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Episode Description
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 their brain? In this episode, Cal details a sustainable cognitive fitness routine built around five key components.
Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Send an email to podcast@calnewport.com.
Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia
2:25 DEEP DIVE: How Do I Build “Cognitive Fitness”? | Monday Advice
INBOX:
30:51 Message from a social media influencer
33:02 Reaction to Amy Timberlake interview
38:01 Putting Cal’s advice into practice
WHAT CAL IS UP TO:
41:20 What I read
43:45 What I’m doing
Books:
The Noonday Devil (by Jean-Charles Nault: translated from original French)
Links:
Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/
Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdvqpqHSQas
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/opinion/technology-mental-fitness-cognitive.html
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/what-kind-of-writer-is-chatgpt
https://anjalibanerjee.com/paws-and-platen/from-typewritten-draft-to-published-page
Thanks to our Sponsors:
https://www.calderalab.com/deep
https://www.vanta.com/deepquestions
https://www.shipstation.com/deep
Thanks to Jesse Miller for mastering and production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter.
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