logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
12m 13s

The lost art of accomplishment without b...

DASH
About this episode

“How is it possible to do work that you’re proud of and not feel like your job is encroaching on all parts of your life?” Cal Newport, author of ‘Slow Productivity,’ explains.


Up next, 12 traits emotionally intelligent people share (You can learn them) ►   • 12 traits emotionally intelligent peo...  


When the Knowledge Sector emerged in the mid 20th century, our best understanding of the word ‘productivity’ came from manufacturing, which led to us measuring productivity based on quantity produced per hour.


But in knowledge work, we’re not producing just one thing: We’re working on 7-8 different things at one time, that differ per worker. Our solution to this was to introduce a rough heuristic that author and professor Cal Newport has dubbed “pseudo productivity,” which uses visible activity as a crude proxy for useful effort.


More and more of our time is focused on performing this busyness rather than focusing on high-quality outputs, leading to burnout. Newport has a solution: An idea called ‘slow productivity,’ which is focused on the quality of items produced over time and based on three main principles.


Timestamps for easier navigation:-

0:00 - Burnout

0:50 - Slow productivity

1:35 - Pseudo-productivity

2:25 - Principle 1

3:32 - Principle 2

4:23 - Principle 3


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

►Become a Big Think Member

Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more


►Get Big Think+ for Business

Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business


----------------------------------------------------------------


About Cal Newport:


Cal Newport is an MIT-trained computer science professor at Georgetown University who also writes about the intersections of technology, work, and the quest to find depth in an increasingly distracted world.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Sep 2024
Would Einstein Be in an Autism Program Today? Temple Grandin's Provocative Take | BIGTHINK+
Dr. Temple Grandin shares how we can unlock the hidden gifts of neuro-divergent minds. Up next, Master your anxiety. Unleash your genius There are three types of thinkers. Which one are you? Temple Grandin, author and professor of animal science at Colorado State University, reco ... Show More
14m 22s
Jul 2024
Is your workout routine giving you a brain boost? This neuroscientist thinks it might | Wendy Suzuki
Want to be more intelligent? Here’s why you should hit the gym, according to neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki Wendy Suzuki studies exercise's transformative effects on the brain. Drawing inspiration from animal studies, particularly those involving the growth of hippocampal brain cell ... Show More
6m 48s
Sep 2024
Yascha Mounk: The Flaws in Identity Politics and Its Failure to Combat Injustice
Is “identity synthesis” the remedy for racial injustice? This political scientist says no. Yascha Mounk, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and host of “The Good Fight” podcast, explains how identity synthesis - an ideology based on treating people differently depending on t ... Show More
18m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 21
Ep. 349: Sam Altman On Productivity
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 ans ... Show More
1h 12m
Dec 2024
2024 GREATS: 950: Slowing Down to Boost Productivity and Ease Stress with Cal Newport
Cal Newport shows how to achieve more by doing less.  — YOU’LL LEARN — 1) Why we’re measuring productivity all wrong 2) The surprising math showing how doing less means achieving more 3) The trick to eliminating tasks that don’t serve you  Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ ... Show More
49m 40s
Jul 2024
On Time: Cal Newport redefines productivity
How do we measure productivity? Our default metric tends to be activity. How many emails did you send? How many words did you write? How quickly did you respond to that Slack message? Cal Newport, computer science professor at Georgetown and author of “Slow Productivity: The Lost ... Show More
32m 37s
Apr 2024
Conversation with Cal Newport — The Key to Productivity without Burnout
Cal Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and bestselling author, joins Scott to discuss productivity, the importance of work-life balance, and the disruption of AI on work. Learn more about Cal here, and his book, “Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of A ... Show More
48m 11s
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 qu ... Show More
9m 34s
Dec 2024
Sunday Pick: How to be productive without burning out with Cal Newport | ReThinking
Each Sunday, TED shares an episode of another podcast we think you'll love, handpicked for you… by us. This is an episode of ReThinking with Adam Grant. Cal Newport knows a thing or two about productivity: when he’s not teaching computer science at Georgetown, he’s writing for Th ... Show More
42m 40s
Nov 2024
Healthy Productivity with Cal Newport
We’re tired, burnt out, and searching for a reprieve from hustle culture. Something needs to change if we’re going to get to real productivity: doing that is meaningful and fulfilling rather than just checking boxes off an endless to-do list. On today’s episode, Cal Newport joins ... Show More
1h 32m
Sep 2024
Ep. 320: Jobs and the Deep Life
One of the single most important factors in your attempts to cultivate a deep life is your job. Yet, many people don’t give much thought to the role their work will play in their conception of a life well-lived. In this episode, Cal looks deeper at this topic. He starts by outlin ... Show More
1h 6m
Mar 2025
Ep. 342: The Good Life Algorithm
How do escape a life of shallowness and distraction to cultivate something deeper and more meaningful? In this episode, Cal draws from both algorithm theory and the habits of a reclusive author to highlight an effective strategy for achieving this goal – one that underscores the ... Show More
1h 18m
May 2022
Productivity Rules for Winning the Week with Demir Bentley
A lot of the time as husbands and fathers we find ourselves in the mode of busy-ness, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we are productive. Being busy does not always equal that we are productive, but if we actually focus on productivity, we will actually lead a more fulfilli ... Show More
1 h