How To Stop Wasting Time: The 5-Step Productivity System To Organize Your Life | Cal Newport

An online task program mentioned as a simple alternative to Microsoft Word for building an organizational system using text files and lists.

A list-making tool recommended for its simplicity, allowing users to indent, collapse, and expand lists to manage tasks and information.

A task management system used by Cal Newport, where lists are columns and items are cards, allowing for easy movement and attachment of extra information.

A task view database system mentioned as a more advanced option for building a custom organizational system, recommended once initial organization is established.

Cal Newport's personal blog where he previously had Amazon Associate links that provided him with book-buying credits.

A family-owned aerospace parts manufacturer that produces precisely milled metal razors using CNC machines, known for their durability and compatibility with cheap safety razor blades.

An e-commerce company mentioned as a platform for purchasing books, with Cal Newport appreciating the Amazon Associate links on his blog for allowing him to buy many books.

A free app that helps users find and book appointments online with thousands of top-rated, patient-reviewed doctors and specialists who take their insurance and are located nearby.

A VPN service recommended for its simplicity, fast connections, and global servers, enabling users to gain privacy and access geo-restricted content.

An app that provides 15-minute summaries of over 5,500 non-fiction books and podcasts, useful for triaging reading choices and understanding main ideas quickly.

An acronym for major tech companies, where a listener named Sahil secured a job after applying deep work principles in his computer science studies.

A philosophical movement that heavily influenced postcolonial theory and critical race theory, particularly Michelle Foucault's notions about how discourses create power imbalances, despite postmodernism's original intent to deconstruct grand narratives.

A psychological phenomenon where people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, which a student named Esteban struggles with in group projects.

One of the two main theories, initiated by Derek Bell, that Yasha Mounk argues begat most of the other important ideas within the modern identity synthesis.

One of the two big theories, emerging in the 80s and 90s, that Yasha Mounk identifies as a progenitor of modern progressive thought, particularly initiated by Edward Said.

A grand political theory that influenced academics before postmodernism, but lost steam due to the perceived failures of the Soviet Union. It was later ironically used by proponents of identity synthesis to create new grand narratives.

The institution that produces the podcast 'For Heaven's Sake,' which provides insights into Israeli affairs.

The elite university where Cal Newport worked pre-pandemic, and where he experienced a strong connection to place and people before the shift to remote work.

A prestigious university known for its rigorous computer science programs, where Cal Newport found that even as a good student, the level of academic talent among his peers was exceptionally high.

The institution where Yasha Mounk is an academic, focusing on international relations.

A book review publication that gave a starred review to Don's book, The Astrochimp, noting its meticulous research, which Don attributes to deep work sessions.

An Ivy League institution where Cal Newport and Yasha Mounk were both fellows during the same summer, though they did not cross paths.

Author of 'Getting Things Done,' he is considered the 'OG of digital age productivity.' Cal Newport discusses how Allen's methodology, while influential, was very physical and less suited for modern digital obligations.

Host of the show Dirty Jobs, cited for his TEDx talk that emphasizes the importance of a job's role in one's lifestyle rather than just the content of the work itself.

A key figure in critical race theory, identified as a significant progenitor of modern progressive thinking by Yasha Mounk.

Author of 'Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor,' an interesting character who moved from the Israeli right-wing to the left-wing, offering a self-reflective view on the conflict.

An academic at Johns Hopkins who works in international relations and author of 'The Identity Trap,' discussing modern progressive theories and philosophical liberalism.

A key figure in postcolonial theory, whose work influenced many humanities students in the 2000s, as noted by Cal Newport during his grad school years.

A postmodern philosopher whose notions about how various discourses create and maintain power imbalances heavily influenced postcolonial and critical race theories.

A New York Times opinion columnist and podcast host, on whose podcast Yossi Klein Halevi recently appeared.

A renowned film critic, whose work with Gene Siskel is currently being read about by Cal Newport.

An economist and author of 'The Affluent Society,' whose analysis of the popularity of Marxism on college campuses (attributing it to a desire to 'seem smart') is cited by Cal Newport.

A popular author, whose newest book 'The Exchange' is mentioned as a follow-up to 'The Firm,' though it didn't quite live up to the original.

The governor of Florida, who is mentioned by Cal Newport as an example of an outside observer who might misinterpret the nature of modern academic theories on college campuses, leading to calls to defund colleges.

A British historian and author of the book 'Israel,' which provides a comprehensive and objective history of the region.

Actor, former governor, and author of 'Be Useful.' Cal Newport finds him inspiring and recommends his autobiography.

A film critic, known for his work with Roger Ebert, about whom Cal Newport is currently reading a book.

A classic productivity book by David Allen, published in 2001, which details a methodology for getting your arms around chaos and moving towards calm, focusing heavily on physical collection of tasks.

A book by Don about chimpanzees used in the first space race, which received a starred review from Kirkus, highlighting its meticulous research, achieved through deep work.

A book by Cal Newport published in 2012, which discusses the Follow Your Passion movement and argues that job satisfaction comes more from building skill and value rather than finding an intrinsic passion.

A book by Yasha Mounk that provides a scholastic history of modern progressive thought (identity synthesis) and analyzes whether these ideas work for achieving justice.

A book by John Kenneth Galbraith, written in the late 1950s/early 1960s, read by Cal Newport during his Dartmouth fellowship, which included an interesting analysis of Marxism's popularity on campuses.

John Grisham's newest book, a follow-up to 'The Firm,' which Cal Newport finds to be 'fine' but not as good as its predecessor.

A hit book by John Grisham, which 'The Exchange' is a follow-up to, and is remembered by Cal Newport as being exceptionally good.

Cal Newport's upcoming book, to be released in March, which explores principles of working at a natural pace, including taking breaks and ups and downs of intensity.

Cal Newport's book that discusses the importance of intense concentration for producing high-value knowledge work and is cited by a listener for its impact on returning to computer science education.

A book by Yossi Klein Halevi, featuring his letters and responses from Palestinians, offering a unique dialogic perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peace process.

A self-help book by Arnold Schwarzenegger, offering advice, though Cal Newport suggests reading his autobiography 'Total Recall' instead for a more engaging way to extract similar lessons.

A word processing software suggested as a simple option for creating a digital storage system with lists, allowing for bold headers and bullet points to append information.

A precisely milled metal safety razor that uses aerospace-grade CNC machines to allow the blade to extend just 0.0013 inches past the edge, reducing clogs and nicks. It is designed for longevity and cost-effectiveness with cheap blades.

An e-reader device mentioned for a trick where if a library book loan is ending, keeping the book open on the Kindle can extend access beyond the due date.

A Discovery Channel show hosted by Mike Rowe, which profiled people doing difficult or undesirable jobs, highlighting how many found fulfillment not in the job content but in how it supported their desired lifestyle.

An NPR podcast where a listener named Don first heard Cal Newport's ideas, influencing his approach to writing and research.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography, highly recommended by Cal Newport as a more compelling way to learn life lessons than his self-help book 'Be Useful.'

A podcast produced by the Hartman Institute, co-hosted by Yossi Klein Halevi, providing insights into the mood and political dynamics within Israel.

A historical book by Martin Gilbert, read by Cal Newport to gain a non-polemic, 'TikTok view' of the history of the region from 1850 to the early 2000s.