Ep. 323: Strategic Procrastination

One of the most common complaints from people attempting to cultivate a deep life in our distracted world is procrastination. You want to make regular progress on something important but find you just can’t get going. In this episode, Cal discusses a less well understood cause of some procrastination and offers unconventional advice for facing it. He also answers listener questions and reacts to an article about a famous author’s unexpected regret.    Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo   Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia   Deep Dive: Strategic Procrastination [4:46]    - Should I change my job? [20:28]  - Should I automate my busy work? [24:20]  - How can I speed up my reading? [27:01]  - Should I quit my job to get my PhD? [31:41]  - My team of 3 has 37 open projects. How do we avoid burnout? [43:29]  - CALL: An engineering student’s commute [50:52]    CASE STUDY: Doing a master’s later in life [59:50]    CAL REACTS: Anne Patchett’s Biggest Regret [1:09:40]    Links:  Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba? nytimes.com/2024/10/15/opinion/ann-patchett-regret-email.html   Thanks to our Sponsors:    drinklmnt.com/deep shopify.com/deep policygenius.com/deepquestions mintmobile.com/deep   Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for the slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices