Deep Questions with Cal Newport

91:55

Ep. 400: Should I Embrace “Slow Technology”?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/04/13

Ep. 400: Should I Embrace “Slow Technology”?If there was one word to describe modern digital tools, it would be “fast.” But not everyone thinks this is better. In today’s episode, Cal explores the concept of “slow technology” – the embrace of tools that have fewer features and more friction, but nonetheless produce better work and more satisfaction. His guide in this effort is the acclaimed children’s book author Amy Timberlake, who talks to Cal about her recent shift to using a mechanical

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00:16:06

AI Reality Check: Is AI Stealing Entry-Level Jobs?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/04/09

AI Reality Check: Is AI Stealing Entry-Level Jobs?Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia OPENING: Is AI stealing entry-level jobs? [1:29] MAIN STORY: Torsten Slok essay [3:06] CONCLUSION: AI is not stealing entry-level jobs now [11:32] Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at

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01:03:36

Ep. 399: Is Deep Work Still Possible in 2026?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/04/06

It’s been a decade since the original publication of DEEP WORK. Do its ideas still hold in 2026? This is the question Cal tackles in today’s episode: reviewing the four major “rules” from his book, reviewing what still holds and what changes he would add.Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode:youtube.com/calnewportmedia DEEP DIVE: Is Deep Work Still Possible in

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00:19:58

AI Reality Check: Can LLMs “Scheme”?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/04/02

Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia ACT #1: Look Closer at the Article [1:20] ACT #2: A Closer Look at the Paper [3:21] ACT #3: But What About… [7:24] Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at

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01:17:34

Ep. 398: How Do I Find Purpose in a Distracted World?...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/30

Here’s a key question: Did technology like smartphones make us miserable, or were we already miserable and smartphones made it worse? To help figure out this answer, I talked to Arthur Brooks, the #1 New York Times bestselling author and Harvard professor, about this new book: The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness. In our conversation, Brooks argues that our current Age of Emptiness began in the 1990s, but technology like smartphones and social media made it worse. We then

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00:30:38

AI Reality Check: Are LLMs a Dead End?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/26

Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia SUB QUESTION #1: What is Yan LeCun Up To? [2:55] SUB QUESTION #2: How is it possible that LeCun could be right about LLM’s begin a dead-end? We’ve been hearing non-stop recently about how fast they’re advancing. [14:55] SUB QUESTION #3: What would happen next if LeCun is right? [22:26] Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at

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01:07:19

Ep. 397: Why Do “Productivity Technologies” Make My...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/23

A new study finds that for many workers, AI increases shallow efforts while decreasing time focusing on what really matters. This is not the first digital productivity technology to create this paradoxical effect. In today’s episode, Cal dives deep into why this happens and then details three strategies for avoiding these traps in your own professional life.Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link:

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00:23:42

AI Reality Check: Did AI Just Become Sentient?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/19

Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia STORY #1: Did an AI Agent Email an AI Researcher? [1:01] STORY #2: Does the Pentagon Think Claude Has a Soul? [10:20] STORY #3: What’s Going on with Anthropic Revenues? [14:16] Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at

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00:54:01

Ep. 396: Can I Learn To Love My Phone Again?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/16

Remember how much we loved our iPhones when they first came out? Can we get back to that relationship with these devices? In this episode, Cal explores five pieces of advice for transforming your current phone back to something that’s less distracting, more useful, and fun once again – a goal he calls “2007 mode.”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:

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00:33:53

AI Reality Check: Is the Economy About to Collapse?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/12

Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia ARTICLE #1: America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs [2:15] ARTICLE #2: Mass Hysteria. Thousands of Jobs Lost. Just How Bad Is It Going to Get? [9:23] ARTICLE #3: THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS: A Thought Exercise in Financial

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01:27:03

Ep. 395: Should I Try a “Social Media Pause”?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/09

Do you need social media? Which services? For what purposes? These are complicated questions and in today’s episode Cal proposes a simple route to answers: conducting a “social media pause.” To help investigate this strategy, Cal is joined by T.K. Coleman, of The Minimalists, to talk about a social media pause that they tried and the surprising results it generated.Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link:

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00:29:30

AI Reality Check: Did the LLM Job Apocalypse Begin...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/05

