Deep Questions with Cal Newport
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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...
Episodis Recents
434 episodis
Do I Need a “Brain Gym”? | Monday Advice
In the 1960s, doctors avoided people to avoid exercise. Then everything changed. Now physical fitness is a $100 billion industry. What would it look l...
Are We About to Lose Control of AI? | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
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Should I Press Pause? | Monday Advice
Sometimes the best way to get unstuck is to press pause on your busy life and take a moment to look toward new possibilities. But how is this possible...
How Do I Escape the “Busyness Singularity”? | Monday Advice
There has been lots of discussion recently about AI eliminating jobs. But what if the real fear is that AI will instead make existing jobs miserable?...
Did AI Just “Solve” Math? (Let’s Take a Closer Look) | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
(...
How Do I Reclaim My Schedule? (w/ Laura Vanderkam) | Monday Advice
It’s common to feel like you don’t have enough time in your schedule to build a life that’s both professionally successful and personally deep. But is...
Has AI Conquered Coding? (It’s Not So Simple…) | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
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Am I Addicted to My Phone? (w/ Anna Lembke) | Monday Advice
Many of us ask the question if phone addiction is similar to other addictions. In this episode, Cal is joined by the #1 New York Times bestselling aut...
Is AI About to “Eat Everything”? | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
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Do I Need a Digital Intervention? | Monday Advice
A new research study reveals that a surprisingly simple intervention into your digital life can yield massive benefits in only two weeks. In this epis...
Is the AI Doom Fever Breaking? | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
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Why Do Better Tools Make Me Worse at My Job? (w/ David Epstein) | Monday Advice
What can an obscure theory of industrial productivity teach us about producing better results in a distracted world? In this episode, Cal is joined by...
Is AI About to Automate Every Office Job? | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode also at: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
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How Do I Build “Cognitive Fitness”? | Monday Advice
In his recent New York Times essay, Cal argued for a “cognitive fitness” revolution to resist the onslaught of digital tools degrading our ability to...
Is AI Trending Up or Down in 2026? | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
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Do I Need More Discipline? | Monday Advice
Is developing discipline one of the most effective bulwarks against the constant flood of distraction we face daily? And if so, what’s the best way to...
Is Claude Mythos “Terrifying”? | AI Reality Check
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Today's episode on YouTube: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
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Ep. 400: Should I Embrace “Slow Technology”?
Ep. 400: Should I Embrace “Slow Technology”?
If there was one word to describe modern digital tools, it would be “fast.” But not everyone...
AI Reality Check: Is AI Stealing Entry-Level Jobs?
AI Reality Check: Is AI Stealing Entry-Level Jobs?
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s e...
Ep. 399: Is Deep Work Still Possible in 2026?
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:...
AI Reality Check: Can LLMs “Scheme”?
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
ACT #1: Look Cl...
Ep. 398: How Do I Find Purpose in a Distracted World? (W/ Arthur Brooks)
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 o...
AI Reality Check: Are LLMs a Dead End?
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
SUB QUESTION #1...
Ep. 397: Why Do “Productivity Technologies” Make My Job Worse?
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 dig...
AI Reality Check: Did AI Just Become Sentient?
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
STORY #1: Did a...
Ep. 396: Can I Learn To Love My Phone Again?
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 explore...
AI Reality Check: Is the Economy About to Collapse?
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your...
Ep. 395: Should I Try a “Social Media Pause”?
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 ans...
AI Reality Check: Did the LLM Job Apocalypse Begin Last Week?
AI Reality Check: Did the LLM Job Apocalypse Begin Last Week?
Cal Newport takes a closer look at recent AI news.
Below are t...
Ep. 394: Do I Need a Better Planning System?
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...
Ep. 393: Can Movies Save Us From Our Phones?
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...
Ep. 392: Are “Micro-Streamers” the Future of Media? + Why Cal Spent $60 on a Task App
There remains a gap between the production values of professional streaming services like Netflix and independent content that appears on platforms li...
Ep. 391: Is AI Reporting Broken? + Rethinking Morning Routines
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 cover...
Ep. 390: What Happens When You Ditch Your Smartphone? + Assessing the Internet’s Latest Self-Help Sensation
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 device...
Ep. 389: Is the Internet Hijacking Ambition? + Escaping Messaging Hell
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 ins...
Ep. 388: What’s Worrying Jon Haidt Now? + Should You Buy a Landline? (Cal just did…)
Despite some initial skepticism, Jonathan Haidt’s crusade against kids using smartphones has been more or less completely vindicated. Which got us thi...
Ep 387: Can Substack Save Journalism? + Viral Advice for Ignoring Your Phone
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 o...
Ep 386: Was 2025 a Great or Terrible Year for AI? (w/ Ed Zitron)
Ep 386: Was 2025 a Great or Terrible Year for AI? (w/ Ed Zitron)
2025 was a year that was saturated in AI news, from Deep Seek, through claims...
Ep 385:
In this replay of a classic episode from March 2024, Cal discusses his transformative experience using a small analog notebook to tackle a complicated...
Ep 384: What Should I Read for a Deeper New Year?
In our annual holiday episode, Cal tackles one of the questions he’s asked most often: What should I read? But with a twist. He recommends six books t...