The Importance of Celebration and Contemplation in the Meaningful Human Experience

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Celebration involves appreciating quality and craftsmanship, and includes awe for the sublime
Cultivating synephilic tendencies is important to appreciate the finer things in life
Contemplation involves building a foundation based on the wisdom of those who came before, and avoiding relying on individual intuition
Having a philosophic or theological core provides a structure for tapping into deeper intimations and making sense of the world

Cal Newport answers 10 questions from his audience ranging from idea management to the Deep Life to writing. Throughout all the answers, you’ll hear Cal explain his core concepts and how they apply to everyday working life.

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

- Why doesn’t Cal care about idea management systems? [2:46]

- Does Cal still use Workflowy to capture tasks? [12:52]

- Are women better at multi-tasking than men? [16:56]

- What is the difference between pursuing depth versus passion? [23:16]

- What are the “Contemplation” and “Celebration” buckets in the context of the Deep Life? [28:56]

- What’s the best way to study math? [32:56]

- Can I jump from a master’s at a small school to a PhD at a prestigious one? [35:19]

- How do I know if I’ve successfully cultivated a Deep Life? [37:11]

- How do I become a successful political nonfiction writer? [44:38]

- Is the Deep Work hypothesis affected by survivorship bias? [50:36]