Ep. 347: The Forgotten Phone Harms

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Phones have been receiving a lot of criticism recently, but what if these concerns are missing the mark? In this episode, Cal introduces the difference between primary and secondary phone harms, and argues how our obsession with the former hides the importance of the latter. He then answers reader questions and reviews the books he read in March 2025.

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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 Forgotten Phone Harms [3:32]

– What do you do when your writing doesn’t quite feel right? [24:32]

– How should I prioritize responding to different types of communication? [33:29]

– Should personal and work tasks be split into different Trello boards? [39:10]

– What is the difference between a two-status board and a reverse task list? [41:47]

CASE STUDY: A student adopts the Tao of Cal [45:17]

CALL: Structuring weekly templates [49:00]

MARCH BOOKS: The 5 books Cal read in March 2025 [57:24]

– Believe (Ross Douhut)

– How to Winter (Kari Leibowitz)

– Letter and the Scroll (Jonathan Sacks)

– I and Thou (Martin Buber)

– Coming into the Country (John McPhee)

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?

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions and get on your way to being your best self.

shopify.com/deep

indeed.com/deep

mybodytutor.com

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:

– The Forgotten Phone Harms [3:32]

QUESTIONS:

– What do you do when you’re writing doesn’t quite feel right? [24:32]
– How should I prioritize responding to different types of communication? [33:29]
– Should personal and work tasks be split into different Trello boards? [39:10]
– What is the difference between a two-status board and a reverse task list? [41:49]

CASE STUDY:

– A student adopts the Tao of Cal [45:30]

CALL:

– Structuring weekly templates [49:07]

MARCH BOOKS:

– The 5 books Cal read in March, 2025 [57:25]

– Believe (Ross Douhut)
– How to Winter (Kari Leibowitz)
– Letter and the Scroll (Jonathan Sacks)
– I and Thou (Martin Buber)
– Coming into the Country (John McPhee)

YOUTUBE TITLE

– Why You’re Always Tired, Anxious, and Unmotivated (Hint: It’s in Your Pocket) | Cal Newport

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

Thanks to our Sponsors:
This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/deepquestions.com and get on your way to being your best self.
https://www.shopify.com/deep
https://www.indeed.com/deep
https://www.mybodytutor.com

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

DEEP QUESTIONS