A Look Inside Cal Newport’s High Volume Reading System | Weekly Update #4

Cal Newport explains the details of his high volume reading system. Cal divides reading into the categories of functional and inspirational. Functional is material he reads for work, whereas, inspirational is material he reads for pleasure.

Cal explains how he reads functional material early in the day. Cal then reads inspirational material after the work day typically ends.

0:00 Cal's intro
1:49 Books for research
2:53 Time-block planner
3:46 Books for pleasure
7:15 Non-book material
9:49 Cal's fireplace

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.

#CalNewport #DeepWork #DeepLife #DeepQuestions #TimeblockPlanner
#WorldWithoutEmail #DeepQuestionsPodcast

[hewhocan]

Cal! From the thumbnail I thought this was a hostage video lmao 😂

[SUBmarinealien]

Great video, Cal, thanks! I just wanted to give some constructive criticism, if I may. The background music is imho way too loud to listen to your voice comfortably. Just some advice from someone who has watched way too many YouTube videos and is starting to get into reading 😅. Thanks for the motivation! It’s really helping me. Greetings from Spain!

[michaelm]

I haven't commented before but you've created so much valuable comment worthy material I just wanted to thank you and encourage you to keep it rolling! I came to you through your book, "Deep Work". Profound. Practical. Game changer. I refer to it all the time, I apply wisdom from it all the time and I give the book as a gift to friends. Sorry I don't have more friends or the act of me giving it as a gift might show up more noticeably on your bottom line. I have quality friends, not quantity. But back to you! I find your approach to time and technology is laid out simply and originally but drawn from a wide ranging, complex and deeply considered survey of .... well it seems like of everything. You seem to have thought through everything! Thanks for sharing and by the way the thread of humor, mostly subtle but definitely present, that is woven through just about everything you do is also very enjoyable.

[matthewcaldwell]

Wow, Cal. For current events you developed the method of...reading a newspaper! Does it hurt to be such a genius?

[thedanalcantara]

This is helpful. For my own work as a pastor and theology student, there is always more reading to be done. I am trying to limit myself to just two books for work and I’ve made a rule of doing 25-minutes per book (one is for my studies and one is for just continuing to grow in my vocation).

Besides that, I am trying to make use of the local library more and that means choosing to read on the weekends rather than just vegging out in front of the tv when I’m not hanging out with my family

[fercortesd]

I’m glad you decided to start YouTube, thanks for sharing. Cheers from 🇲🇽

[diane-s]

Thank you for sharing how you manage your time and schedule for reading multiple books. Looking forward to see your study.

[danielacristina]

So inspiring! Thank you for sharing, Cal! I love this new video format!

[brenshaw]

Inspiring video. I hate when I fall into the trap of thinking I'm going to find time for reading. I have to be intentional, like you said. It's amazing how quickly it adds up. Although I love the feel and experience of physical books I always find that I am more apt to read on my kindle.

[maduxdotca]

Thank you for sharing insights into your routine! Have to say music is a bit distracting.

[dbz]

Love the video but plz take out the music

[lotusflower]

Great content as ever but as others have said, please turn off (or at least, turn down) the music 🎵

[SpaceMod]

Cal, you provide so much value in these videos but you definitely need to change up your thumbnails. They're really stunting your growth. As for this video, I would cut out the music, remove the computer screen on the right hand side, , improve camera quality, and have you and the books taking up the majority of the screen. A better shot would have been you standing in front of your book shelf, in a less studio type setting.

[cynchuah]

Thx for this detailed video! I just have some questions about note-taking on these different categories of reading: Do you take notes on during all of the sessions? If yes, how?

[cmlawrence]

Thanks for sharing your reading habits. Really insightful! I read a lot of content for work so it's been harder to pick up a book to read in the evenings. But it might help if I choose a fun /fiction book instead. I like the idea of having different places for reading and even fitting it in during walks. I'll be sure to give it a try. Thanks again.

[tomabbott]

Hi Cal. My mind will frequently drift away while I read. This will happen even if I’m in a quiet, un-distracted place. Sometimes I can get through an entire page before I realize this. Do you have any advice for drifty reader? Thanks!

[keniasedler]

Cal, love your content! One request: please include your wife & kids when discussing your "this is how I do X" advice. This isn't just you: it's a glaring omission from all time management advice I find all over the internet. Unless one is single and/or lives alone, we don't operate in a vacuum. If we're married/partnered, we can't just unilaterally decide to "read before bed." In this particular example: where is your wife? Isn't this intruding on important 1-on-1 time with her? (I'm assuming the kids are in bed at this point.) Or is she a reader, too? (Plenty of people with non-reader spouses would be unable to read before going to sleep at night! I would argue that most couples bond by watching TV together, and deciding to read in the evenings would remove this time and may even cause disagreements.) Such ideas make sense for someone who is single, but I know you're married with kids, so what is everyone else in your family doing while you're reading?? Thanks for everything, Cal!!

[bhajiya]

Hi cal do you prefer Kindle or paper books

[kgbov]

Unless there is new tech I'm not aware of, gas fireplaces don't crackle. I didn't realize how much that crackling sound impacted my enjoyment of the experience. I was pretty disappointed when my new gas fire didn't really make a noise.

[DearSweetMelody]

Not to be a jerk but the music is super distracting. Thanks for the great content!