TMBA381: A Conversation with Cal Newport

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If you are anything like Dan and Ian, then you have likely spent years geeking out on the writings of this week’s guest.

Cal Newport is a computer science professor. He’s also had a blog on his website since 2007, and has been writing books since he was in college. His most recent is called Deep Work, which is about the benefits and practical steps to getting more done in the Internet age.

This interview covers a wide range of subjects, including distributed algorithms at the extremes, how Cal uses walking to enhance his productivity and why creativity is usually more workmanlike than most people give it credit for.

Transcript

Listen to this week’s show and learn:

Why creativity is less about serendipity and more about putting the hours in. (11:20)
What Cal thinks that the majority of us are getting wrong in the digital age. (15:44)
Why you shouldn’t always follow your passion. (23:22)
What it means to generate “career capital”. (31:06)
What qualifies as deep work. (47:09)