Cal Newport Biography
Cal Newport is an American author who also works as an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University. As an author, he has authored several books with his latest book being Slow Productivity in 2024. Additionally, he is a regular contributor to national publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Wired.
Cal Newport’s Facts
| Birthday: | June 23, 1982 |
| Birthplace: | USA |
| Age: | 41 |
| Birth Sign: | Cancer |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in or 1.73m |
Family
Newport was born in 1982 in the United States to his supportive parents. He holds American nationality. Newport is the son of Frank a sociologist and Kim a computer programmer. Frank his father worked for almost 30 years as editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll. When he was eight years old, his family moved to the suburbs of Princeton, New Jersey.
His grandfather John Newport was a Baptist minister and theologian who died at the age of 83 years old. John had suffered a stroke in June 2000 and had been in a coma until his death on August 18, 2000. His grandmother Eddie Belle Newport died on September 29, 2012. His aunt is Martha Newport and Shimkus is his uncle.
Wife
Newport has been married to his loving wife Julie Newport. Julie is working in the nonprofit education sector as a consultant with Collaborative Communications Group. The two share three sons Max, Asa, and Joshua.
Education
In 2004, he earned his undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College and attained his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in computer science in 2009 under Nancy Lynch. Between 2009 to 2011, he worked as a post-doctoral associate in the MIT Computer Science Department.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You
In September 2012, he published his best-selling book, So Good They Can’t Ignore You. The book’s title is a direct quote from comedian Steve Martin who, when once asked why he was successful in his career. Newport then provided compelling scientific and contemporary case study evidence that the key to one’s career success is to find out what you do well. Additionally, the book has 304 pages.
Deep Work
On January 5, 2016, Newport published the book, Deep Work. The book takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories and surprising suggestions. In the book, some claim that serious professionals should quit social media and also should practice being bored. The deep work practice is one of the best decisions one can make in an increasingly distracted world. Deep Work has 137 pages.
Books
Newport has authored eight books which include:
- How to Win at College in 2005.
- How to Be a High-School Superstar in 2010.
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You published in 2012.
- Deep Work in 2016.
- Digital Minimalism in 2019.
- The Time-Block Planner in 2020.
- A World Without Email in 2021.
- The Time-Block Planner, in 2023.
- Slow Productivity in 2024
How To Become A Straight A Student
How To Become a Straight A Student is a book that Newport published in 2006. The book provides study secrets of real straight-A students across the country that are proven and weaves them into a simple, practical system that one can master. The book contains 224 pages.
Blog
He has his blog or newsletter “Study Hacks” which has been available at alnewport.com since 2007. Since then he has been publishing essays there and has over two million people at the website. Newport also posts about technology, productivity, and the quest to live and work deeply every week. The over 15 essays are available at the website archive.
Time Block Planning
In November 2020, he authored the book The Time-Block Planner. The book helps one push aside distractions and focus on the work that will make a difference to you. The book has 240 pages. Moreover, the second episode of the book was published in 2023.
Podcast
Newport hosts a technology podcast, Deep Questions with Cal Newport. In his podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives. The podcast has 305 episodes as of June 10, 2024.
Slow Productivity
On March 5, 2024, Newport released his new book Slow Productivity. The book has three main core principles which include Doing fewer things, obsessing over quality, and Working at a natural pace On the other spectrum.
Author
Newport is a nonfiction author of eight books. He also has a Study Hacks blog since 2007 where he writes about “how to perform productive, valuable and meaningful work in an increasingly distracted digital age”.
Georgetown
Apart from working as an author, Newport joined Georgetown University as an assistant professor of computer science in 2011. In 2017, he was granted his tenure. In his position, he mostly focuses on distributed algorithms in challenging networking scenarios and incorporates the study of communications systems in nature. Currently, he is the Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science.
Youtube
Newport has an active YouTube account which he launched on November 23, 2021. He uploads videos on his account including Stop Wasting Time, Take Back Control, and Red More Books. His account has 228 thousand subscribers with over 10 million views.
Quotes
Newport has shared numerous quotes and some of his great quotes are:
- “Reducing mental clutter increases available mental resources for profound thinking.”
- “The more tasks you attempt, the less you achieve.”
- “Instead of focusing on minor details, concentrate on self-improvement.”
- “Produce high-quality work and leave a positive mark of your presence.”
- “Action is the ultimate form of mastery.”
- “Learn to empower your mind anywhere anytime.”
Book Recommendations
Newport has shared his 2024 book recommendations which include:
- Atomic Habits by James Clear.
- Indistactable by Nir Eyal.
- Company of One by Paul Jarvis.
- Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt.
- Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday.
- Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam.
- Deep Work by Newport.
Weekly Planning
Newport advises his followers to have a weekly plan in advance. He shares that he plans his next week’s plan a week before and emails his plans to himself to see the plan and access it. Newport states that weekly planning allows one to spread out, batch, and prioritize work in a manner that significantly increases his accomplishments and eliminates work pile-ups.
Deep Life
Newport has shared a structured and interactive approach that enables one to cultivate depth of various life aspects. Through Deep Life, one can develop a foundation that enables them to make meaningful and lasting changes.
Productivity System
He shared that productivity is a navigation from the large constellation of possible things that one can do, through his philosophy of productivity. Moreover, Newport emphasized that a good productivity system is a tool to serve the whole person.
Quarterly Planning
Newport shared a YouTube video explaining why he prefers quarterly planning instead of monthly or annual on January 24, 2022. He said that he sees Monthly Planning as too small for the highest tier of his system while Annual Planning is too large. Additionally, Newport shared his three scales of planning.
Multi Scale Planning
His book Slow Productivity advocates for multi-scale planning at the quarterly, weekly, and daily levels. Through his book, he has explained the various levels of his planning.
Strategic Plan
Newport has been able to come up with documents that one can communicate with various firms that are crucial during the planning phase. Through his daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual levels, Newport has come up with a great strategic plan.
Buckets
Newport requires one to identify the areas of life that are important which he refers to as deep life buckets. The Buckets vary from person to person with the most common buckets being contemplation, relationships, craft, health, and community.
Reading
On January 5, 2015, Newport wrote a blog on Deep Habita about reading a real book slowly. He also shared the rewards that one gets when he reads a book slowly.
Net Worth
Newport has authored and worked as a Distinguished Associate Professor at Georgetown University for over a decade. Through his book, he has attained decent fortune. His net worth is $10 Million.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Cal Newport Known For?
Newport is known to be an author and also associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University.
How Old is Cal Newport?
Newport is 41 years old born on June 23, 1982, in Houston, Texas, in the United States.
How Many Kids Does Cal Newport Have?
Newport has three sons Max, Asa, and Joshua.
Social Media Account
Twitter – @ProfCalNewport