Ep. 272: The Essential Tools (w/ David Epstein)

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

In this episode, Cal reviews what he believes to be the four essential tools for feeling on top of everything you need to do. If you’re missing one of these, you might struggle. If you use all four, you’re probably safe never thinking about “productivity” again. Cal is then joined by friend of the show, New York Times bestselling author David Epstein, to answer listener questions about their personal struggles to take control of their lives.

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: The Productivity Toolkit [2:30]

– What is the most underrated productivity superpower? [35:05]

– Should I journal? [43:59]

– How do I build a system to help me remember things? [48:23]

– Can I use a split-day strategy to time block a reactive job? [52:01]

– Help! I’m stuck at age 30. How do I get unstuck? [54:42]

CAL REACTS: How can we make learning as addictive as social media? [1:16:06]

Links:

youtube.com/watch?v=P6FORpg0KVo

Thanks to our Sponsors:

rhone.com/cal

grammarly.com/podcast

policygenius.com/deepquestions

mybodytutor.com

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Ep. 272: The Essential Tools (w/ David Epstein)

In this episode, Cal reviews what he believes to be the four essential tools for feeling on top of everything you need to do. If you’re missing one of these, you might struggle. If you use all four, you’re probably safe never thinking about “productivty” again. Cal is then joined by friend of the show, New York Times bestselling author David Epstein, to answer listener questions about their personal struggles to take control of their lives.

Link to submit questions: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo

Below are the questions covered in today’s episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

DEEP DIVE:

– The Productivity Toolkit [2:31]

QUESTIONS:

– What is the most underrated productivity superpower? [34:57]
– Should I journal? [44:03]
– How do I build a system to help me remember things? [48:24]
– Can I use a split-day strategy to time block a reactive job? [52:01]
– Help! I”m stuck at age 30. How do I get unstuck? [54:45]

CAL REACTS:

– How can we make learning as addictive as social media? [1:16:12]

SPONSORS: