Ep. 262: Creativity Hacking

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Cal Newport

Technology, Self-improvement, Education

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2023

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When it comes to generating fantastic ideas – the type that can make your career – you don’t have to passively wait for inspiration to strike. You can, instead, *hack* the creative process to increase the odds of coming up with something great. In this episode, Cal explores one of the more powerful forms of “creativity hacking”: making use of strange locations.

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

Today’s Deep Question: Why do you work better in strange locations? [3:31]

- Does Cal read online articles? [34:35]

- Is fitness tracking on my Apple Watch an excuse to stay distracted? [40:09]

- Which is better for original thinking: the city or the country? [43:05]

- How do I organize the pursuit of deep ideas? [47:19]

- Does reading books from unrelated genres help idea generation? [51:57]

CAL REACTS: Over stimulation is ruining your life! [59:11]

Links:

blog.computationalcomplexity.org/2020/02/pre-publish-and-perish.html

calnewport.com/on-using-inspiring-locations-to-inspire-deeper-work/

youtube.com/watch?v=yYWvUoN4yt8

Thanks to our Sponsors:

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/deepquestions and get on your way to being your best self

hensonshaving.com/cal

blinkist.com/deep

ladderlife.com/deep

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

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm Cal Newport and this is Deep Questions, the show about living and working deeply in
0:07.3	a distracted world.
0:09.6	I am back after a long time away in the original Deep Work HQ South here in Tacoma Park,
0:19.2	Maryland.
0:20.2	Now, I'm not completely back to 100% normal because Jesse's on vacation this week, so this is
0:25.1	a solo cast.
0:26.1	It is just me.
0:27.1	I'm back at my studio here in Tacoma Park and I'm happy about it.
0:31.7	There's a lot I'm going to miss about New Hampshire.
0:34.7	I'm going to miss the beauty.
0:35.9	I'm going to miss the quiet, the ability to drive somewhere and park without having to
0:40.1	deal with complicated traffic situations and crowds.
0:44.7	All of that is fantastic, great for thinking, but man, I miss my professional studio.
0:50.1	So it is really good to be back.
0:52.2	The other thing that's changed in Tacoma Park since I left for New Hampshire back in June,
0:57.3	is there's a bookstore here now.
0:59.9	People's books has officially opened.
1:02.4	I can almost see it from the Deep Work HQ, so I have a really good setup now.
1:08.3	If I walk a block in one direction from the HQ, I got coffee to come up and have co-coffee.
1:14.0	I walk a block in the other direction.
1:15.5	I got a bookstore, people's books of Tacoma Park and I'm on top of a bar.
1:21.6	All we got to do is get a large format movie theater across the street and I think I would
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -551 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Cal Newport, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Cal Newport and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.