Cultivate A Deep Life: One Idea To Change How You Think About Life In 2025 | Cal Newport

Cal Newport discusses Hallmark movies and the Deep Life in Episode 334 of the Deep Questions podcast.

In this episode, Cal talks about his journey into the tinsel-tinged world of Hallmark Christmas movies, where he discovered an unexpected connection between these low-budget productions and a key idea in the quest to cultivate a deep life in a distracted world. He then answers questions from listeners and reviews the books he read in December. 

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0:00 Hallmark Movies and the Deep Life
20:50 Does Cal use a Commonplace book?
23:53 How do I create an effective weekly template?
29:17 Is your monthly book reading separate from “work” reading?
34:38 What are the best strategies for a college student to learn calculus?
41:45 What are other book recommendations that dive deeper into Slow Productivity?
44:12 Struggling to apply multi-scale planning to grow a business
50:12 Transitioning to knowledge work
1:01:10 The 5 Books Cal Read in December, 2024

Connect with Cal Newport:

About Cal Newport:
Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University. In addition to his academic research, he writes about the intersection of digital technology and culture. Cal's particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives.

Cal is a New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including, most recently, A World Without Email, Digital Minimalism, and Deep Work. He's also the creator of The Time-Block Planner.

The videos are considered to be used under the "Fair Use Doctrine" of United States Copyright Law, Title 17 U.S. Code Sections 107-118. Videos are used for editorial and educational purposes only and I do not claim ownership of any original video content. I don't use said video clips in advertisements, marketing or for direct financial gain. All video content in each clip is considered owned by the individual broadcast companies.

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[siriusblack]

I laughed out loud when I heard that Hallmark movies are about LCP! Lol

[casualnerdjason]

You know what, Prof? Props for finding the spiritual value of Hallmark movies.

I was recently thinking about why my family enjoys the Will Ferrell movie Elf. I think there is a wish that adults could so freely enjoy the innocent joy of the holidays that many of us had as kids. The movie captures it wonderfully by having the rest of the world be the “dull adult”

[laurakingfisher]

I agree with your thoughts on this, Cal! After December, I was thinking about why I was watching so many of them. I was still recovering from serious work burnout. I came to the conclusion that it was because I was captured by the lifestyle and job changes people went through and how they found more meaningful lifestyles and work with less rigidity. I also liked how most of them went through the change with courage and with support of family and friends.

[janne-c]

One book I recommend everyone read this year is Limitless Drive. It’s a transformative guide to the mindset and habits that set the most successful apart. This book taught me how to break through limitations and think like the top 1%. Truly life-changing and a must-read!

[walkerrobinson]

Before we know it, it'll be December 2025. And January 2026 will be on the horizon, and Cal will have videos out on how to have a productive 2026.

[msgirl]

U officially made my fav list w this one ❤

[odoenet]

We love those Christmas movies, kid and I go through them every year. Still waiting for a new Christmas Prince, someone get on that.

[c-nasilver]

Bro u r litearlly the meaning of underrated ❤

[adityak]

Podcast and YouTube videos have different titles. It's confusing sometimes.

[jishasen]

27:35 - my bookmark. Please don't delete it.

[southerngirlsociety]

Cal - Imagine a person who grew up in the foster kid system, being bounced around from one place to the next, never really having a chance to build relationships with anyone who might be able to teach them all those skills, concepts, habits, and techniques that successful parents take the intentional time to teach their children as they're growing up... that person then ages out of the system, goes on to college and lives in the dorms because that's the best option for a roof over their head, but they're so far behind that they do their best to catch up, but they don't know what they don't know so they don't know the right questions to ask and the right places to look for help. They then graduate and get into their 30's and 40's and still feel so far behind because they just never got those foundational life lessons that so many other kids grow up getting, let alone, the life lessons many learn in college because they were set up so well for success by their parents before they even got there... so they're still behind and still struggling. THAT is me - and THAT is thousands of other people, believe it or not. What I would give to see you put together a complete video series that really digs in deep, starts with the basics, and then works its way up to learning how successful adults set themselves up for a well prepared and prosperous life. What are the habits they do each day? How do they organize they life and themself too? What do successful people know about money that poor people don't seem to get? What are those things successful people do differently that set them apart? I think you get where I'm going... I would sure love to see you do a full complete video series on basically, how to adult and how to adult successfully - there are so many more people out there who need this just as much as I do. I'm just the only one saying it. Any chance you'd be willing to do something of that nature? I'd sure be grateful if you did. (I need a step by step kind of game plan... I missed it all growing up.)

[booksnphilosophy]

Beware the 'get a degree' idea ... Cal is correct to sound caution here. Education is an expensive and heavily marketed product, and many degrees don't improve employment opportunities. Perhaps consider short courses in office administration, or a trade certificate of some sort. Depends on your interests ofc.

[Sodaheiress]

Complete Unknown is fantastic, best movie I've seen in years. Agree with Jessie that Carry On was horrid, I would have stopped it but my husband was semi into it. Not enough Bateman for a Bateman movie, and plot was unintelligible.

[jeanninethompson]

I realize that in January, you are probably not looking for Christmas movie suggestions. In 2025, please consider watching "A Law for Christmas".

[lakshyagupta]

i'm the first one to comment on this video! yay

[MilkoMilkovicz]

It’s paradoxical that the author encourages us to wean ourselves off the internet and use social media as little as possible, while YouTube is also considered social media, and yet the author himself hosts podcasts on social media. Now, I really don’t get how this principle of not using the internet works. After all, nothing from those podcasts will slip by if we don’t watch them, right?

[WORKOUTSOLUTIONS]

🌟MERRY CHRISTMAS ✝

CHRIST IS BORN ❤🙏✝

🙏💯☀GOD BE WITH US AGAINST EVIL AND TEMPTATIONS 💪🇷🇺🇷🇸🇬🇪🇲🇰❤🕊