Ep. 153: Why Was Ian Malcom Sent to Jurassic Park?

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). For instructions on submitting your own questions, go to calnewport.com/podcast.

OPENING CHAT: The 5 Books I Read in November (Bonus Rant: Why did Jurassic Park need an assessment from a chaos theoretician?) [2:06]


DEEP WORK QUESTIONS:

- Is it worth becoming good at skills that you only need short term? [21:51]
- How do I seem present online when working on side projects? [26:43]
- Should I revise my weekly plan if things change? [36:09]
- How should I manage reading I want to do? [39:29]



DEEP LIFE QUESTIONS:

- How can I take a deep approach to networking? [46:21]
- How can I focus on deep work with so much suffering around me? [50:59
- How do I teach my students to not buy into the hyperactive hive-mind? [57:35]
- What’s your (Cal’s) advice for “jack of all trades” people who want to become so good they can’t be ignored? [59:37]


Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.