Ep. 259: The Four-Hour Work Day

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Do you ever feel completely overwhelmed by everything you have to do? The writer Oliver Burkeman recently experimented with an unexpected response to this common sensation: he decided to work much less. In more detail, he wanted to see what would happen if he reacted to overload by restricting his work to only four hours per day. In this episode, Cal reviews what Burkeman discovered in this experiment and what it teaches the rest of us.

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

Today’s Deep Question: What happens when you cut your workday in half? [5:51]

- What does the “celebrate” deep life bucket include? [30:34]

- When are big life changes the right thing to do? [38:38]

- When does Cal “start” his work day? [49:04]

- How do I save for a good retirement without making my current lifestyle worse? [50:05]

CASE STUDY: The Joys of Doing Less [56:44]

CAL REACTS: Chris Nolan doesn’t own a phone [1:05:21]

Links:

hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oppenheimer-christopher-nolan-cast-interview-film-1235535418/

Thanks to our Sponsors:

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