In this episode of Deep Questions, Cal Newport and his producer Jesse discuss the trend of fake books, including a biography of "Cal Network," Newport's jacked alter ego. The deep dive segment explores the viability of a four-day workweek and the "workload fairy tale," suggesting knowledge workers often do more optional work than necessary. Listener questions cover managing Slack messages, handling multiple writing projects, the relationship between values-based career planning and moral ambition, dealing with burnout, and mitigating the "Sunday scaries." A case study highlights the use of deep work and active recall in preparing for a legal argument. Finally, the tech corner addresses the question of AI automating jobs, focusing on the limitations of current AI technology and the potential of natural language interfaces and smart searches.
