Ep. 349: Sam Altman On Productivity

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Cal talks a lot about his ideas for producing meaningful work in a distracted world. But how do other people tackle this goal? To help better under this question, Cal reacts to a 2018 article from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in which he details his productivity philosophy. Cal then answers listener questions and concludes with a dystopian tech corner.

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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: Sam Altman On Productivity [2:20]

– How do I prevent administrative sprawl? [22:01]
– When is the best time to schedule Deep Work? [31:12]
– How can a gardener gain career capital? [32:43]
– How can one go from good performance to exceptional performance? [36:21]
– Is it better to write with a single monitor? [38:33]

CALL: Slow Productivity in a changing world [43:09]

CALL: Rory Mcllroy and his phone [48:35]

TECH CORNER: Will AI Destroy Humanity by 2027? [56:46]

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?
blog.samaltman.com/productivity
ai-2027.com
daveshap.substack.com/p/common-bad-takes-in-ai-safety-a-response

Thanks to our Sponsors:

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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:

– Sam Altman On Productivity [2:20]

QUESTIONS:

– How do I prevent administrative sprawl? [22:02]
– When is the best time to schedule Deep Work? [31:3]
– How can a gardener gain career capital? [32:45]
– How can one go from good performance to exceptional performance? [36:23]
– Is it better to write with a single monitor? [38:35]

CALLS:

– Slow Productivity in a changing world [43:25]
– Rory Mcllroy and his phone [48:13]

TECH CORNER:

– Will AI Destroy Humanity by 2027? [57:03]

YOUTUBE TITLE

– #1 Rule That Made Sam Altman Insanely Productive (No One Talks About This)

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://blog.samaltman.com/productivity
https://ai-2027.com/
https://daveshap.substack.com/p/common-bad-takes-in-ai-safety-a-response

Thanks to our Sponsors:

https://www.shopify.com/deep
https://www.zocdoc.com/deep
https://www.vanta.com/deepquestions
https://www.expressvpn.com/deep

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

DEEP QUESTIONS