Ep. 378: The Lost Art of Long Thinking
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
Cal Newport explores the critical yet declining skill of "long thinking" - the persistent application of thought to create substantial new insights and understanding. He argues that our modern technological environment is undermining this ability through digital distractions and the replacement of deep mental processing with quick, pre-digested information. (00:47) The episode introduces the "notebook method," a practice Newport has used since 2009, as a concrete strategy for regaining this vital cognitive ability.
- Main themes: The distinction between consuming and producing complex ideas, why long thinking is essential for a flourishing life, and how to rebuild this skill through deliberate practice in scenic environments.
Speakers
Cal Newport
Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and bestselling author of books including "Deep Work" and "Slow Productivity." He has been writing about technology's impact on human flourishing since 2007 through his popular blog and newsletter, which reaches over 70,000 subscribers weekly. Newport is known for his research-backed approach to understanding how modern technology affects our ability to focus and live meaningful lives.
Key Takeaways
Long Thinking Enables Self-Understanding
Long thinking allows you to build a nuanced understanding of yourself by taking time alone with your thoughts to reorganize, recombine, and find new associations among your experiences. (13:32) Without this ability, you become "a conflicting ball of emotions and reactions" buffeted by the world. The practice involves moving thoughts around in your mind, finding new principles, and creating personal meaning structures rather than just reacting to external events.
Professional Innovation Requires Sustained Mental Effort
All great innovation, strategies, and valuable professional contributions come from long thinking - the ability to persistently work on complex problems until breakthrough insights emerge. (14:43) Newport's own example of solving "the beast" theory problem in Berkeley demonstrates how taking existing algorithms, understanding why simpler approaches failed, and then systematically building new solutions requires extended periods of focused mental effort that can't be rushed or automated.
Long Thinking Prevents Tribal Thinking
Without the ability to apply sustained thought to important issues, people default to "easy tribalism" - simply adopting their chosen group's positions rather than developing genuine understanding. (16:11) Long thinkers instead find real fascination in confronting difficult issues and develop clarity that comes from grappling with complexity rather than just wanting their "tribe" to win against others.
Digital Distractions Fragment Sustained Attention
Hyperpalatable, algorithmically-curated content creates powerful neural patterns that constantly vote for "pickup phone," making it increasingly difficult to sustain the focused attention that long thinking requires. (18:45) The combination of social media addiction and hyperactive workplace communication means people can no longer maintain the mental focus necessary for deep cognitive work, making long thinking feel uncomfortable and foreign.
Technology Eliminates Natural Long Thinking Triggers
Modern technology has removed many situations that previously forced us into long thinking, such as time alone with our thoughts or having to process unrefined information to form our own opinions. (22:08) Instead of reading lengthy articles and forming our own understanding, we now receive pre-packaged tribal takes through social media, eliminating the need to do the mental work of integration and personal sense-making that builds long thinking capacity.
Statistics & Facts
- Cal Newport has been using the notebook method since 2009, over 15 years of consistent practice in developing long thinking abilities. (30:54)
- According to Indeed data mentioned in the episode, sponsored jobs posted directly on their platform are 90% more likely to report success than non-sponsored jobs.
- Newport aims to read five books every month as part of maintaining mental sharpness, and has been writing his newsletter since 2007 with over 70,000 subscribers.
