursue high quality leisure after a day filled with deep work? [33:14]
- Can commercial breaks be used for high quality leisure? [37:24]
- Will digital minimalism work in an age of augmented reality? [40:34]
- How can a full time YouTuber practice digital minimalism? [46:53]
-CALL: How to share content online? [52:38]
CASE STUDY: Cost-benefit analysis of technology usage [1:00:39]
CAL REACTS: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Search for Depth [1:06:43]
Links:
twitter.com/explore/tabs/trending
instagram.com/explore/tags/popular/?hl=en
tiktok.com/foryou?lang=en
newcriterion.com/blogs/dispatch/the-consolations-of-fantasy
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FREE download excerpt and 2 Bonuses for “Slow Productivity”:
calnewport.com/slow
Thanks to our Sponsors:
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Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.