We live in an age of digital distraction—from social media and Google to information overload and the constant presence of our phones, it’s getting harder and harder to live a life of slow productivity. Computer scientist and bestselling author, Cal Newport, wants to help change all that. On today’s episode of The Dr. & The Nurse, David sits down with Cal to discuss how to lead a less distracted life in the hopes of achieving a state of “deep work.”

David doesn’t waste a minute of this conversation, asking Cal his take on how technology is affecting this generation and the generations to come, and if there’s an antidote to the level of digital distraction we’ve grown used to as a society. Together Cal and David discuss the myth of multitasking for productivity, outline how to eliminate distractions in order to achieve that deep state of work, and Cal shares some of his favorite tools for living an unhurried life.

Dr. Daniel Amen joins David for the second part of this episode, looking at what’s going on in our brains when we continue to live digitally distracted. The two take a look at the recent changes countries like Australia have made to limit social media use in those under 16 years-old, plus outline ways to swap low-dopamine activities (like social media and video games) for high-dopamine options that will leave you feeling filled up rather than depleted.

Learn more about Cal and his work on his website: https://calnewport.com/.

Check out Cal’s podcast, Deep Questions with Cal Newport: https://www.thedeeplife.com/listen/.

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http://choosemuse.com/NURSE 

CHAPTERS

00:00 The Impact of Digital Distraction

08:19 Deep Work vs. Flow State

15:24 Information Overload and Its Consequences

20:58 Implementing Slow Productivity

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