AI Reality Check: Did the LLM Job Apocalypse Begin Last Week? Cal Newport takes a closer look at recent AI news. Below are the topics covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode:youtube.com/calnewportmedia STORY #1: Jack Dorsey announces layoffs at Block [1:28] STORY #2: The education level of LLM-based tools [11:45] STORY #3: What’s happening in the world of computer programming

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01:34:38

Ep. 394: Do I Need a Better Planning System?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/03/02

It’s hard to live deeply in a distracted world if you don’t have control over how you spend your time. This goal requires a planning system that both works and can last. Do you have a reasonable planning system in place? If not, don’t worry. Today, Cal is joined by planning expert Sarah Hart-Unger (author of “Best Laid Plans”) to discuss the nitty-gritty details of creating sustainable systems that can help you regain autonomy over your schedule without becoming an over-scheduled drone. Below are

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01:08:36

Ep. 393: Can Movies Save Us From Our Phones?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/02/23

Last month, the Atlantic reported that film students are now struggling to sit through entire films. In this episode, Cal argues that this is both an issue and an opportunity. The fact we can’t watch full movies indicates the impact of digital tools on our brains is worse than we assumed. But in this problem, we also find a solution: maybe teaching ourselves to become better movie watchers can be the first step to reclaiming our own minds. Cal then dissects a viral AI essay that seems to have

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01:02:22

Ep. 392: Are “Micro-Streamers” the Future of Media? +...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/02/16

There remains a gap between the production values of professional streaming services like Netflix and independent content that appears on platforms like YouTube. But what happens when that gap disappears? In the ideas segment of today’s episode, Cal sends a correspondent to investigate a fascinating new “micro-streaming” service producing Netflix-quality shows with a small team. Then, in the practices segment, he explains why he spent $60 on a single productivity application.Below are the questions

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00:58:33

Ep. 391: Is AI Reporting Broken? + Rethinking Morning...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/02/09

Is there something rotten in the state of AI reporting at the moment? In the ideas segment of this episode, Cal details three common traps in AI coverage that distort or distract from the reality of this technology. Once you know what to look for, these traps become easy to avoid – greatly improving your experience when trying to keep up to date on the latest advancements. Then, in the practice segment, Cal asks why morning routines have become so popular among young people. His explanation (hint:

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01:11:28

Ep. 390: What Happens When You Ditch Your Smartphone?...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/02/02

Everyone knows that excessive smartphone use can be harmful. But the question we don’t ask enough is what the advantages are of not using these devices. In the ideas segment, Cal examines the testimonials of four subjects who spent significant time without phones, to learn what they actually experience. Then, in the practices segment, he dissects the latest viral online self-help sensation to see if it holds up or is just fluff. Finally, in the Q&A segment, he tackles a surprising (and distressing)

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01:48:26

Ep. 389: Is the Internet Hijacking Ambition? +...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/01/26

It’s natural to feel ambition, as we’re wired to find great satisfaction in accomplishing hard goals. But what impact has the internet had on this instinct? To help explore this question, author Brad Stulberg, author of the new book THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE, joins Cal during the ideas segment to explore ways in which the internet hijacks our drive, and what we can do about it. Then, in the practice segment, Cal provides the 2026 of his evolving advice for escaping email and IM overload in your

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01:23:44

Ep. 388: What’s Worrying Jon Haidt Now? + Should You...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/01/19

Despite some initial skepticism, Jonathan Haidt’s crusade against kids using smartphones has been more or less completely vindicated. Which got us thinking: what’s he worried about next? In the ideas segment, Cal looks closer at three new technological harms that Haidt has begun sounding the alarm about. Then, in the practices segment, he details a somewhat eccentric technology strategy that he and his wife have deployed in their own home to keep their kids away from smartphones. Below are the

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01:24:51

Ep 387: Can Substack Save Journalism? + Viral Advice...

Deep Questions with Cal Newport ·

2026/01/12

Last year, when columnist Paul Krugman left the NYT, it seemed like yet another example of the traditional media crumbling. But Krugman, as it turns out, is doing great. His popular substack now reaches massive audiences and earns him a seven-figure salary. Inspired by this story, in the ideas segment of today’s episode, we take a closer look at key numbers relevant to whether paid newsletters can replace traditional print media. Then, in the practices segment, we study some viral advice for

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