ReThinking How to be productive without burning out, with Cal Newport
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Mar 5, 2024 
Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown and bestselling author, shares insights from his latest book, Slow Productivity. He advocates for a 'slow work' philosophy, encouraging higher quality over quantity in tasks to combat burnout. The conversation delves into the benefits of no-meeting days and critiques the four-day workweek, emphasizing the importance of better workload management. Newport also discusses the complexities of productivity, urging a mindful approach to technology and communication, including email etiquette, to foster healthier work environments.
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The Shift in Productivity
- Productivity, once a well-defined economic concept, became muddled with the rise of knowledge work.
- The shift from measurable outputs to diverse, individual tasks made quantifying productivity difficult, leading to a focus on activity over value.
Slow Productivity Defined
- Slow productivity emphasizes quality over quantity and aims to prevent burnout.
- It involves doing fewer things simultaneously, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality.
The Case for Fewer Tasks
- Focusing on fewer tasks reduces the overhead associated with each task, ultimately improving output quality.
- Each task carries administrative and cognitive overhead, and overloading leads to decreased accomplishment and increased backlog.
