Ep. 253: Making Time For What Matters (w/ Laura Vanderkam)

[@eldap4984]

As a long time listener of both of your podcasts, I was thrilled to hear this episode. The comment about each person getting their own “night” really stuck with me. It’s been a game changer

[@Mislimdaklepostojim]

Great episode for us hard working moms😊

[@notthatJules1]

This was very helpful. I really like her idea of planning the next week on Friday. I usually get to Sunday and don't feel like using the brain power to plan my week ahead, I feel resentful that it's creeping into my weekend, I'm going to plan on Fridays. Also planning my ideal week 'with my current life' is very helpful, instead of dreaming of my ideal week in some magic time where I have no commitments.

[@ericyen1]

That stack needs to be a book !!!

[@natanribeiro6536]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🕰️ Time outside of work impacts how people feel about their schedules more than the hours they work. 00:17 🎙️ Introduction of the episode and host, Cal Newport, emphasizing living and working deeply. 00:32 🎉 Announcement of guest Laura Vanderkam, who is known for her work on time management. 01:00 📚 Laura Vanderkam focuses on making time for things that matter and balancing multiple priorities. 01:42 🏢 Discussion on Cal Newport's upcoming move and potential changes in the podcast's recording setup. 02:08 👩‍🏫 Cal will be teaching a course at Dartmouth College focused on writing about technology. 03:05 ✏️ Details about the course curriculum, emphasizing different styles and tones in technology writing. 04:31 📆 Changes in podcast recording locations due to Cal's move. 05:13 🧠 Introduction to the concept of the "Deep Life Stack" as a way to cultivate a deep life. 06:20 🔄 Feedback-based updates to the Deep Life Stack, making it more action-oriented. 09:54 🎯 The Deep Life Stack aims to create calm through control and plan for a remarkable life. 12:32 📈 Unveiling of Deep Life Stack version 2.0. 13:56 🎯 The Deep Life Stack serves as a framework for advice and discussions on the show. 14:37 📢 Sponsor segment on Roan clothing for flexible and breathable comfort. 18:40 🛡️ Sponsor segment on Latter, an easy solution for life insurance. 20:06 🤝 Introduction of Laura Vanderkam to the podcast episode. 21:15 📝 Laura Vanderkam discusses her experience with writing both fiction and non-fiction, emphasizing the importance of a detailed outline for both. 22:51 🕰️ The focus of Laura's non-fiction work is on making time for what really matters, even when faced with multiple priorities that seem incompatible. 24:27 ⏳ Laura advocates for thinking about time in a broader perspective-168 hours in a week rather than 24 hours in a day-to explore more possibilities. 25:09 📊 Laura utilizes a data-driven approach, employing time diaries to gather insights on how people manage their time effectively. 27:12 ⏱️ Laura dispels the myth that high-paying jobs always require exorbitant amounts of work, stating that most people in such roles work between 40 and 50 hours a week. 28:07 👨‍👩‍👦 Discusses the scheduling flexibility people can achieve, especially those with young children, by spreading work hours around family time. 29:16 🧘 Laura notes that people with a more abundant perspective on time tend to engage in reflective activities like meditation, journaling, and spending time with friends and family. 30:26 🎉 People with a more abundant perspective on time often incorporate diverse and interesting activities into their lives, enriching their experience. 33:38 🏡 Laura suggests a practical approach for dual-income families to balance work and personal lives, emphasizing the importance of allocating specific nights for each adult's personal time. 35:30 ⏲️ Laura discusses how even a small allocation of time for personal activities can make a big difference in how people perceive their work-life balance. 37:35 🎯 Laura talks about the importance of multiple blocks of deep work time, especially for academics, to ensure that one disruption doesn't derail all productivity. 40:35 👶 A question from "Professor Mommy" leads into a discussion about the challenges of balancing an academic career with raising three young children. 41:03 😓 Struggles of balancing motherhood and academia, feeling mediocre in both roles. 41:58 🚫 Laura criticizes the advisor's discouraging advice to an ambitious young woman. 42:25 🕰️ It's hard to judge life when you have a child under one year; things get easier over time. 43:19 🤒 Discusses how daycare contributes to frequent illnesses in children. 44:57 🌡️ Acknowledges a nationwide increase in sickness possibly due to 'immunity debt' with COVID. 45:50 💡 Suggests considering a nanny over daycare to reduce sick days and stress. 46:59 🛠️ Importance of having fixed research hours to protect time and make progress. 48:09 🎯 Focus on what's critical for career advancement; it's okay to be less collegial temporarily. 51:09 ⏳ Engineer in his early 30s contemplating a career change for a better work-life balance. 52:51 ⏰ Advises tracking time to identify pockets for productive work. 56:05 📊 Importance of data collection in time management to identify inefficiencies. 57:15 😟 Discusses the emotional struggle of feeling 'stuck' in a career. 59:33 🛶 Feeling adrift and needing a structured approach to life. 01:00:16 📚 Recommends Laura Vanderkam's and his own books for a structured approach to life. 01:00:30 🤔 Importance of reevaluating life goals and decisions, especially during major life changes like marriage or having kids. 01:01:25 🍼 Challenges of working from home with a baby and the need to perhaps rent an office space. 01:02:48 🏡 Weighing the pros and cons of renting an office versus working from home while balancing family needs. 01:03:59 🌩️ Acknowledging the temporary nature of challenges, especially with a new baby at home. 01:06:40 ⚖️ The need for structure and intentionality in spending time with kids, particularly when balancing work and family. 01:10:33 🕰️ The intensity of parenting roles and the need for external help when both parents have demanding jobs. 01:12:26 👶 Staffing ratio in daycare suggests a need for additional help at home, especially with multiple young children. 01:14:47 📆 The problem of overcommitting and the necessity of having an overarching vision for life. 01:17:32 🗓️ Idea of designing a 'realistic ideal week' to manage time better and align activities with priorities. 01:19:09 🗓️ Plan your day and week to get feedback on how crowded your schedule is. 01:19:37 🚫 Don't commit to future tasks you wouldn't be happy doing tomorrow; consider the deferred costs. 01:20:18 🌈 Keep your ideal week in mind when making decisions; align appointments with your ideal schedule. 01:21:15 ⏳ Consider the long-term impact and schedule tasks accordingly, rather than saying 'yes' or 'no' ad-hoc. 01:21:56 🔄 Be flexible with your rules, they're yours to break when a compelling opportunity arises. 01:22:37 📆 Control your own schedule for better stress management and effective planning. 01:23:33 🕰️ The same amount of time can be more stress-inducing if not managed well. 01:24:26 🎮 Be wary of others scheduling on your behalf, as their goals might not align with your well-being. 01:32:11 🌅 The Edo period in Japan emphasized sustainability and "slow life," adapting time units to the season. 01:36:06 🌿 Slow productivity aligns with natural human rhythms and should vary with the seasons, similar to Edo period practices. Made with HARPA AI

[@Excogitationn]

Here after reading about this in Digital Minimalism!

[@cmarisagutierrez9591]

Love Laura! You guys make everything seem possible 💕 Thank you.

[@arianeelsammak5155]

This is such great advice!! :)

[@bekahwhittle]

I don’t know if you’ll read this but I really do think Values come first. I can’t imagine becoming disciplined simply for the sake of discipline. You have to know why before you can become disciplined. Values will lead to discipline. It’s like what you say in Digital Minimalism, it’s not enough to just want to spend less time on your phone you have to know what your replacing that time with.

[@stienwong]

Summers at Dartmouth are the best! I spent both Soph and Jr summers there! Enjoy, Cal!

[@theencryptedpartition4633]

Take the time to think and research about "increasingly distracted"

[@theencryptedpartition4633]

28:26 "lower opportunity cost" wow, a clash between economist and computer scientist

[@thardotch]

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[@MARWAN.31]

Cal i have been following for a long time now i have one little observation your language could it be simpler? I find it abit hard to understand

[@Underthelab]

After a long time and you still find it a bit hard? That’s a hardball, perhaps you are multitasking while listening to him and it requires attentiveness. His whole career is all about paying attention and being present, some of it. He is a lecture, take him in 30 min sessions 🤷🏽 bud

[@josee.sauceda8790]

@@Underthelabit often seems that he tries do use complicated language to sound smart tho

[@CarlosBernard0]

What's the end game professor Newport?

[@Underthelab]

So his language has basically become too abstract while he tries to educate the general public? Perhaps he struggles with his hypothesis too therefore comes across as wanting to be too smart. The fallacy with certain professions. His readings are much better I find though

[@MARWAN.31]

@@Underthelab thing is im not a native English speaker I would like from cal to consider this in mind, I'm from egypt. so that's what I meant. like how would I say it ... consider a non native pls cal

[@kumarj5628]

More Degrees they have..the less common sense to manage family logistics

[@jrjones5876]

Why do you say that? I like their advice