To-do lists may promote shallow work instead of deep work.
Managing anxiety about not achieving goals involves evaluating the project or investing more time.
Creative individuals should capture and catalog ideas to have a diverse range of options available.
Deep dives
Book 1: From Zero to Maker
From Zero to Maker by David Lang is a book about DIY making and the author's own experiences in the DIY maker community. The book includes case studies and resources for becoming a maker.
Book 2: The Monster's Bones
The Monster's Bones by David Randall is a non-fiction book about the start of the American History Museum in New York, particularly the fight to obtain the first major dinosaur bone exhibits. The book focuses on Barnum Brown, an extraordinary bone hunter who played a significant role in the museum's success.
Book 3: A Man for All Markets
A Man for All Markets is the memoir of Edward Thorp, a mathematics professor turned quantitative hedge fund manager. The book details Thorp's life, from academia to his successful forays into gambling and trading strategies in Wall Street.
Book 4: Beat the Dealer by Edward Thorp
Beat the Dealer by Edward Thorp is a classic book that revolutionized the understanding of blackjack and its winning strategies. Thorp's use of mathematics and card counting techniques proved that players could gain an edge against the casino.
Managing Goals and Anxiety
One listener asks about managing the anxiety and stress of not yet achieving a major goal, using the example of a novel project. Cal advises that the anxiety may be a signal worth listening to, as it could indicate a lack of a feasible path toward success or a need to accelerate progress. He suggests interrogating the anxiety to understand its underlying cause and then making appropriate adjustments to either reevaluate the project or invest more time and effort.
Ideas Management and Exploration
Another listener asks how to manage the abundance of ideas as a creative person. Cal uses a baseball analogy to explain the importance of having a well-stocked farm system of ideas. He suggests capturing and cataloging ideas, not worrying about fully exploring each one, but ensuring a continuous flow of options to choose from for content production. The goal is to have a diverse range of ideas available whenever needed rather than developing every idea to its full extent.
- Is distracted deep work the same as shallow work? [18:10] - How does Cal do quarterly reviews? [23:03] - What should I include in my quarterly plan? [25:03] - How do I save my failing productivity system? [27:34] - Can I sell a book without social media? [36:12]
The Five Books Cal Read in July 2022 [47:56]
- How do I manage the anxiety of not achieving a goal? [1:11:22] - How do I handle having too many ideas? [1:15:05]
