Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Ep. 65: Is Productivity Bad?

Jan 25, 2021

01:18:25

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Critical Theory Approach to Productivity

01:37

Is There a Cultural Critique of Overwork?

02:19

Productivity and the Protestant Work Ethic

01:41

Introduction

2min

Magic Spoon - Get Your Own Custom Variety Box

2min

Is Productivity Good or Bad?

1min

Productivity - What's the Right Way to Make Sense of Conflicting Emotions?

2min

Productivity and the Protestant Work Ethic

2min

The Critical Theory Approach to Productivity

2min

Is There a Cultural Critique of Overwork?

2min

How Should We Think About Productivity?

2min

The Game I'm Interested in Playing Is Efficiency

2min

10.

Productivity in a Positive Way

2min

11.

Is Productivity Good or Bad?

2min

12.

Life of Focus - Is It Possible?

1min

13.

Life of Focus Course - What, What Works, What Doesn't, What's Going to Be Best for My Career?

2min

14.

The Colored Folder Effect in Career Advice

2min

15.

Interviewing a Surgeon - What Was the Difference?

2min

16.

What's Your Key to Success?

2min

17.

How to Get a High Seven Hundred on the GREs

2min

18.

Is There a World Between Deep and Shallow?

2min

19.

Time Blocking for High School Students

2min

20.

How to Time Block Your School Work

2min

21.

How to Become a High School Superstar, Look Past the Name

2min

22.

How to Become a High School Super Star

2min

23.

The Path to Building a Career You Really Love

1min

24.

How to Choose a Job to Start This Career Capital Acquisition Process

1min

25.

Is It Congruent With Your Life Style?

2min

26.

Taking a Job That Scores Well on Those Four Areas

2min

27.

Psychodelics as a Potent Portal Into a Deep Life

2min

28.

Psychodelics - What's the Future of Psychotherapy?

2min

29.

The Deep Toke Is a Psychodelics a Marauana Dispensary

2min

30.

Single Use Technology

2min

31.

How Will the Use of a I Text Editors Change the Way We Write?

2min

32.

My Body Tutor

1min

33.

Four Stigmatics - Ground Mushroom Coffee With Lions Mane Muscle

2min

34.

Social Media Platforms - Is There a Resurrection of Content Creation?

2min

35.

Is There a Way to Make Money With Social Media?

2min

36.

The Deep Life - Is It Possible?

2min

37.

The Pandemic Is Open Over, What Can You Do Right Now?

2min

38.

Get Outside More

2min

39.

Get Out of Your One Bedroom Apartment

3min

40.

The King of Defensiveness Creation Is Probably Financial Advice

3min

41.

How Can I Encourage My Friends and Peers to Think More Critically and Deeply About Technology's Effect on Everyday Life?

2min

42.

How to Write Articles for Student Publication

2min

43.

Having Different Types of Friends Is the Right Way to Approach Your Life

2min

44.

I'm in College. Take Advantage of It

56sec

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

DEEP DIVE: Is productivity good or bad? [4:28]

WORK QUESTIONS

- How do you extract good career advice from successful people? [19:16]
- How do I improve my GRE score? [27:38]
- Is there a category of work between deep and shallow? [29:53]
- Should high school students time block? [31:53]
- How should I search for my first job during the pandemic? [37:33]

TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS

- Can psychedelics play a role in the deep life? [45:19]
- What are my favorite single-use technologies? [49:22]
- Are AI-based writing suggestions a problem? [52:20]
- What social internet technologies deserve a resurgence? [57:34]

DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS

- How can I work deeply in a small apartment? [1:01:58]
- How do I help people who hate self help? [1:08:18]
- How can I encourage my friends to be deeper? [1:12:18]

Thanks to Jay Kerstens for the intro music.