Ep. 310: Rethinking Discipline

Discipline is critical to cultivating a deep life, but what exactly does this concept mean? In this episode, Cal uses a concrete case study from Reddit to dive deeper into the nuances of discipline and to then identify concrete, practical advice for improving your ability to take disciplined action. He then answers listener questions and asks for Jesse’s judgment on a battle of the writing sheds.

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: https://youtube.com/calnewportmedia

Deep Dive: Rethinking Discipline [5:44]

- Should I work harder at finding a job? [36:13]

- How can I measure the Discipline layer of the Deep Life Stack? [39:38]

- How do I stay off my phone in times of stress? [44:34]

- How can I regain the control over my phone that I once had in college? [48:44]

- Does Cal only write on a laptop to avoid distractions? [51:54]

- How can a new knowledge worker apply the slow productivity principles when starting a new job? [58:13]

CASE STUDY: Shifting jobs between teaching and administration [1:04:10]

FINAL SEGMENT: Battle of the Sheds [1:12:01]

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? reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/15sjr2h/lpt_request_how_to_stop_favoring_short_term/ ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958859/ sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240607121448.htm english.elpais.com/lifestyle/2024-07-06/cal-newport-the-man-who-never-procrastinates.html

Thanks to our Sponsors:

mintmobile.com/deep rhone.com/cal greenlight.com/deep blinkist.com/deep

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

Cal Newport is a computer science professor and a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives.

• No. of episodes: 359
• Latest episode: 2025-05-12
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