Cal Newport - A World Without Email Is Coming (#396)

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

He’s the author of seven books, including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, which have been published in over thirty languages.

Cal’s also a regular contributor on these topics to national publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Wired, and is a frequent guest on NPR.

His blog, Study Hacks, which he’s 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.

Watch the full video version of this conversation below.

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’s 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’s the workflow, not the inbox
Cal’s recommendations for scheduling software
The future of communication & productivity

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250: Greg McKeown – Essentialism • The Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) • The Cost of Saying Yes
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Cal Newport photo credit: Penny Gray Photography

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Cal Newport – A World Without Email Is Coming (#396)

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