One of the more important abilities to cultivate for the year ahead is comfort learning complicated (and therefore valuable) new things. In this episode, Cal tackles the myths surrounding mastery and presents a new mental model for internalizing non-trivial information. As he elaborates, there is both good news and bad news when it comes to this topic: you c ... Show More
Oct 26
When Productivity Theory Meets Practice
What happens when neat theoretical ideas about productivity are deployed in the messy real world? In this episode, Cal is joined by Haley Pulli, a productivity coach from the company DoneDaily, to discuss case studies of clients who initially struggled with some of Cal’s ideas an ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 2022
The Best Way to Learn Anything
Whether taking on a new instrument, craft, hobby or professional skill, it can be challenging to learn all of the nuances and reach mastery. In this episode, discover the best way to learn anything, so you can quickly and effectively master every aspect of it. “If you want to acc ... Show More
9m 52s
Jul 2022
How to Make Learning STICK
One of the most important skills we can develop is learning how to learn–how to update old beliefs about ourselves, take in new information, and build psychological resources like courage, gratitude, and confidence. We have experiences from which we could potentially learn all th ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 2024
3308: Dangerous Ideas: What If Everything We Thought Was True About Productivity Was Wrong By Cal Newport on New Habits
Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com.
Episode 3308:
Cal Newport explores the surprising difficulty of simple tasks and challenges our assumptions about productivity. He ... Show More
9m 4s
Aug 2025
Design Your SMART Learning Routine with Jim Kwik
Most people try to learn more by simply working harder. But if effort alone were the answer, you’d already be fluent in seven languages, juggling quantum physics textbooks in your sleep. The truth? It’s not about grinding—it’s about being S.M.A.R.T.In this episode, I’ll walk you ... Show More
8m 47s
Oct 2019
Learn Faster by Slowing Down with Tim Larkin
How do you learn faster by going slower? That may sound like a contradiction, but we’re going to be talking about this key component to learning in this episode. This topic is also important because, to truly learn something, you have it go through it step-by-step and be patient ... Show More
20m 20s
<p>This Week's Episodes:</p>
<ul>
<li>Context Is Everything </li>
<li>Being A Know-It-All </li>
<li>It's Supposed To Be Challenging </li>
<li>"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." </li>
<li>Small Comments As Unconscious Triggers</li>
< ... Show More
