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Justin's Digital Garden

Productivity and Work with Cal Newport

5 Things in Learning Process - Information Sources, Boredom, Attention, Working Memory, Intellectual

Section titled “5 Things in Learning Process - Information Sources, Boredom, Attention, Working Memory, Intellectual”

Source: How To Escape Mediocrity & Get Ahead Of 99% Of People | Cal Newport and my personal notes on examples implementations

My personal summary: Learn like you would before the internet - scheduled learning, books

  1. Limit Sources of Information by Time and High Quality Sources
    • Daily: curated daily news source (1 or few) like New York Times, CBC News Lite Editor’s pick
    • Monthly
      • 2-6 in depth articles from professional journals/magazines like New Yorker, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal
    • Seasons:
      • Books written by expert researchers
      • Consume media with goal of 1:1 fun/smart ratio of fun media to learning / high quality media
    • Example on reading about artificial intelligence: You will learn about major changes in daily news. Read a magazine article on AI, then a book on an AI topic.
    • See book “Digital minimalism : on living better with less technology”
  2. Be ok with boredom
    • For example reduce phone uses to physical locations and times
  3. Attention
    • Do difficult work or high quality activity, for example use pomodoro technique with longer sessions over time
    • Setup environment for different activities
  4. Strengthen working memory
    • Solve problems with a light activity like walking, ok for mind to wander than return to problem
  5. Practice being intellectual
    • For example, do learning and research processes of higher education
    • Look at secondary sources (context), before studing a primary source to appreciate it
    • Record your learning and knowledge like a taking notes on subjects and add to notes / essays over time

1 Page Productivity System

Section titled “1 Page Productivity System”

Source: The 1-Page Productivity Hack That Will Save Your Sanity | Cal Newport

The system uses 2 basics things in most work environments: 1. Calendar, 2. 1 sheet of paper, for example notebook.

Use the calendar as the main tool to track meetings, work.

Paper

Section titled “Paper”

Write ideas, tasks on paper. If possible, move item to the calendar like time for task in calendar and cross item off.

Calendar

Section titled “Calendar”

Use calendar for time blocks.

Maintenance Mode

Section titled “Maintenance Mode”

If items come like emails/requests, schedule them in calendar for later or say no during maintenance mode. The mode is temporary to allow you to recharge. Maintenance keeps items and calendar current.

Maintaining the paper: when the sheet is full, for each item in the paper:

  • Copy to new paper / sheet or remove it if not needed anymore
  • Move to the calendar or put note in future date

Why Smart People Are Abandoning Social Media

Section titled “Why Smart People Are Abandoning Social Media”

Source: Why Smart People Are Abandoning Social Media

Curated social media platforms uses algorithms to keep users on the platform which results in distraction, demoderation, and disassociation. The result is wasting the user’s time and inaccurate perceptions with reinforced unhealthy habits. The result is harmful in that it wastes people’s time which could be used more productively like real life interactions and better entertainment and educational content.

Examples of curated social media platforms: Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, certain uses of YouTube and content platforms. Non curated platform include messaging platforms applications if use is only interpersonal messaging.

Recommendation: Stop using social media where the platform curates (manages) content for you.

Read These Books To Start 2026

Section titled “Read These Books To Start 2026”

Source: Read These Books To Start 2026 Right | Cal Newport - YouTube

List of books and concepts explored by them

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

  • Invent your own life, enough-ism

Lincoln’s Virtues by William Lee Miller (biography)

  • Moral intelligence development, using your brain

The Case for God - Karen Armstrong

  • Spirituality history, non evidence based mindset (before enlightenment) is required to appreciate religion and faith

You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier

  • Personalized web is good for human flourishing

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

  • Technology is changing our brains and its scientific evidence

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

  • Early adult progression to mid life hardships with people and connections, dealing with hardship

Q: How to control device use in a family with young children?

Phones, tablets - treat them as tools. They must only live in a place at home like kitchen. They are allowed for late teens (16) but not before as it is never required.

See Also

Section titled “See Also”