Back in 2019, Cal published one of the first books arguing that we rethink our personal relationship with online tools. Can his advice still work in an age of TikTok and ChatGPT? In today’s episode, Cal dives deep into the r/DigitalMinimalism sub-reddit to see what advice contemporary digital minimalists are following and offers his own thoughts and recommendations.
More from Cal
Download Cal’s FREE guide to cultivating a deeper life: calnewport.com/ideas
Learn more about Cal’s books: calnewport.com/books
Listen to Cal’s podcast: thedeeplife.com/listen
Chapters
(0:00) Can I be a Digital Minimalist in 2026?
(39:13) How can I capture notes if I’m land lining?
(40:39) For cognitive fitness, is it better to be handwriting or typing?
(42:07) A note on art museum visits
(43:46) Reactions to an article about AI and software engineering
(49:39) What the Deep Life really is
(50:46) What Cal read
(52:08) What Cal watched
Resources Mentioned:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeNNYMJwZtI
https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/
https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/1tv0k77/for_the_past_2_years_ive_been_living_like_its_the/
https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/1to631b/three_years_of_digital_minimalism_the_rewiring_is/
https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/1ty27lz/limited_my_14f_screen_time_to_3_hours_a_day_and/
https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/1tm9rce/where_do_you_still_find_human_curation/
https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/1txskw9/deciding_once_instead_of_every_morning_is_the/
https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/1u74dob/ran_a_30day_intentional_solitude_experiment/
https://www.normaltech.ai/p/why-ai-hasnt-replaced-software-engineers
Sponsors:
https://www.vanta.com/deepquestions
https://www.drinklmnt.com/deep
https://www.expressvpn.com/deep
https://www.wealthfront.com/deep
Cal Newport is not a Wealthfront client.
Wealthfront’s high-yield cash account: https://www.wealthfront.com/deep. This experience may not be representative of other Wealthfront clients, and there is no guarantee of future performance or success. Experiences will vary. Cal Newport receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage for paid endorsement in his podcast, creating a conflict of interest. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The base APY is 3.30% on cash deposits as of January 30, 2026, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. If eligible for the overall boosted rate of 4.05% offered in connection with this promo, your boosted rate is also subject to change if the base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period. Additional terms and conditions apply, which can be found on wealthfront.com/deep. Funds in the Cash Account are swept to program banks, where it earns the variable APY. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.
Credits:
Podcast Production: Jesse Miller
Newsletter/Research: Nate Mechler
Theme Music: Jay Kerstens