Deep Questions with Cal Newport
Cal Newport is a computer science professor and a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives.
1/456 episodes analyzed 1 hours of audio 17 books mentioned
Most mentioned books
- 1 How to Become a Straight-A StudentCal Newport · 2× across 2 episodes
- 2 An Inside JobDaniel Silva · 1× across 1 episode
- 3 Blind Man's BluffSherry Sontag and Christopher Drew · 1× across 1 episode
- 4 Deep WorkCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 5 Disney's LandRichard Snow · 1× across 1 episode
- 6 How to Become a High School SuperstarCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 7 How to Win at CollegeCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 8 In Defense of FoodMichael Pollan · 1× across 1 episode
- 9 Into the DeepBob Ballard and Christopher Drew · 1× across 1 episode
- 10 Pardon Our French: The Parisian Way to a Happier LifeAlex Durand and Tom Carls · 1× across 1 episode
- 11 Silent SpringRachel Carson · 1× across 1 episode
- 12 Slow ProductivityCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 13 The Laws of ThoughtTom Griffiths · 1× across 1 episode
- 14 This Is for Everyone: A MemoirTim Berners-Lee · 1× across 1 episode
- 15 Three Years in WonderlandTom James Pierce · 1× across 1 episode
- 16 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceRobert M. Pirsig · 1× across 1 episode
- 17 [Untitled Autobiography]Michael Ovitz · 1× across 1 episode
![Cover of [Untitled Autobiography]](https://bookmenti.com/covers/f90b698e-d646-4714-a0b8-146ab0aa5a67.jpg)
- 1 How to Become a Straight-A StudentCal Newport · 2× across 2 episodes
- 2 An Inside JobDaniel Silva · 1× across 1 episode
- 3 Blind Man's BluffSherry Sontag and Christopher Drew · 1× across 1 episode
- 4 Deep WorkCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 5 Disney's LandRichard Snow · 1× across 1 episode
- 6 How to Become a High School SuperstarCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 7 How to Win at CollegeCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 8 In Defense of FoodMichael Pollan · 1× across 1 episode
- 9 Into the DeepBob Ballard and Christopher Drew · 1× across 1 episode
- 10 Pardon Our French: The Parisian Way to a Happier LifeAlex Durand and Tom Carls · 1× across 1 episode
- 11 Silent SpringRachel Carson · 1× across 1 episode
- 12 Slow ProductivityCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 13 The Laws of ThoughtTom Griffiths · 1× across 1 episode
- 14 This Is for Everyone: A MemoirTim Berners-Lee · 1× across 1 episode
- 15 Three Years in WonderlandTom James Pierce · 1× across 1 episode
- 16 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceRobert M. Pirsig · 1× across 1 episode
- 17 [Untitled Autobiography]Michael Ovitz · 1× across 1 episode
- 1 How to Become a Straight-A StudentCal Newport · 2× across 2 episodes
- 2 An Inside JobDaniel Silva · 1× across 1 episode
- 3 Blind Man's BluffSherry Sontag and Christopher Drew · 1× across 1 episode
- 4 Deep WorkCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 5 Disney's LandRichard Snow · 1× across 1 episode
- 6 How to Become a High School SuperstarCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 7 How to Win at CollegeCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 8 In Defense of FoodMichael Pollan · 1× across 1 episode
- 9 Into the DeepBob Ballard and Christopher Drew · 1× across 1 episode
- 10 Pardon Our French: The Parisian Way to a Happier LifeAlex Durand and Tom Carls · 1× across 1 episode
- 11 Silent SpringRachel Carson · 1× across 1 episode
- 12 Slow ProductivityCal Newport · 1× across 1 episode
- 13 The Laws of ThoughtTom Griffiths · 1× across 1 episode
- 14 This Is for Everyone: A MemoirTim Berners-Lee · 1× across 1 episode
- 15 Three Years in WonderlandTom James Pierce · 1× across 1 episode
- 16 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceRobert M. Pirsig · 1× across 1 episode
- 17 [Untitled Autobiography]Michael Ovitz · 1× across 1 episode
The AI Resistance is Forming. (Should You Join?)
