Deep Questions with Cal Newport cover image

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Ep. 278: How to Think

Dec 11, 2023
Explore the art of serious thinking and discover five practices to enhance cognitive abilities. Delve into how reading impacts deep work and learn strategies for making sense of complex topics. Discuss managing boredom at work without sacrificing focus and find out how to deliver quick insights as a slow thinker. Hear about a digital detox success story that promotes peaceful thinking and examine the relationship between collaboration and creativity in a digital age.
01:21:19

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Serious thinking is a crucial skill that can be cultivated through specific practices for a more effective life of the mind.
  • In-person collaboration promotes longer and more focused thinking sessions, facilitating the production of original and valuable ideas.

Deep dives

Summary

This episode discusses the importance of becoming a serious thinker and provides practical ways to improve thinking skills. It emphasizes the need to give sustained attention to complex information, cultivate comfort with boredom, improve concentration, strengthen working memory, and practice engaging with ideas. The episode also emphasizes the value of lifestyle-centered career planning and warns against grass is greener syndrome. Lastly, it offers advice on dealing with the pressure to provide quick answers by leaning into slowness and addressing perfectionism and imposter syndrome.

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