Deep Questions with Cal Newport
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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.
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Combating the Whirlwind with a Single Sheet of Paper
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5 Oct 2026
One of the more debilitating experiences in our current digital world is the sense of being trapped in relentless, reactive, busyness. This “whirlwind” can separate you from both ambition and
An Insider's Guide to AI Doom
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1 Oct 2026
The conversation around AI harms has become incredibly heated in recent weeks. But it's also incredibly confusing. In this short explainer episode, Cal walks through the three major categories of
Kids Should *Not* Use Chatbots! (You Should Be Wary, Too…)
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28 Sep 2026
With all the recent discussion of the potential catastrophic impacts AI might cause in the future, we’re losing track of the significant harms it is already causing right now. In this episode, Cal
The Truth About Brain Rot
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21 Sep 2026
A recent New York Times op-ed reveals the true nature of “brain rot,” and in doing so reveals a much larger problem affecting us all. In this episode, Cal explores this broader problem then draws
The AI Resistance is Forming. (Should You Join?)
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14 Sep 2026
After a week spent debating AI’s impact on humanity, Cal wants to turn his attention back to AI’s impact on humans. To support this shift, he brings on the writer Brad Stulberg who recently
How Worrisome is GPT-6’s “Stealth Thinking”? | Tech Decoded
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10 Sep 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) How Worrisome is GPT-6’s “Stealth Thinking”? (8:58) Reasoning models
How I’m Organizing My Life this Fall | Advice
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7 Sep 2026
It’s that time of year again when Cal tunes up his organizational systems for the onslaught of the fall. In this episode, Cal walks through the exact system he’s personally adopting for the next
Did OpenAI Create “Secret AI Civilizations”? | Tech Decoded
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3 Sep 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Does OpenAI create “secret AI civilizations”? (1:59) What’s the deal
Rethinking the Deep Life Stack (Again!) | Monday Advice
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31 Aug 2026
Back in 2023, Cal released an episode on a lifestyle design strategy I called the Deep Life Stack. Today, almost three years later, Cal revisits this idea and replaces it with a more robust concept
Has AI “Gone Rogue”? Let’s Look Closer… | Tech Decoded
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27 Aug 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Has AI “Gone Rogue” (2:25) Observation #1 - Most Superhuman AI is well
How to Build a Cognitive Training Plan | Monday Advice
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24 Aug 2026
In the world of physical health, we use so-called “key performance indicators” (KPIs) to help measure and improve our fitness. In today’s episode, Cal proposes a collection of three KPIs for
Classic Episode: How Do I Kick My Scrolling Habit? | Monday Advice
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17 Aug 2026
The best way to kick your scrolling habit is to introduce more “high quality leisure” into your life. But how do you accomplish this goal? In this replay of a classic episode from February, 2024,
How Do I Finish Meaningful Projects? | Monday Advice
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10 Aug 2026
Only 8% of people finish their yearly goals. At the same time, the percentage of people feeling a sense of meaning of purpose in their life is falling. These two numbers are connected: the more we
Does OpenAI’s Astra Mean AGI Has Arrived? | AI Reality Check
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6 Aug 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Does Open AI’s Astra mean AGI has arrived? (3:07) What actually happened?
Classic Episode: How Do I Learn Hard Things? | Monday Advice
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3 Aug 2026
In this replay of a classic episode from January 1st, 2024, Cal walks through the process of learning hard things. The good news is that most people can learn most things. The bad news is that
Did OpenAI’s Model “Go Rogue”? | AI Reality Check
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30 Jul 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Did OpenAI’s model “go rogue” (11:29) The implications (11:42) Did this
Why Do Digital Detoxes Fail? What Works Better? | Monday Advice
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27 Jul 2026
Why do digital detoxes fail to create lasting change? What works better? To answer these questions, Cal draws from the book “A Brief History of Intelligence” to reveal the relevant neuroscience
Am I Optimizing Too Much? | Monday Advice
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20 Jul 2026
Cal Newport talks with Brad Stulberg to explain the optimization paradox in Episode 414 of the Deep Questions podcast. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get
Does Claude Have Private Thoughts? (Everyone Settle Down) | AI Reality Check
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16 Jul 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Anthropic’s new research report (2:05) Digging into the paper (3:32) High
Should I Use Notebooks More Often? (Cal’s Strategy) | Monday Advice
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13 Jul 2026
Tell me if this sounds familiar: you buy a beautiful notebook, excited by all its possibilities to help refine your thoughts and generate new insights. Then it sits unused until you forget about it.
