Why Do Better Tools Make Me Worse at My Job? (w/ David Epstein) | Monday Advice
5/4/20261 hr 21 min
What can an obscure theory of industrial productivity teach us about producing better results in a distracted world? In this episode, Cal is joined by the #1 New York Times bestselling author David Epstein to explore this question. They dive deep into a chapter of Epstein’s new book, INSIDE THE BOX, that makes a surprising connection between the so-called “Theory of Constraints” and personal productivity. 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 (0:00) How do I get busy to better? (3:04) INTERVIEW: How Do I Get from Busy to Better? (w/ David Epstein) (57:58) Post Interview chatter (1:00:19) A suggestion to break digital news app addictions (1:05:54) A reaction to a recent newsletter (1:15:02) What Cal read (1:16:29) What’s coming up Books: Kook (Peter Heller) 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://calnewport.com/who-asked-for-this/ Thanks to our Sponsors: https://www.factormeals.com/deep50off https://www.wayfair.com https://www.mybodytutor.com https://www.shopify.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
In 1984, a former physicist turned business guru named Eliyahu Goldratt published a strange book. It was called The Goal, and it was what Goldratt described as a business novel. Now, this book follows the fate of a fictional plant manager named Alex Rogo, who meets an enigmatic physicist who, through a series of long Socratic dialogues, helps Rogo turn around the profitability of his plant. It also features a storyline about Rogo's marriage, as well as a sort of extended detour to a Boy Scout camping trip. I, I told you, this is a strange book. But here's the thing, The Goal went on to sell more than 10 million copies. Why? Because contained within those novelistic plot lines is a critically important idea that Goldratt calls the theory of constraints. Now, I've come to believe that this theory helps explain a paradox that I talk about often on this show, the reality that digital tools designed to make us more productive often end up instead just making us more busy. Now, if you wanna know why this happened and how you can avoid it, how, in other words, to shift from busy to better, then you need to understand the theory of constraints. Well, today is Monday, which means it's time for an advice episode of this show, so this is the perfect opportunity to dive deeper into the question