In this book, Cal Newport challenges the conventional wisdom that following one's passion is the key to career happiness. Instead, he argues that passion often follows mastery and that developing valuable skills and expertise is essential for creating work you love. Newport presents four rules: Don't follow your passion, Be so good they can't ignore you, Turn down a promotion, and Think small, act big. He supports his arguments with case studies from various professionals who have found satisfaction in their careers through hard work and skill development.
In 'Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now', Douglas Rushkoff explores the human response to living in a world where everything happens in real-time. He argues that this 'presentism' has led to a collapse of narrative, displacing the traditional linear continuum of past, present, and future with a succession of moments. Rushkoff discusses how this phenomenon affects various aspects of life, including biology, behavior, politics, and culture, and offers insights into how to transcend the false immediacy of the digital age by favoring quality over speed and human quirks over digital perfection[1][3][4].
In this book, Mark Manson argues against the typical self-help advice of constant positivity, instead suggesting that life's struggles give it meaning. He emphasizes the need to focus on what truly matters and to accept and confront painful truths. The book is divided into nine chapters and uses blunt honesty and profanity to illustrate its ideas, encouraging readers to find meaning through values they can control and to replace uncontrollable values with more meaningful ones.
In 'Good to Great,' Jim Collins and his research team investigate why some companies achieve long-term greatness while others do not. The book identifies key concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, a Culture of Discipline, and the Flywheel Effect. These principles are derived from a comprehensive study comparing companies that made the leap to greatness with those that did not. The research highlights that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but rather a result of conscious choice and discipline. The book provides practical insights and case studies to help businesses and leaders understand and apply these principles to achieve sustained greatness.
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].
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 'Feel-Good Productivity,' Dr. Ali Abdaal challenges the conventional notion that productivity is about hard work and discipline. Instead, he argues that the secret to productivity is feeling good. Drawing on decades of psychological research, Abdaal introduces the three hidden 'energisers' that underpin enjoyable productivity, the three 'blockers' to overcome procrastination, and the three 'sustainers' to prevent burnout. The book includes inspiring stories from founders, Olympians, and Nobel-winning scientists and provides simple, actionable changes to make work more enjoyable and sustainable. Abdaal's approach focuses on cultivating a deeper energy for work, balancing well-being with productivity, and enjoying the journey.
If you were to imagine the lifestyle you want and reverse engineer your career from that start point, what would your life look like? How much control do you have over your schedule? What’s your work life balance? What are you known for? This week I sat down for a conversation with one of the most highly requested guests yet, Cal Newport. Cal is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and New York Times bestselling author of seven books including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work where he writes about the intersection of digital technology and culture. In the episode we discuss how to design a career that’s fulfilling to you, the creator business model and how to take control of your productivity in a world where you’re confronted by forces trying to throw you off track. Enjoy!
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(00:00) Intro
(02:01) How do you approach the word productivity?
(05:24) What does a week in your life look like?
(13:43) Creator businesses vs academia
(27:17) The social status and complexities of careers
(33:43) The creatorpreneur lifestyle
(43:05) How to design your lifestyle and career
(47:18) Book writing
(55:59) Contrarian writing
(01:07:27) Do you get criticism about Deep Work?
(01:11:59) What's your take on toxic productivity?
(01:17:09) Personal productivity in corporate jobs doesn't work
(01:21:58) What is slow productivity?
(01:37:12) What's your note taking method?
Creators & Guests
- Amber Baxter-Clarke - Producer
- Ali Abdaal - Host
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Find the show notes and the transcript on the website: https://aliabdaal.com/podcast/
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