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 <a href="www.calnewport.com/slow%C2%A0">www.calnewport.com/slow </a>
Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at <a href="https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/%C2%A0">https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ </a>
Cal’s monthly book directory: <a href="https://bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?v=448bf8afad0740d18f6b109b4bd40d51">bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba?</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdvqpqHSQas">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdvqpqHSQas</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/opinion/technology-mental-fitness-cognitive.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/opinion/technology-mental-fitness-cognitive.html</a>
<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/what-kind-of-writer-is-chatgpt">https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/what-kind-of-writer-is-chatgpt</a>
<a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.americamagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MertonCover.jpeg-427330.jpeg?w=992&ssl=1">https://i0.wp.com/www.americamagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MertonCover.jpeg-427330.jpeg?w=992&ssl=1</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/sunday/steve-jobs-never-wanted-us-to-use-our-iphones-like-this.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/sunday/steve-jobs-never-wanted-us-to-use-our-iphones-like-this.html</a>
<a href="https://anjalibanerjee.com/paws-and-platen/from-typewritten-draft-to-published-page%C2%A0">https://anjalibanerjee.com/paws-and-platen/from-typewritten-draft-to-published-page </a>

Thanks to our Sponsors: 

<a href="https://www.calderalab.com/deep">https://www.calderalab.com/deep</a>
<a href="https://www.vanta.com/deepquestions">https://www.vanta.com/deepquestions</a>
<a href="https://www.shipstation.com/deep">https://www.shipstation.com/deep</a>
<a href="https://www.zapier.com/deep">https://www.zapier.com/deep</a>

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 <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

How Do I Build “Cognitive Fitness”? | Monday Advice

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews