How Do I Build “Cognitive Fitness”? | Monday Advice
4/27/202652 min
In his recent New York Times essay, Cal argued for a “cognitive fitness” revolution to resist the onslaught of digital tools degrading our ability to think. But how does one actually strengthen their brain? In this episode, Cal details a sustainable cognitive fitness routine built around five key components. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Send an email to podcast@calnewport.com. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia 2:25 DEEP DIVE: How Do I Build “Cognitive Fitness”? | Monday Advice INBOX: 30:51 Message from a social media influencer 33:02 Reaction to Amy Timberlake interview 38:01 Putting Cal’s advice into practice WHAT CAL IS UP TO: 41:20 What I read 43:45 What I’m doing Books: The Noonday Devil (by Jean-Charles Nault: translated from original French) Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdvqpqHSQas https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/opinion/technology-mental-fitness-cognitive.html https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/what-kind-of-writer-is-chatgpt https://i0.wp.com/www.americamagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MertonCover.jpeg-427330.jpeg?w=992&ssl=1 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/sunday/steve-jobs-never-wanted-us-to-use-our-iphones-like-this.html https://anjalibanerjee.com/paws-and-platen/from-typewritten-draft-to-published-page Thanks to our Sponsors: https://www.calderalab.com/deep https://www.vanta.com/deepquestions https://www.shipstation.com/deep https://www.zapier.com/deep Thanks to Jesse Miller for mastering and production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsCal Newport· Host0:00
Not long ago, I published a splashy op-ed for The New York Times. It was titled, There's a Good Reason Why You Can't Concentrate. Now, it argues that technology is rapidly diminishing our ability to think, and that this is a major problem for both the individual as well as the success of our society more broadly. In it, I propose that the solution is a revolution in cognitive fitness, not unlike the physical fitness revolution that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century. Here's how I conclude the piece. I write, "My intention is to spur a shift in understanding that can build into a larger revolution. I'm done ceding my brain, the core of all that makes me who I am, to the financial interest of a small number of technology billionaires or the shortsighted conveniences of hyperactive communication styles. It's time to move past fretting about our slide into the cognitive shallows and decide to actually do something about it." Now, this essay's made the rounds, and I'm proud of it, but there's one question that I've been asked more than any other by people who read it. How do I become more cognitively fit? I gave a few ideas in the essay, but people want a more systematic brain fitness routine, a sustainable way to push back against the digital forces trying to make us dumber. Well, it's Monday, which means it's time for a Monday advice episode of this show, which seems like the perfect opportunity to dive deeper into this question.