Ep. Ep 381: Life Advice from Legendary Writers

In this episode of Deep Questions, Cal Newport distills life-changing lessons from legendary writers, offering advice applicable beyond the craft of writing. He analyzes quotes from authors like George Saunders, Robert Caro, and David Grann, generalizing their writing insights into actionable life strategies. These include embracing revision in life planning, pursuing impressive levels of accomplishment through diligence and deliberation, and employing evidence-based planning for major life decisions. Newport also shares personal anecdotes, answers listener questions on managing energy versus time, dealing with "me time" struggles, and navigating the blend of information and attention traps on platforms like Reddit. The episode concludes with Newport responding to comments from a previous episode about AI consciousness, engaging in a detailed discussion about the architecture and capabilities of language models.