Ep. 344: You Are Not a Cog

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Modern knowledge work jobs should be cushy gigs. Fixed hours, air conditioning, no hard manual labor, flexibility. So why are we so often burnt out and what can we do about this reality? In this episode, Cal draws a lesson from an unexpected corner of computer science, computer security research, about how we can fix some of the big problems of work in a digital age. He then answers listener questions and returns once again to the topic of AI in a final tech corner segment.

Find out more about Done Daily at DoneDaily.com!

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: You Are Not a Cog [11:00]

– Should I break my large tasks into many small ones? [38:18]

– How will AI affect living the deep life? [42:47]

– How can I say “no” to more incoming requests? [48:14]

– Should an architect take on broader roles that don’t necessarily add to career capital? [52:03]

– Can a nurse implement time blocking? [54:33]

– Can a Kansan system work across all departments without being overly complex? [58:11]

– CALL: Organizing the details of a Trello board [1:03:19]

CASE STUDY: Lifestyle centric value based planning for a young family [1:07:58]

TECH CORNER: AGI is not Super-intelligence [1:15:35]

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?

medium.com/@tony.infisical/password-requirements-are-still-confusing-in-2023-also-heres-our-flavor-44ce03a3255c

youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJMxh68RGI

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This episode is sponsored by to you BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions

mybodytutor.com

upliftdesk.com/deep

shopify.com/deep

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

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Find out more about Done Daily at DoneDaily.com!

Download my FREE Deep Life Guide HERE: https://bit.ly/3QBIcug

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

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

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

DEEP DIVE:

– You Are Not a Cog [11:00]

QUESTIONS:

– Should I break my large tasks into many small ones? [38:19]
– How will AI affect living the deep life? [42:47]
– How can I say “no” to more incoming requests? [48:15]
– Should an architect take on broader roles that don’t necessarily add to career capital? [52:05]
– Can a nurse implement time blocking? [54:34]
– Can a Kansan system work across all departments without being overly complex? [58:13]

CALL:

– Organizing the details of a Trello board [1:03:21]

CASE STUDY:

– Lifestyle centric value based planning for a young family [1:08:00]

TECH CORNER:

– AGI is not Superintelligence [1:15:39]

YOUTUBE TITLE

– Does Anyone Else Feel Exhausted? – The Hidden Forces Draining Your Focus, Energy & Happiness

LINKS:

Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow
Order a signed copy of “Slow Productivity” here: https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?v=448bf8afad0740d18f6b109b4bd40d51
https://medium.com/@tony.infisical/password-requirements-are-still-confusing-in-2023-also-heres-our-flavor-44ce03a3255c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJMxh68RGI