Knowledge Work: A Conversation with Cal Newport (Making Sense #363)

PodcastApr 24, 2026

Original excerpt

Sam Harris speaks with Cal Newport about our use of information technology and the cult of productivity. They discuss the state of social media, the "academic-in-exile effect," free speech and moderation, the effect of the pandemic on knowledge work, slow productivity, the example of Jane Austen, managing up in an organization, defragmenting one's work life, doing fewer things, reasonable deadlines, trading money for time, finding meaning in a post-scarcity world, the anti-work movement, the effects of artificial intelligence on knowledge work, and other topics.

Cal Newport is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University where he is also a founding member of the Center for…

Frequently asked questions

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This article by Cal Newport is part of the Cal Newport reading list on Burn 451, covering deep work · slow productivity.

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