0:00 / 71:56
How Worrisome is GPT-6’s “Stealth Thinking”? | Tech Decoded
0:00 / 39:04
How I’m Organizing My Life this Fall | Advice
0:00 / 51:58
Getting Things Done
David Allen
if you're using like david allen's getting things done he suggests answering the win question with physical context ▶ tap to play from here
The Deep Life
Cal Newport
i have this new book coming out in march called the deep life ▶ tap to play from here
The New Dark Age
Nigel Biggar
i finished a book last week i read the new dark age by nigel ▶ tap to play from here
Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning
Nigel Biggar
book and i believe had a big grant that was looking critically at colonialism and saying there's a lot that was bad about colonialism there's other things that was good it's complicated it was called colonialism a moral reckoning ▶ tap to play from here
Did OpenAI Create “Secret AI Civilizations”? | Tech Decoded
0:00 / 26:55
Prey
Michael Crichton
my thirteen year old son is reading michael crichton's two thousand and two book pray ▶ tap to play from here
Rethinking the Deep Life Stack (Again!) | Monday Advice
0:00 / 80:23
Slow Productivity
Cal Newport
when you went on your last book tour with slow productivity it always came back to the three you know core fundamentals of soul productivity ▶ tap to play from here
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert M. Pirsig
zen in the r of motorcycle maintenance i want numbered subsections ▶ tap to play from here
In Defense of Food
Michael Pollan
i went back and reread in defense of food you know a few months ago because that's my model ▶ tap to play from here
[Untitled Autobiography]
Michael Ovitz
remember way back like i read his bu i was reading his autobiography and as i finished it i got an email from michael lovitz ▶ tap to play from here
An Inside Job
Daniel Silva
one of the books i finished this last week was an inside job by daniel silva ▶ tap to play from here
Three Years in Wonderland
Tom James Pierce
the other book i finished was speaking of disney three years in wonderland by tom james pierce ▶ tap to play from here
How to Win at College
Cal Newport
so my first three books how to win to college how to become a strat a student how to become a high school superstar ▶ tap to play from here
How to Become a Straight-A Student
Cal Newport
how to win to college how to become a strat a student how to become a high school superstar ▶ tap to play from here
How to Become a High School Superstar
Cal Newport
how to win to college how to become a strat a student how to become a high school superstar ▶ tap to play from here
Has AI “Gone Rogue”? Let’s Look Closer… | Tech Decoded
0:00 / 35:50
How to Build a Cognitive Training Plan | Monday Advice
0:00 / 62:45
How to Become a Straight-A Student
Cal Newport
which is a formula that actually shows up in my my much older book how to become a straight a student ▶ tap to play from here
Deep Work
Cal Newport
the fans of my book deep work will un will recognize this as the activity of productive meditation ▶ tap to play from here
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson
federal conservation policies including the ban of ddt in nineteen seventy two ▶ tap to play from here
Pardon Our French: The Parisian Way to a Happier Life
Alex Durand and Tom Carls
their new book pardon our french the parisian way to a happier life which comes out on september eighth ▶ tap to play from here
The Laws of Thought
Tom Griffiths
i finished tom griffith's book the laws of thought ▶ tap to play from here
This Is for Everyone: A Memoir
Tim Berners-Lee
i read tim berners lee's memoir this is for everyone ▶ tap to play from here
Into the Deep
Bob Ballard and Christopher Drew
bob ballard who he co authored with christopher drew ▶ tap to play from here
Blind Man's Bluff
Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew
christopher drew who's a sort of nautical science writer new york times writer he wrote blind man's buff which is a good book about submarine espionage ▶ tap to play from here
Classic Episode: How Do I Kick My Scrolling Habit? | Monday Advice
0:00 / 57:45
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Neil Postman
what do you think of neil postman's amusing ourselves to death ▶ tap to play from here
Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology
Neil Postman
so i argue in this article that technopoly is probably the best full summary of neil postman's philosophy regarding technology ▶ tap to play from here
Deep Work
Cal Newport
i was wondering if you could square the theoretical four hour daily limit on deep work mentioned in deep work and the pursuit of high quality leisure ▶ tap to play from here
A World Without Email
Cal Newport
i write about this a little bit in my book a world without email ▶ tap to play from here
How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Arnold Bennett
arnold bennett's how to live on twenty four hours a day ▶ tap to play from here
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Cal Newport
forcing me to listen to her read out loud passages and from so good they can't ignore you ▶ tap to play from here
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
author of other things among other things of the lord of the rings trilogy ▶ tap to play from here
How Do I Finish Meaningful Projects? | Monday Advice
0:00 / 64:53
The Deep Life
Cal Newport
i'm in the process right now of copy editing my new book which is called the deep life a structured approach it comes out in march ▶ tap to play from here
Slow Productivity
Cal Newport
is the key insight on my most recent book slow productivity ▶ tap to play from here
A World Without Email
Cal Newport
as i detailed in my two thousand twenty one book a world without email ▶ tap to play from here
Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport
that's like my book digital minimalism is all about how do you get off that small screen ▶ tap to play from here
Orality and Literacy
Walter Ong
the first was orality and literacy by walter ong which we talked about in an earlier july episode ▶ tap to play from here
