Ep 7. Cal Newport: Focus for Success in a Distracted World - a podcast by Work and Life with Stew Friedman

Cal Newport is a professor of Computer Science at Georgetown and author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. In Deep Work, Cal argues that focus is the new I.Q. in the modern workplace and that those who master it have better chances of success in all parts of life. Stew and Cal discuss actionable guidelines for developing the capacity to do deep work. Two of the many useful suggestions in this episode are to quit (or radically reduce) social media and embrace boredom. For more information about this and other episodes, check out workandlifepodcast.com, where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, previous episodes, and the roster of Stew’s guests you can look forward to hearing soon. Show Notes (times when new topics start) 2:20. Overview of deep work. Cal defines deep work as focusing on a cognitively demanding task for a significant period of time, an essential skill for modern workers. 6:00. Guidelines for Deep Work. How to do deep work. 7:20. Quit social media. The costs of using social media and how to reduce them. 13:30. Embracing boredom. Training your mind to benefit from deep work involves learning how to embrace boredom, which is easier than it sounds. 16:30. Making time for focus. How to carve out the time and space for deep work wherever and whenever you do your work.

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