Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

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.

Episodes

Classic Episode: How Do I Kick My Scrolling Habit? | Monday Advice

August 17, 2026 • 57 mins
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, Cal walks through six new habits – what he calls a “high quality leisure toolkit” – for rebuilding your life around more meaningful activities.    Below are the questions covered in today's e...
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How Do I Finish Meaningful Projects? | Monday Advice

August 10, 2026 • 64 mins
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 struggle to accomplish meaningful projects, the less meaningful our lives might feel. In this episode, Cal looks back to a classic article he wrote nearly twenty years ago to both better understand why this problem is getting worse and ho...
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Does OpenAI’s Astra Mean AGI Has Arrived? | AI Reality Check

August 6, 2026 • 29 mins
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? (11:35) What does this mean for mathematics? (21:35) What does this mean for OpenAI?  Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow  https://x.com/polynoamial/s...
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Classic Episode: How Do I Learn Hard Things? | Monday Advice

August 3, 2026 • 75 mins
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 learning is harder than we think. This advice has never been more relevant for those looking to move past the easy dopamine hits offered by their devices and find something deeper.    Below are the questions covered in today's epi...
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Did OpenAI’s Model “Go Rogue”? | AI Reality Check

July 30, 2026 • 33 mins
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 attack reveal surprising new capabilities we didn’t know AI systems possessed? (12:48) Did the system’s decision to escape the test environment and autonomously attack another company indicate an emergi...
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Why Do Digital Detoxes Fail? What Works Better? | Monday Advice

July 27, 2026 • 70 mins
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 at play, and then use this understanding to figure out a better method for improving your relationship with your devices. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered ...
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Am I Optimizing Too Much? | Monday Advice

July 20, 2026 • 78 mins
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 your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode:  youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) The Optimization Paradox (2:12) Interview with Brad Stulberg (35:12) Hea...
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Does Claude Have Private Thoughts? (Everyone Settle Down) | AI Reality Check

July 16, 2026 • 31 mins
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 level tutorial on LLMs (6:18) Detail on annotations (13:50) What the Anthropic paper found (20:39) Why this is interesting research (26:28) Conclusion on consciousness Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Pro...
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Should I Use Notebooks More Often? (Cal’s Strategy) | Monday Advice

July 13, 2026 • 64 mins
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. The problem is not *what* notebooks you own but instead *how* you use them. In this episode, Cal walks through the four different notebooks he owns, and the four different ways he uses them. Below are the questions covered in today's...
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Do Managers Actually Understand AI? (I’m Not So Sure.) | AI Reality Check

July 9, 2026 • 19 mins
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 (7:06) Quote #3 (11:39) Quote #4 (17:02) Idea for journalists Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/world/europe/germany-sap-ai-jobs-skil...
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Should I Turn Off the Internet? (Lessons From a Family That Did) | Monday Advice

July 6, 2026 • 65 mins
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 is this even possible? And what would it really be like? In this episode, Cal seeks answers to these questions by talking to Chris Moody, a journalism professor at Appalachian State, who lives with his wife and young son in ...
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Can I Be a Digital Minimalist in 2026? | Monday Advice

June 29, 2026 • 59 mins
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 episode, Cal dives deep into the r/DigitalMinimalism sub-reddit to see what advice contemporary digital minimalists are following and offers his own thoughts and recommendations.    Below are the questions covered in today's ep...
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Dear AI Companies: Stop the “Doom Trolling” | AI Reality Check

June 25, 2026 • 22 mins
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 (9:00) Cal’s argument (10:16) The 2nd option (12:54) Conclusion (15:58) Stop playing along with Doom Trolling game (20:09) Use the term “doom trolling” Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, &ldqu...
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Am I Lazy or Overstimulated? | Monday Advice

June 22, 2026 • 57 mins
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 questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode:  youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Am I lazy or overstimulated? (28:29) A reaction to Cal’s recent New Yorker artic...
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Was the Mythos Ban Justified? (Good Idea. Bad Execution.) | AI Reality Check

June 17, 2026 • 29 mins
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) Is Fable 5 without guardrails actually a unique national security concern? (15:13) Should the government be more involved with AI? Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slo...
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Do I Need a “Brain Gym”? | Monday Advice

June 15, 2026 • 60 mins
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 fitness? In this episode, Cal explores three tiers of cognitive fitness advice, ordered from least to most intense. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here&...
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Are We About to Lose Control of AI? | AI Reality Check

June 11, 2026 • 20 mins
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 recursive self improvement? (7:52) Are these fears justified? (9:36) Faster software development doesn’t equal smarter AI (12:25) These tools are completely controllable (16:52) Taking a step back Links: Buy Cal&rsquo...
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Should I Press Pause? | Monday Advice

June 8, 2026 • 30 mins
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 everything and get away? In this episode, Cal explores different strategies for taking what he calls “mini-pauses” that can be integrated into even the most unforgiving of schedules. Below are the questions covered in today's...
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How Do I Escape the “Busyness Singularity”? | Monday Advice

June 1, 2026 • 45 mins
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 tools are poised to accelerate the worst aspects of pseudo-productivity to an absurd degree. He then shares five ideas for avoiding this fate in your own professional life. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with the...
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Did AI Just “Solve” Math? (Let’s Take a Closer Look) | AI Reality Check

May 28, 2026 • 31 mins
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 this result that important? (7:34) Question #2 - Does this mean LLMs are now smarter than human mathematicians? (17:50) Question #3 - Does this mean all equally hard challenges will now be conquered by AI? (23:27) Quest...
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