Should I Press Pause? | Monday Advice

From Deep Questions with Cal Newport by Cal Newport

June 8, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

Cal Newport discusses strategies for integrating mini-pauses into busy schedules to explore new possibilities.

Sometimes the best way to get unstuck is to press pause on your busy life and take a moment to look toward new possibilities. But how is this possible if you can’t afford to literally stop everything and get away? In this episode, Cal explores different strategies for taking what he calls “mini-pauses” that can be integrated into even the most unforgiving of schedules. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Should I press pause? (10:46) Make a morning coffee shop loop (11:33) Schedule a “doctors appointment” (12:48) Book a 24-hour escape (13:41) Fly to Asheville (18:13) What will be your approach to your upcoming sabbatical? (21:03) Can you elaborate on the “think” component of read-think-write? (28:55) What types of books do you read before bed? 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

Topics covered

mini-pauses
productivity
sabbatical
self-improvement
time management

Keywords

mini-pauses
productivity
sabbatical
self-improvement
time management
Cal Newport
Slow Productivity

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Slow Productivity

Places: Asheville