Ep. 266: Take Control of Your Technology Habits

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Cal Newport

Technology, Self-improvement, Education

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2023

⏱️ 103 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Do we need to move to a ranch in the middle of nowhere to take control of our technology habits? Cal argues that these types of extreme examples are counter-productive, making it seem like real changes are close to impossible. He offers instead an alternative approach based on zero-based budgeting your technological life.

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: What does it really take to cure your smartphone addiction? [3:33]

- How can I build an audience without being consumed by social media? [31:20]

- If my kid uses an iPad for school, will he become cursed with digital distraction? [40:33]

- Does the digital minimalist community approve of Goodreads and Letterboxd? [48:52]

- I’m 30 years old and lost. How can I get my life back on track? [53:43]

- How can I stay on top of current events without scrolling social media? [1:02:11]

Closing Discussion: Is the Friendship Recession Real? What can you do to escape it? (w/ Jamie Kilstein) [1:08:38]

Links:

https://www.thefp.com/p/why-i-traded-my-smartphone-for-an-ax
https://midland-school.org

Thanks to our Sponsors:

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 DeepQuestions, the show about living and working deeply in
0:18.0	a distracted world.
0:23.8	I'm here on my DeepWork HQ, joined as always by my producer, Jesse.
0:30.8	Jesse, this is the first, the day we're recording this, I think it's the first sort of crisp,
0:35.8	fall feeling morning, which brings me to my important question for you.
0:41.7	How early is too early to start thinking about Halloween?
0:47.3	You can start thinking about it now.
0:49.0	This is appropriate?
0:50.0	Yeah.
0:51.0	What are we going to do for our Halloween episode?
0:54.0	This is, I think, where we need to be putting our mental resources right now is planning
0:58.6	what we're going to do special for our Halloween episode.
1:01.1	Well, the skeleton's got to come back.
1:02.8	I think Jesse Skeleton is in the HQ, right?
1:05.6	Is it in the closet in the Maker Lab?
1:08.5	It might be.
1:09.5	I think it's here.
1:10.5	I think Jesse Skeleton is here.
1:12.0	For those of you who don't know what Jesse Skeleton is, congratulations, nonsense.
1:18.7	Jesse Skeleton will make it come back, costumes.
1:22.3	Maybe we're doing the Halloween episode in costumes.
1:25.1	Maybe we'll do it in a haunted graveyard.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -521 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.