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 devices. In the ideas segment, Cal examines the testimonials of four subjects who spent significant time without phones, to learn what they actually experience. Then, in the practices segment, he dissects the latest viral online self-help sensation to see if it holds up or is just fluff. Finally, in the Q&A segment, he tackles a surprising (and distressing) way in which technology plays a role in the violent ICE raids happening in Minnesota.

Below are the questions covered in today's 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

IDEAS SEGMENT: What (Really) Happens When You Ditch Your Smartphone? [3:07]

PRACTICES SEGMENT: Assessing the Internet’s Latest Self-Help Sensation [31:53]

QUESTIONS:

• What do the ICE raids in Minnesota teach us about technology and its impacts on our society? [53:17]

WHAT CAL’S READING: Cal gives his weekly reading update [1:08:17]

The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney (Michael Barrier)

Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at [calnewport.com/slow](https://www.calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
youtube.com/watch?v=kzXOyW8Zumg
youtube.com/watch?v=gh5CYvi5E40
youtube.com/watch?v=C-Iewo7zUFo
youtube.com/watch?v=5FI1gP_K5K0
youtube.com/watch?v=FshYuO6Opwk
x.com/thedankoe/status/2010751592346030461
prospect.org/2026/01/27/ice-greg-bovino-minneapolis-one-battle-after-another-sean-penn/
youtube.com/watch?v=elF0YmsCHvQ

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This episode is sponsored by Better Help:
betterhelp.com/deepquestion
rag-bone.com (Use code “DEEP”)
calderalab.com/deep
shopify.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 instinct? To help explore this question, author Brad Stulberg, author of the new book THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE, joins Cal during the ideas segment to explore ways in which the internet hijacks our drive, and what we can do about it. Then, in the practice segment, Cal provides the 2026 of his evolving advice for escaping email and IM overload in your job.

Below are the questions covered in today's 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

IDEAS SEGMENT: Is the internet hijacking ambition? [4:16]

PRACTICES SEGMENT: Escaping messaging hell [1:03:06]

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS:

• Have new AI tools actually been as transformative as claimed? [1:23:49]

CAL RESPONDS TO COMMENTS [1:38:15]

WHAT CAL’S READING: Cal gives his weekly reading update [1:44:52]

Future Boy (Michael J. Fox)
The Unauthorized Story of Disney’s Haunted Mansion (Jeff Baham)

Links:
Get The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0063385945/ref=sw_img_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/old-school-with-shilo-brooks/id1841566275
instagram.com/p/DFh_mNGSvuZ/?img_index=2
microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/breaking-down-infinite-workday
reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1o2g1xq/with_all_the_billions_trillions_going_into_it/
calnewport.com/a-world-without-email/

Thanks to our Sponsors:

mybodytutor.com
monarch.com (Use code “DEEP”)
pipedrive.com/deep
meetfabric.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Despite some initial skepticism, Jonathan Haidt’s crusade against kids using smartphones has been more or less completely vindicated. Which got us thinking: what’s he worried about next? In the ideas segment, Cal looks closer at three new technological harms that Haidt has begun sounding the alarm about. Then, in the practices segment, he details a somewhat eccentric technology strategy that he and his wife have deployed in their own home to keep their kids away from smartphones.

Below are the questions covered in today's 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

IDEAS SEGMENT: What’s worrying Jon Haidt? [0:04]

PRACTICES SEGMENT: Should you buy a landline (Cal just did…) [50:44]

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS:

• Can we put the social media and video game genies back in their lamp? [1:08:55]
• Can an artist avoid using social media? [1:13:01]
• Cal responds to comments [1:16:33]

WHAT CAL’S READING: Cal gives his weekly reading update [1:19:31]

20th Century Fox (Scott Eyman)
In the Shadow of Man (Jane Goodall)

Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
docs.google.com/document/d/1w-HOfseF2wF9YIpXwUUtP65-olnkPyWcgF5BiAtBEy0/edit?tab=t.0
x.com/kevinroose/status/2001464352491311196
afterbabel.com/p/smartphone-gambling-is-a-disaster
fanduel.com
afterbabel.com/p/its-not-just-a-game-anymore
afterbabel.com/p/dont-give-your-child-an-ai-companion
futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-toys-danger
instagram.com/reel/DO_7TzvEkzO/?hl=en
tincan.kids
punkt.ch/products/mp02-4g-minimalist-phone
aliexpress.us/item/3256810412310495.html
nintendo.com/us/store/products/nintendo-switch-lite-turquoise

Thanks to our Sponsors:

1password.com/deep
cozyearth.com (Use code “DEEP”)
notion.com/cal
calderalab.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 out, is doing great. His popular substack now reaches massive audiences and earns him a seven-figure salary. Inspired by this story, in the ideas segment of today’s episode, we take a closer look at key numbers relevant to whether paid newsletters can replace traditional print media. Then, in the practices segment, we study some viral advice for spending less time on your phone.

Below are the questions covered in today's 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: Can Substack Save Journalism? + Viral Advice for Ignoring Your Phone [0:02]

PRACTICES SEGMENT: How to successfully delete social media [50:40]

• Is it ok to use ChatGPT to try to better understand some classics? [1:04:51]
• How do I decide what to write down when I use the notebook method? [1:06:10]
• For professional writers trying to succeed today, isn’t Substack the platform of the moment? [1:12:00]

CAL’S READING UPDATE: Cal gives his weekly reading update [1:18:28]

Airframe (Michael Crichton)
The Great Train Robbery (Michael Crichton)
Fantastic Voyage (Isaac Asimov)

Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
cjr.org/analysis/paul-krugman-leaving-new-york-times-heavy-hand-editing-less-frequent-columns-newsletter.php
substack.com/@paulkrugman
natesilver.net/p/always-be-blogging
reallygoodbusinessideas.com/p/most-popular-substacks
pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/newspapers/
rnz.co.nz/life/culture/any-attempt-to-simplify-elon-musk-is-futile-the-nz-cofounder-of-substack
daringfireball.net/2024/11/regarding_and_well_against_substack
youtube.com/watch?v=eUSBKj5ZQpo

Thanks to our Sponsors:

meetfabric.com/deep
pipedrive.com/deep
factormeals.com/deep50off
monarch.com (Use code “DEEP”)

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 of economic “bloodbaths,” to GPT-5, Sora, and Chatbot girlfriends. Frankly, it was exhausting. As we now look back on 2025 an interesting question arises: all in all, did this end up being a good or bad year for AI? To help me answer this question, I’m joined by hard-hitting AI commentator Ed Zitron, who's been everywhere in the media in recent months helping to make sense of the wild claims being thrown in the public’s direction. Together we go through the biggest AI stories of the year to try to make sense of what just happened.

Below are the questions covered in today's 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

INTERVIEW: Was 2025 a Great or Terrible Year for AI (w/ Ed Zitron) [3:16]

Cal Reacts to Comments: Is the Internet Becoming Television? [1:58:25]

Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal's monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv5976z9po
axios.com/2025/01/23/davos-2025-ai-agents
blog.google/technology/google-deepmind/gemini-model-updates-february-2025/
openai.com/index/sora/
openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-4-5/
ai-2027.com/
fortune.com/2025/05/28/anthropic-ceo-warning-ai-job-loss/
media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/
usatoday.com/story/tech/2025/08/07/chat-gpt-5-release-date-open-ai/85566627007/#:~:text=GPT%2D5%20release%20date,release%20date%20for%20Part%202
newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/what-if-ai-doesnt-get-much-better-than-this
wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-bubble-building-spree-55ee6128
nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/openai-and-nvidia-announce-strategic-partnership-to-deploy-10gw-of-nvidia-systems
nytimes.com/2025/10/02/technology/openai-sora-video-app.html
anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-4-5
ft.com/content/064bbca0-1cb2-45ab-85f4-25fdfc318d89
youtube.com/watch?v=Z_WEmjygNK0

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This episode is sponsored by Better Help:
betterhelp.com/deepquestions
reclaim.ai/cal
expressvpn.com/deep
calderalab.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this replay of a classic episode from March 2024, Cal discusses his transformative experience using a small analog notebook to tackle a complicated problem in his life. He makes the broader argument that sometimes simple analog tools can far exceed the utility of their digital counterparts.

