Cal Newport changed my life

This week’s email is about Dr. Cal Newport:

• Full-time professor at Georgetown University
• Author of multiple best-selling books
• Has ZERO social media

He also has a new book called ‘Slow Productivity’ about how to accomplish more (without burning out). It’s helping me think about sustainability and success.

I’ve known Cal for several years – and I’m constantly amazed by his ability to think clearly and live life the “Cal Newport Way”.

What does that mean? Well, you’ll see in just a second 🙂

5 takeaways from our conversation:

1) Engage In Multi-Scale Planning

Cal doesn’t use the conventional goal-setting system. “Having to keep track of your grand plans every moment of every day is tedious,” Cal said.

Instead, Cal does what he likes to call Multi-Scale Planning.

He breaks down his goals into 3 levels:

1. Grand Vision – Think about what you want to achieve in the next quarter or year.
2. Weekly Plan – Once you know your long-term goals, you can plan each week in their service. Spend a few minutes at the start of each week making your plan.
3. Daily Priorities – Start each day by reviewing your weekly plan and figuring out what the MOST important tasks are.

“You want to work your way down from the big to the small,” Cal said. This helps you determine what your priorities are.

His 20s were about building skills and getting really good at the things that were going to be a cornerstone of his professional career (writing and computer science). He had no social media, no podcast, and was solely focused on learning as much as possible.

In his 30s, that shifted to establishing himself professionally and personally. He started a family. Chose his home base location, where his kids would go to school, and built up a diversity of income streams.

Now in his 40s, he’s focused on integrating both his academic and author worlds. He’s much more legacy and outward-focused.

No one sets out to steer off course from their goals. But life has a way of making us drift off course. Having a habit of regular check-ins helps keep you on course.

2) Seek Out Stillness

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal

We’ve all been there…

We’re waiting in line. Sitting on the toilet. About to go to bed. 

Instead of reflecting on our recent experiences, we reach into our pockets and grab our smartphones, forgetting the world around us.

“It’s never been easier to escape from the problems of the world,” Cal said. “But when you do that, you miss out on the productive time when you grapple with your thoughts.”

And as an entrepreneur, clarity and focus are extremely valuable.

I take Saturdays off to rest, recharge, and spend time with family. I don’t check social media, Slack, or my email.

Cal regularly goes on solo walks to seek stillness. No music. No podcasts. Just a pen and a notebook.

3) Confront Your Disappointment

It’s on these walks that Cal asks himself the tough questions:

• How am I spending my time?
• I tried X, why didn’t it work?
• Why am I not as successful as I would like?

“It’s easy to numb your disappointment away,” Cal said. “But when you avoid it, there’s no growth. Confront your disappointment. It’s a meaningful signal.”

Every Friday at 3pm, an automatic Slack bot notifies me to do a 3-question weekly review:

1. How was your week? (rate 1-5)
2. Were you consistent? (rate 1-5)
3. What are the top three things you want to focus on next week?

The form also goes to my Chief of Staff and EA to improve for the next week.

Now, you may be thinking:

“Noah, you spend more time organizing and reflecting than doing. Couldn’t you be spending that time making progress toward your goals?” 

Yes, I could replace my time planning and reviewing with more doing. But the truth is:

It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing the right things better.

If you don’t plan and review, you’ll make a lot of motion but in the wrong direction.

4) Use Social Media, Don’t Be Used By It

Cal has written 8 books (multiple of which are NYT best-sellers).

What’s amazing about his success is he has ZERO social media. (Respect!! 🙌)

“It’s intentional,” Cal said. “I still have friends. I still know what’s going on in the world. But I have space to focus on the things that truly matter.”

While Cal’s approach might seem over the top, mental clarity is one of the most important things in life – especially if you’re running your own business.

Let’s do a quick test:

1. What do you think your screen time is? Write that number down.
2. Now check your screen time. Is it higher than your prediction?
3. Is it over 3 hours? Social media may be using you!

Here’s my screen time

That’s not to say you have to be like Cal and eliminate social media completely. 

But put into place systems to ensure you’re using social media (not the other way around).

5) Practice Digital Minimalism

“Don’t get me wrong, social media is a phenomenal tool when used correctly,” Cal said. “The problem is when people it becomes an obsession and takes over people’s lives.”

Cal suggests practicing Digital Minimalism:

“First figure out what your life is about, what you want to do, what you care about, what you want to spend your time doing, and what your values are.”

Then, ask, “Is there some way technology can help this thing?”

Don’t use social media by default or just because everyone else is. Start with what matters, then find technology that helps those things.

For Cal, having a podcast and YouTube channel is extremely beneficial in helping him sell more books. But he’s careful to avoid being a passive consumer on those platforms.

 

Rooting for you,

Noah 🌮

Ps. I went on Cal’s podcast a few months ago – and had a blast! We talked about living a ‘Deep Life’, getting customers early, and the power of asking. Check it out!