Importance of Slowing Down and Focusing on What Matters

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When you act hastily and make decisions on instinct, it can create problems and distract you from what truly matters. In the modern context, busyness and frenetic activity can lead to loss of time, distraction, and redirected energy. The call to slowness is a call to craft and focusing on what matters. Slowing down doesn't mean delaying or procrastinating, but rather taking the time to analyze and make the right moves when needed. Once you've identified the right move, don't over-analyze or procrastinate, but do it well. Constant intentional activity done with care leads to significant results.

One of the most popular (and widely forgotten) slogans of the ancient world was Festina Lente, or, “Make Haste Slowly.” In this episode, Cal looks deeper at what this phrase meant, and in doing so uncovers an ancient version of slow productivity.

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

Today’s Deep Question: What can Octavian Caesar Augustus teach us about productivity? [5:37]

- How can I help my team move fast to slow productivity? [26:12]

- How do I figure out how long to spend on a task? [33:08]

- What’s up with Cal’s podcast album art? [38:14]

- Why is my partner so slow? [40:49]

- How does Cal’s Remarkable tablet change his working memory.txt habit? [46:23]

CASE STUDY: Not allowing work to dominate your life [53:28]

The 5 Book Cal Read in July 2023 [1:03:21]

Links:

bigthink.com/the-learning-curve/festina-lente/