Do I Need More Discipline? | Monday Advice

From Deep Questions with Cal Newport by Cal Newport

April 20, 2026 · 1h 27m

About this episode

Cal Newport discusses the importance of discipline in combating distractions with guest Brad Stulberg.

Is developing discipline one of the most effective bulwarks against the constant flood of distraction we face daily? And if so, what’s the best way to accomplish this goal? In this Monday Advice episode of the show, Cal Newport investigates these questions with the help of Brad Stulberg, who writes about these ideas in his most recent book, the New York Times bestseller “The Way of Excellence.” Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Send an email to podcast@calnewport.com. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia 2:27 Do I Need More Discipline? (w/ Brad Stulberg) 1:07:33 Dealing with abundance of choice in media 1:11:45 Using typewriters for first drafts 1:14:44 Success with “information walkabout” 1:17:22 What I’ve been doing 1:19:54 What I’ve been reading Books: A World Appears (Michael Pollan) Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba…

People in this episode

Host: Cal Newport

Guest: Brad Stulberg

Topics covered

discipline
distraction
self-improvement
media choices
writing techniques

Keywords

discipline
distraction
self-improvement
Brad Stulberg
The Way of Excellence
media choices
typewriters
information walkabout

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times

Books & works: The Way of Excellence, A World Appears