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

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

Deep Dive: Single-Purpose Notebooks [1:21]

- If “pseudo-productivity” isn’t effective, why is it so common? [21:58]

- Can you explain the difference between limiting missions, projects, and daily goals? [29:54]

- Should everyone buy a $50 notebook? [34:18]

- How does “Slow Productivity” relate to mental models and first principles? [43:08]

- Should I read your new book slowly? [47:40]

- CALL: Struggling writer obsessing over quality [53:10]

CASE STUDY: Applying lifestyle-centric career planning [58:14]

SOMETHING INTERESTING: TikTok Falters [1:01:39]

Links:

Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow

Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/

Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?

https://www.notebookstories.com/2013/05/06/picasso-sketchbook/

https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10788/remembering-bruce-chatwin-the-greatest-travel-writer-that-ever-lived

https://www.notebookstories.com/2023/12/22/a-notebook-in-the-movie-elf/

https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/quitting-tiktok-less-swiping-more-sleeping-1e166a39?page=1

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/tiktok-and-the-fall-of-the-social-media-giants

Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo

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

Thanks to our Sponsors:

monarch.com/deep
1password.com/deep
makeheadway.com/deep
meetfabric.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 that are not from the self-help or advice genre that will nonetheless help you change your life into something deeper. For the rest of the episode, he then answers listener calls.

Below are the questions covered in today's 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

CAL’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

Walden by Henry David Thoreau [2:40]
Lincoln’s Virtues by William Lee Miller [7:28]
The Case for God by Karen Armstrong [10:54]
You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier [21:25]
The Shallows by Nicholas Carr [26:28]
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr [28:45]

CALLS:

• Concerned father and husband about smartphones [37:48]
• Living deeply with multiple gigs [43:27]
• Effective timeblocking [47:19]
• The Deep Life for non-knowledge workers [54:01]
• Dealing with overwhelming technology [58:59]
• The real cost of AI [1:02:59]
• Where to start with deep work? [1:07:33]

Links:

Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?

Thanks to our Sponsors:

monarch.com/deep
wayfair.com
notion.com/cal
reclaim.ai/cal

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Earlier this fall, the activist, novelist, and essayist Paul Kingsnorth published an anti-technology polemic called “Against the Machine.” To say it hit a nerve is an understatement. In the months that followed, Kingsnorth has been everywhere; profiled, among places, in the New York Times, the New Yorker, and The Atlantic. In today’s episode, I want to find out why Kingsnorth’s take on technology is resonating so strongly. To help me answer this question, I’m joined by the journalist and scholar Tyler Austin Harper, who wrote a great review of Kingsnorth’s book for The Atlantic. We dive deep into Kingsnorth’s ideas and explore what they teach us about our current moment more generally.

Below are the questions covered in today's 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

INTERVIEW: Why Is Everyone Talking About “Against the Machine”? (w/ Tyler Austin Harper) [0:00]

• Is the simple awareness of a notification as harmful as full context switching? [1:15:49]
• Is there an “ideal ratio” for consuming information across different mediums? [1:17:12]
• How can I effectively implement your shutdown routine and not keep checking emails? [1:20:21]
• How can I manage my social media obligations with my marketing job? [1:23:52]

CASE STUDY: Reframing a career to utilize career capital [1:26:07]

CALL: Dealing with conflicting views about digital minimalism in a relationship [1:30:21]

Links:

Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
theatlantic.com/books/2025/11/paul-kingsnorth-against-the-machine/684848/

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This show is sponsored by Better Help:
betterhelp.com/deepquestions
shopify.com/deep
mybodytutor.com
expressvpn.com/deep

Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.