Do Managers Actually Understand AI? (I’m Not So Sure.) | AI Reality Check
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9 Jul 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Does business actually understand AI? (2:52) Quote #2 (6:20) Taking a step back
Should I Turn Off the Internet? (Lessons From a Family That Did) | Monday Advice
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6 Jul 2026
It’s a dream a lot of us have: to finally say “enough!”, and turn off the internet inside our homes, returning us to a lifestyle that requires more presence, introspection, and connection. But
Can I Be a Digital Minimalist in 2026? | Monday Advice
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29 Jun 2026
Back in 2019, Cal published one of the first books arguing that we rethink our personal relationship with online tools. Can his advice still work in an age of TikTok and ChatGPT? In today’s
Dear AI Companies: Stop the “Doom Trolling” | AI Reality Check
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25 Jun 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Stop the “doom trolling” (6:53) Cal’s recent New York Times article
Am I Lazy or Overstimulated? | Monday Advice
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22 Jun 2026
Cal Newport explains about if you're lazy or overstimulated in episode 410 of the Deep Questions podcast. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your
Was the Mythos Ban Justified? (Good Idea. Bad Execution.) | AI Reality Check
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17 Jun 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Was the Mythos ban justified? (5:32) Is Fable 5 actually dangerous? (11:03)
Do I Need a “Brain Gym”? | Monday Advice
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15 Jun 2026
In the 1960s, doctors avoided people to avoid exercise. Then everything changed. Now physical fitness is a $100 billion industry. What would it look like if we got equally as serious about cognitive
Are We About to Lose Control of AI? | AI Reality Check
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11 Jun 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Are we about to lose control of AI? (3:04) How much should we be afraid of
Should I Press Pause? | Monday Advice
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8 Jun 2026
Sometimes the best way to get unstuck is to press pause on your busy life and take a moment to look toward new possibilities. But how is this possible if you can’t afford to literally stop
How Do I Escape the “Busyness Singularity”? | Monday Advice
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1 Jun 2026
There has been lots of discussion recently about AI eliminating jobs. But what if the real fear is that AI will instead make existing jobs miserable? In this episode, Cal argues that LLM–based
Did AI Just “Solve” Math? (Let’s Take a Closer Look) | AI Reality Check
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28 May 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Did AI just “solve” math? (2:38) What OpenAI did (6:30) Question #1 - Is
How Do I Reclaim My Schedule? (w/ Laura Vanderkam) | Monday Advice
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25 May 2026
It’s common to feel like you don’t have enough time in your schedule to build a life that’s both professionally successful and personally deep. But is this true? In today’s episode, Cal
Has AI Conquered Coding? (It’s Not So Simple…) | AI Reality Check
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21 May 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Has AI conquered coding? (3:21) Lars Faye quote (5:25) Skipping the
Am I Addicted to My Phone? (w/ Anna Lembke) | Monday Advice
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18 May 2026
Many of us ask the question if phone addiction is similar to other addictions. In this episode, Cal is joined by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Lembke to explore this question. They
Is AI About to “Eat Everything”? | AI Reality Check
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14 May 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Is AI about to “eat everything”? (2:53) What does the METR chart
Do I Need a Digital Intervention? | Monday Advice
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11 May 2026
A new research study reveals that a surprisingly simple intervention into your digital life can yield massive benefits in only two weeks. In this episode, Cal takes a deep dive into this paper,
Is the AI Doom Fever Breaking? | AI Reality Check
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7 May 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Is the AI doom fever breaking? (4:30) Have the AI CEOs changed their tuen?
Why Do Better Tools Make Me Worse at My Job? (w/ David Epstein) | Monday Advice
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4 May 2026
What can an obscure theory of industrial productivity teach us about producing better results in a distracted world? In this episode, Cal is joined by the #1 New York Times bestselling author David
Is AI About to Automate Every Office Job? | AI Reality Check
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30 Apr 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode also at: youtube.com/calnewportmedia 0:00 Is AI About to Automate Every Office Job? 3:02 Other Tech Leaders
How Do I Build “Cognitive Fitness”? | Monday Advice
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27 Apr 2026
In his recent New York Times essay, Cal argued for a “cognitive fitness” revolution to resist the onslaught of digital tools degrading our ability to think. But how does one actually strengthen
Is AI Trending Up or Down in 2026? | AI Reality Check
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23 Apr 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia 0:00 What has *Actually* Happened in AI in 2026? 3:07 Open Claw 27:53 Anthropic
Do I Need More Discipline? | Monday Advice
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20 Apr 2026
Is developing discipline one of the most effective bulwarks against the constant flood of distraction we face daily? And if so, what’s the best way to accomplish this goal? In this Monday Advice
Is Claude Mythos “Terrifying”? | AI Reality Check
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16 Apr 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Today's episode on YouTube: youtube.com/calnewportmedia 0:00 What’s Really Going on with Mythos? 10:09 Security systems 21:27 Conclusion
Ep. 400: Should I Embrace “Slow Technology”?
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13 Apr 2026
Ep. 400: Should I Embrace “Slow Technology”? If there was one word to describe modern digital tools, it would be “fast.” But not everyone thinks this is better. In today’s episode, Cal
AI Reality Check: Is AI Stealing Entry-Level Jobs?
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9 Apr 2026
AI Reality Check: Is AI Stealing Entry-Level Jobs? Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia OPENING: Is AI stealing
Ep. 399: Is Deep Work Still Possible in 2026?
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6 Apr 2026
It’s been a decade since the original publication of DEEP WORK. Do its ideas still hold in 2026? This is the question Cal tackles in today’s episode: reviewing the four major “rules” from his
AI Reality Check: Can LLMs “Scheme”?
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2 Apr 2026
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia ACT #1: Look Closer at the Article [1:20] ACT #2: A Closer Look at the Paper [3:21]
Ep. 398: How Do I Find Purpose in a Distracted World? (w/ Arthur Brooks)
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30 Mar 2026
Here’s a key question: Did technology like smartphones make us miserable, or were we already miserable and smartphones made it worse? To help figure out this answer, I talked to Arthur Brooks, the
