Episode · The Tim Ferriss Show · 2022-02-02
Books mentioned on #568: Cal Newport — The Eternal Pursuit of Craftsmanship, the Deep Life, Slow Productivity, and a 30-Day Digital Minimalism Challenge
Brought to you by Magic Spoon delicious low-carb cereal, Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement. Cal Newport (calnewport.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Born Standing Up
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin is a critically acclaimed memoir detailing the comedian's arduous climb through the ranks of stand-up comedy before he abruptly walked away from the medium at the height of his fame.
Discussed“Martin was a big influence on me early on in my career because of that book he wrote, because he wrote his memoir, Born Standing Up, which was a professional memoir.”
Where to get it
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A Walk in the Woods
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is a humorous and reflective travel memoir that chronicles the author's attempt to hike the lengthy and demanding Appalachian Trail.
Recommended“And that is Bill Bryson. And for people who want a place to start, A Walk in the Woods, which is rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. It's just an outstanding, outstanding book.”
Where to get it
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Snow Crash
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is a classic cyberpunk science fiction novel known for its prescient exploration of virtual reality, the metaverse, and digital culture.
Discussed“If you've heard the term metaverse, probably came from his novel Snow Crash, has written many seven eaves. My favorite is probably Cryptonomicon...”
Where to get it
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Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is a sprawling sci-fi novel intertwining World War II codebreaking with modern cryptography and the origins of digital currency.
Discussed“My favorite is probably Cryptonomicon, which I think is a rare choice as a favorite. But personally, I think Cryptonomicon.”
Where to get it
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How to Do Nothing
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell is a critically acclaimed exploration of attention, the modern attention economy, and the deep necessity of resisting productivity culture to reclaim our time.
Discussed“So, very briefly, in 2019, the artist-writer Jenny O'Dell, is that right? Helped kind of start the trend, which we're going to talk about when she published a book titled How to Do Nothing, subtitle Resisting the Attention Economy.”
Where to get it
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Do Nothing
Discussed“Then it was followed, I guess, a year later, the following spring, by Celeste Headley. I'm not sure if I'm saying that correctly, but Do Nothing, subtitle, How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving.”
Where to get it
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Four Thousand Weeks
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman is a time management book that reframes humanity's relationship with finitude and productivity.
Recommended“So, you know, my book came out the same month as How to Do Nothing... I would say that what I would add more recently, a book that's done really well, and I think, and I'll get into a reason why I think it did, was Oliver Berkman's new book, which is... 4000 weeks time management for mortals, Oliver Berkman.”
Where to get it
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The case for God.
Recommended“She makes this argument very well in her book, The Case for God. She is actually not religious affiliated.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Newport is the author of seven books. That's a lot of books, man. Including, most recently, Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and a world without email.”
“Newport is the author of seven books. That's a lot of books, man. Including, most recently, Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and a world without email.”
“Newport is the author of seven books. That's a lot of books, man. Including, most recently, Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and a world without email.”
“It's like, okay, I'm now going to do a book with normal chapters. And this was how to become a straight A student. This ended up becoming probably the biggest of my student books.”