Lost
Rachel Harrington
the second was lost by rachel harrington which we talked about in an earlier episode ▶ tap to play from here
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
i read sapiens by uval harari ▶ tap to play from here
A Brief History of Intelligence
Max Bennett
a brief history of intelligence by max bennett ▶ tap to play from here
More Everything Forever
Adam Becker
i also read more everything forever by adam becker a fantastic twenty twenty five book ▶ tap to play from here
Disneyland and the Rise of Automation
Roland Bethancourt
i read a book called disneyland and the rise of automation by roland bethancourt ▶ tap to play from here
Does OpenAI’s Astra Mean AGI Has Arrived? | AI Reality Check
0:00 / 29:30
Classic Episode: How Do I Learn Hard Things? | Monday Advice
0:00 / 75:43
How to Become a Straight A Student
Cal Newport
this is gonna sound very self serving but i'm gonna say read my book how to become a straight a student ▶ tap to play from here
Slow Productivity
Cal Newport
in honor of my book slow productivity which comes out in march we like to have one question every episode ▶ tap to play from here
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Cal Newport
one of the last two books in your canon that i have not read fully so as i'm reading the book it hit me and you've said this in a previous episode where all the books that you have written address an exigence that you are currently conflicted with so uh i'm using that term kinda loosely from picture's rhetorical situation where ▶ tap to play from here
Deep Work
Cal Newport
deep work how do i get now the skills i need to build up that uh career capital ▶ tap to play from here
Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport
i can go so on and so on with digital minimalism um and uh a world without ▶ tap to play from here
Home Economics
Wendell Berry
home economics by wendell barry this is an essay collection from wendleberry ▶ tap to play from here
Pandora's Box: How Golden Age TV Got Fat, Lazy, and Corporate
Peter Biskind
in particular i read peter biskin's book pandora's box ▶ tap to play from here
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play
Nick Offerman
where the deer and the antelope play this is the latest book by nick offerman ▶ tap to play from here
Paddle Your Own Canoe: Fundamental Skills for Life and Living
Nick Offerman
i think it was called paddle your own canoe or something like this ▶ tap to play from here
Who Wrote the Bible?
Richard Elliott Friedman
it's called who wrote the bible by richard elliott friedman ▶ tap to play from here
The Exodus
Richard Elliott Friedman
was a follow up written by richard elliott friedman called the exodus ▶ tap to play from here
Did OpenAI’s Model “Go Rogue”? | AI Reality Check
0:00 / 33:40
Why Do Digital Detoxes Fail? What Works Better? | Monday Advice
0:00 / 70:41
Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport
back when i was working on my two thousand nineteen book digital minimalism ▶ tap to play from here
A Brief History of Intelligence
Max Bennett
this is max bennett's book a brief history of intelligence which is a a really fascinating history of the evolution of the brain ▶ tap to play from here
Slow Productivity
Cal Newport
in my book slow productivity i talk about this idea of pseudo productivity ▶ tap to play from here
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Cal Newport
my law school assigned deep work as summer reading ▶ tap to play from here
Am I Optimizing Too Much? | Monday Advice
0:00 / 78:30
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
mahalley chick sent me hali's book flow foundational book in in in performance psychology ▶ tap to play from here
The Naked Roommate: And Other Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About College
Harlan Cohen
they were all like the naked roommate and like how to have fun at college ▶ tap to play from here
Does Claude Have Private Thoughts? (Everyone Settle Down) | AI Reality Check
0:00 / 31:41
Talmud
Various (Rabbinic scholars)
it's almost like if you had uh it reminds me of the talmud right so if you if you look at the jewish talmud ▶ tap to play from here
Should I Use Notebooks More Often? (Cal’s Strategy) | Monday Advice
0:00 / 64:12
Deep Work
Cal Newport
it's an idea that i first introduced in my two thousand sixteen book deep work ▶ tap to play from here
Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word
Walter J. Ong
i finally read walter ong's book orality and literacy the technologizing of the word ▶ tap to play from here
Lost
Rachel Harrington
i also read the book lost by rachel hardigan who's a dakota park writer ▶ tap to play from here
Do Managers Actually Understand AI? (I’m Not So Sure.) | AI Reality Check
0:00 / 19:56
Should I Turn Off the Internet? (Lessons From a Family That Did) | Monday Advice
0:00 / 65:48
The Odyssey
Homer
i'm actually right now reading the um daniel mendelssohn's translation of the odyssey to my three year old ▶ tap to play from here
Deep Work
Cal Newport
i would assume your emails are good yes deep work digital minimalism ▶ tap to play from here
Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport
life without email that was the correct title right ▶ tap to play from here
Life Without Email
Cal Newport
life without email that was the correct title right ▶ tap to play from here
Can I Be a Digital Minimalist in 2026? | Monday Advice
0:00 / 59:48
Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport
back in two thousand and nineteen i published a book called digital minimalism ▶ tap to play from here
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
Anna Lembke
you should read her book dopamine nation for more on this ▶ tap to play from here
The Jewish Way to a Good Life
Shira Stuttman
i finished the book the jewish way to a good life by rabbi shira stuttman from here in dc ▶ tap to play from here
Dear AI Companies: Stop the “Doom Trolling” | AI Reality Check
0:00 / 22:04
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