Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks' "A Letter in the Scroll" delves into the core principles of Judaism, exploring its timeless relevance in the modern world. The book examines the enduring power of Jewish tradition and its capacity to guide individuals and communities through contemporary challenges. Sacks masterfully weaves together theological insights, philosophical reflections, and historical analysis to illuminate the essence of Jewish identity and purpose. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong connection to Jewish heritage while engaging with the broader world. The book serves as a powerful testament to the enduring strength and relevance of Judaism in a rapidly changing world.
In this book, Cal Newport shares insights and strategies gathered from interviews with high-achieving college students who maintain excellent grades without excessive studying. The book emphasizes the importance of effective time management, focused study sessions, and smart note-taking techniques. It introduces the 'Straight-A Method' which is based on four pillars: knowledge, control, strategy, and balance. Newport argues that by using these methods, students can avoid procrastination, optimize their study time, and achieve academic success while maintaining a balanced life[1][2][4].
John McPhee's "Coming into the Country" is a non-fiction masterpiece that immerses the reader in the vast and often unforgiving landscape of Alaska. McPhee masterfully weaves together personal narratives, historical accounts, and insightful observations to paint a vivid portrait of Alaskan life and culture. The book explores the complexities of human interaction with the natural world, highlighting the challenges and rewards of living in such a remote and challenging environment. McPhee's writing is both informative and evocative, capturing the beauty and power of the Alaskan wilderness. "Coming into the Country" is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the human experience in the face of nature's grandeur.
This book offers practical advice for making the most of college years, including strategies for graduating with honors, choosing exciting activities, building a strong resume, and gaining access to post-college opportunities. It is based on interviews with successful students from universities such as Harvard and the University of Arizona, and it emphasizes how to balance academic success with a fulfilling college experience.
In 'A World Without Email', Cal Newport argues that the constant digital communication, which he terms the 'hyperactive hive mind', has become a productivity disaster. He contends that this workflow, driven by email and other messaging tools, reduces profitability, slows economic growth, and makes workers miserable. Newport proposes a workplace where clear processes, not haphazard messaging, define task management. He advocates for each person working on fewer tasks but doing them better, with significant investment in support to reduce administrative burdens. The book lays out principles and concrete instructions for streamlining important communication and reducing the central role of inboxes and chat channels in the workplace.
In 'Deep Work', Cal Newport argues that the ability to perform deep work—professional activities in a state of distraction-free concentration—is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explains why deep work is valuable, rare, and meaningful, while the second part presents four rules to transform your mind and habits to support this skill. These rules include 'Work Deeply', 'Embrace Boredom', 'Quit Social Media', and 'Drain the Shallows'. Newport provides actionable advice and examples from various successful individuals to help readers master the skill of deep work and achieve groundbreaking results.
In 'Digital Minimalism', Cal Newport argues that we need to be more intentional about the technologies we allow into our lives. He proposes a philosophy of digital minimalism, where individuals focus their online time on activities that strongly support their values and ignore the rest. The book highlights the negative effects of behavioral addictions created by technology, such as solitude deprivation and the fleeting nature of social media satisfaction. Newport suggests a 30-day 'digital declutter' process and other practices to help readers integrate digital minimalism into their lives, emphasizing the importance of optimizing technology use to support personal goals and values[2][3][5].
Phones have been receiving a lot of criticism recently, but what if these concerns are missing the mark? In this episode, Cal introduces the difference between primary and secondary phone harms, and argues how our obsession with the former hides the importance of the latter. He then answers reader questions and reviews the books he read in March 2025.
Find out more about Done Daily at DoneDaily.com!
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: The Forgotten Phone Harms [3:32]
- What do you do when your writing doesn’t quite feel right? [24:32]
- How should I prioritize responding to different types of communication? [33:29]
- Should personal and work tasks be split into different Trello boards? [39:10]
- What is the difference between a two-status board and a reverse task list? [41:47]
CASE STUDY: A student adopts the Tao of Cal [45:17]
CALL: Structuring weekly templates [49:00]
MARCH BOOKS: The 5 books Cal read in March 2025 [57:24]
- Believe (Ross Douhut)
- How to Winter (Kari Leibowitz)
- Letter and the Scroll (Jonathan Sacks)
- I and Thou (Martin Buber)
- Coming into the Country (John McPhee)
Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
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Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for the slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.
Deep Questions with Cal Newport 
