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cover of episode Ep. 349: Sam Altman On Productivity

Ep. 349: Sam Altman On Productivity

2025/4/21
logo of podcast Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Transcript

Shownotes Transcript

Cal talks a lot about his ideas for producing meaningful work in a distracted world. But how do other people tackle this goal? To help better under this question, Cal reacts to a 2018 article from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in which he details his productivity philosophy. Cal then answers listener questions and concludes with a dystopian tech corner.

Find out more about Done Daily at DoneDaily.com)!

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: Sam Altman On Productivity [2:20]

  • How do I prevent administrative sprawl? [22:01]- When is the best time to schedule Deep Work? [31:12]- How can a gardener gain career capital? [32:43]- How can one go from good performance to exceptional performance? [36:21]- Is it better to write with a single monitor? [38:33]

CALL: Slow Productivity in a changing world [43:09]

CALL: Rory Mcllroy and his phone [48:35]

TECH CORNER: Will AI Destroy Humanity by 2027? [56:46]

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?)blog.samaltman.com/productivity)ai-2027.com)daveshap.substack.com/p/common-bad-takes-in-ai-safety-a-response)

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Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, Kieron Rees for the slow productivity music, and Mark Miles for mastering.