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].
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen. The book provides a detailed methodology for managing tasks, projects, and information, emphasizing the importance of capturing all tasks and ideas, clarifying their meaning, organizing them into actionable lists, reviewing the system regularly, and engaging in the tasks. The GTD method is designed to reduce stress and increase productivity by externalizing tasks and using a trusted system to manage them. The book is divided into three parts, covering the overview of the system, its implementation, and the deeper benefits of integrating GTD into one's work and life[2][3][5].
Cal has been writing about time management for a *long* time. In this episode, he returns to a chapter from a book he wrote twenty years ago that is titled “manage your time in 5 minutes a day.” He revisits his old advice to see what he thinks still works and what needs updating. He then answers listener questions and returns to the tech corner to get back in the weeds on a topic involving AI.
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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: Manage Your Time in 5 Minutes a Day [3:11]
- How specific should I make my Quarterly Plan? [27:28]
- Does reading Mangas count as reading? [29:30]
- How do I store information related to tasks? [34:14]
- How do I speak better at work in spontaneous conversations? [38:31]
- Are paper and pencil calendars suitable to use if my work is in two different time zones? [45:42]
CALL: Utilizing coaching [51:38]
CALL: Embracing boredom [57:48]
TECH CORNER: RL vs. LLM [1:08:04]
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?
Thanks to our Sponsors:
grammarly.com/podcast
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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 
