74: How technology is affecting our brain health with Cal Newport

Today’s guest is someone I wish I’d discovered years ago, Cal Newport. Cal is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and the author of seven books. His New York bestseller, Deep Work, Digital Minimalism is what led him to write his latest book, A World Without Email.

Can you imagine what our life would be like without emails? By 2019 the average person checks their emails 75 times a day and the average worker sends 126 emails per day - that is one every four minutes. Don’t be too alarmed though, Cal Newport is here to provide us with practical solutions for learning to live with email successfully rather than have it destroy our working patterns. 

In this episode, we talk about the destructive nature of social snacking and how unhealthy our digital habits have become. We discuss how it plays into our dopamine response and how it’s encouraging us to become addicted to tech. However, what Cal explains is that the issue is not the content itself but the way that we use tech as a distraction mechanism. The truth is that the more we rely on technology, the more it is affecting our brain health. 

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Cal talks us through the ways in which we can be more disciplined with communication. He provides us with a number of practical solutions for tackling email exhaustion, email etiquette, how to improve processes that aid performance and how to inform others about your new way of managing email. 

It won’t come as a surprise that you won’t be able to find him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram but you can visit his website calnewport.com and read some of his fantastic essays. 

You can now pre-order my book, Happy Not Perfect: Upgrade Your Mind, Challenge Your Thoughts and Free Yourself From Anxiety by clicking here. (UK)

Or USA pre-orders - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652047/happy-not-perfect-by-poppy-jamie/

Want to feel a bit happier? Download my mindfulness app Happy Not Perfect. The app gives you a daily work-out for your mind that helps you to rest, process thoughts and trains positive thinking. Perfect as a morning mind-set routine or when you need to calm down in moments of anxiety or stress. On IOS and Android. www.happynotperfect.com

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