396: Cal Newport - A World Without Email Is Coming

Published: March 2, 2021, 3:58 p.m.

Watch the full video interview on YouTube here: https://bit.ly/calnewport396

Cal Newport\xa0is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, where he specializes in the theory of distributed systems, as well as a\xa0New York Times\xa0bestselling author who writes for a broader audience about the intersection of technology and culture.

He\u2019s the author of seven books, including\xa0Digital Minimalism\xa0and\xa0Deep Work, which have been published in over thirty languages.

Cal\u2019s also a regular contributor on these topics to national publications such as\xa0The\xa0New Yorker,\xa0The\xa0New York Times,\xa0and\xa0Wired,\xa0and is a frequent guest on NPR.

His blog,\xa0Study Hacks, which he\u2019s been publishing since 2007, attracts over three million visits a year and his podcast, Deep Questions with Cal Newport, has just surpassed 1 million downloads after launching in May 2020.

Today we're discussing topics from Cal's latest book, A World Without Email.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • A world without email
  • The importance of undistracted focus
  • The history of email
  • What is the hyperactive hive mind?
  • The influence of smartphones on email response times
  • Solve the problem by fixing the processes
  • Clarity trumps accessibility
  • Knowledge work is different than industrial work
  • When the hive mind style of interaction works
  • Process redesign is a pain in the short-term but worth it in the long-term
  • The older model of doing less
  • The artificial way of collaborating
  • It\u2019s a cognitive catastrophe to check your inbox & Slack every 5-6 minutes
  • Set up a communication protocol
  • The misinterpretation of email communication
  • How to resolve inbox ping-pong
  • Email filters vs. email autoresponders
  • Overhaul your email inbox
  • How to deal with non-interactive emails
  • Email addresses should be tied to a function not an individual
  • Setting boundaries for responding to emails
  • It\u2019s the workflow, not the inbox
  • Cal\u2019s recommendations for scheduling software
  • The future of communication & productivity

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Related links:

Cal Newport - A World Without Email (book)

Cal Newport's website

Cal Newport - Digital Minimalism (book)

Cal Newport - Deep Work (book)

Cal Newport (books)

Deep Questions with Cal Newport (podcast)

Listen to Cal Newport previously on TUHP (episode #286)

Leslie Perlow - Sleeping With Your Smartphone (book)

Tim Ferriss (books)

Merlin Mann - Inbox Zero

Slack

Cal Newport - Slack Is The Right Tool For The Wrong Way To Work (The New Yorker article)

Peter Drucker (books)

David Allen (books)

Henry Ford

Trello

Calendly

Rescue Time

Dave Ramsey (books)

Instapaper

Unroll.me

Acuity Scheduling

OnceHub (Schedule Once)

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298: Kate Northrup \u2013 Do Less, Surrender Your Control, Yoga Nidra

250: Greg McKeown \u2013 Essentialism \u2022 The Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) \u2022 The Cost of Saying Yes

097: John Lee Dumas \u2013 A Solid Morning Routine Begins The Night Before \u2022 Don\u2019t Fall Prey To Imposter Syndrome \u2022 Setting and accomplishing BIG goals

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