Dr. Cal Newport: How to Enhance Focus and Improve Productivity
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Cal Newport, Ph.D., a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and bestselling author of numerous books on focus and productivity and how to access the deepest possible layers of your cognitive abilities in order to do quality work and lead a more balanced life. We discuss how to avoid digital distraction, specific systems to best arrange and update your schedule, and how to curate your work and home environment. We discuss how to engage with smartphones and technology, the significant productivity cost of task-switching, and how to avoid and overcome burnout. This episode provides specific protocols for enhancing focus and productivity, time management, task prioritization, and improving work-life balance that ought to be useful for anyone, young or old, regardless of profession.For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.Thank you to our sponsorsAG1: https://athleticgreens.com/hubermanLMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlabWaking Up: https://wakingup.com/hubermanTimestamps(00:00:00) Dr. Cal Newport(00:03:09) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up(00:07:00) Smartphones, Office & Walking(00:13:08) Productive Meditation, Whiteboards(00:20:04) Tool: Capturing Ideas, Notebooks(00:24:57) Tool: Active Recall & Remembering Information(00:26:15) Sponsor: AG1(00:31:29) Studying, Deliberate Practice(00:38:13) Flow States vs. Deep Work(00:41:39) Social Media, Emergencies(00:45:27) Phone & Addiction; Task Switching(00:54:23) “Neuro-Semantic Coherence” vs. Flow; Concentration(01:02:40) Internet Use & Kids; Video Games; Audiobooks(01:08:15) Pseudo-Productivity, Burnout(01:12:34) Social Media Distraction; The Deep Life(01:18:03) Attention, ADHD, Smartphones & Addiction; Kids(01:26:12) TikTok, Algorithm(01:30:39) Tool: Boredom Tolerance, Gap Effects & “Thoreau Walks”(01:37:43) Solitude Deprivation, Anxiety(01:41:22) Tools: Fixed Work Schedule & Productivity, Exercise, Sleep(01:47:52) Deep Work, Insomnia; Productivity & Core Work; Music(01:55:08) Cognitive Focus & Environment; Isolation(02:02:30) Burnout Epidemic, Digital Collaboration(02:11:11) Cognitive Revolution, Balance(02:16:45) Remote, Hybrid vs. In-Person Work; Zoom(02:22:05) Tool: Pull-Based System, Designing Workload(02:28:49) Tools: Multi-Scale Planning, Time Blocking; Deep Work Groups(02:38:56) Tool: Shutdown Ritual(02:42:37) Accessibility, Reputation & Flexibility(02:47:29) Work-Life Balance, Vacation; Productivity(02:54:47) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network NewsletterDisclaimerLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Huberman Lab
The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works.
Huberman has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning. He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017.
Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell, and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets.
In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.
- No. of episodes: 318
- Latest episode: 2025-07-14
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