Cal Newport

I'm not recording this from my normal studio in Washington, D.C.

I'm actually in Asheville, North Carolina.

I'm staying here in a mountain lodge where F. Scott Fitzgerald supposedly wrote part of The Great Gatsby.

Now, for those who are interested, here's what it looks like.

I'm here to finish edits on my next book and to visit with some writer friends to help figure out our future in the publishing industry.

Now, there's a name for this strategy.

I pressed pause on the busyness of my normal life to find space to think deeply about what comes next.

I actually do this on a regular basis.

It's something that has been immensely important in my life.

So here's the key questions you might be asking.

Is this something that you should be thinking about doing?

And if so, how is it possible to press pause if you don't actually have the ability at the moment to just drop everything and escape to the mountains?

Well, it's Monday, which means it's time for an advice episode of this show, which makes this the perfect opportunity to go seek some answers.

So here's the plan.

I'll argue why pressing pause has become so necessary in our current moment of digital distraction.

Then I'll explore some ideas for how to achieve the benefits of this general strategy, even if you're not able to go on an epic trip.

So if you feel like you're stuck, always busy, always distracted, but not really making progress towards a deeper life, then this episode is for you.

As always, I'm Cal Newport, and this is Deep Questions, the show for people seeking depth in a distracted world.

All right, so I'm recording this in the evening.

Let me tell you what I did today up in Asheville.