Ep. 269: Don’t Get Started

By Cal Newport

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

09/10/23·1h 19m

After an episode in which Cal reviewed ancient wisdom on cultivating a deeper life, he turns his attention back to more recent advice. Focusing on three of the more unconventional but unambiguously effective ideas that he has proposed in his twenty years of professional writing on these topics.

Below are the questions covered in today&aposs episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

Deep Dive: Getting started is overrated [6:29]

- How can I become more confident in social settings? [36:15]

- Is it ok to be an ordinary person? [40:52]

- Is it important to have friends? [46:41]

- I took a pay cut to become a teacher again. How can I better organize my life to prioritize craft? [49:36]

- Is it ok to use YouTube to discover new ideas? [57:28]

Reader’s React: Is Productivity Natural? [1:05:04]

Links:

calnewport.com/dangerous-ideas-getting-started-is-overrated/

calnewport.com/treat-your-mind-as-you-would-a-private-garden/