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Deep Questions with Cal Newport · August 17, 2026 · 57m

Classic Episode: How Do I Kick My Scrolling Habit? | Monday Advice

Cal Newport

Cal Newport reveals a "high quality leisure toolkit" of six habits designed to replace mindless scrolling with meaningful activities. Using questions from his listeners, he explores how digital minimalism applies even in demanding creative roles, why Neil Postman's critique of entertainment culture remains relevant, and how to balance deep work with restorative high-quality downtime. The episode is a replay of a classic from February 2024, distilling core ideas from Newport's Digital Minimalism framework into actionable advice.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Curious

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The High Quality Leisure Toolkit00:00:00
Cal outlines six habits for rebuilding leisure around meaningful activities that crowd out mindless phone scrolling.
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Cost-Benefit Analysis of Technology Usage00:46:27
Cal explains that a core practice of digital minimalism is performing a personal cost-benefit analysis of each technology in your life.
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Highlights

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Postman’s Warning About Entertainment Culture00:13:06
Cal discusses Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death and how its critique of television applies to modern social media.
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Deep Work Does Not Preclude High Quality Leisure00:17:45
Cal reassures a listener that a day filled with intense cognitive work does not make high quality leisure impossible.
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Digital Minimalism in Augmented Reality and YouTube Careers00:25:04
Cal addresses audience questions about applying digital minimalism to futuristic tech like AR and to roles that require heavy online presence, such as full-time YouTubers.
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References

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Amusing Ourselves to Death — Neil Postman (1985) — Cal discusses Postman's critique of entertainment-driven media and its relevance to modern digital habits.

Misc

✧Cal references J.R.R. Tolkien's search for depth as a model of meaningful leisure.
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