Slowing It Down

“Are you a control freak?” Author Cal Newport paused after reading the inquiry from a listener during an episode of his podcast, Deep Questions. The subtle smackdown that ensued hinted at a history of receiving similar criticisms, and Newport did not hesitate to diplomatically slay the listener’s attachment to chaos. “Well, Mollie,” he began, “I think what we all probably agree on is that having no organization is stressful. So if I’m entirely reactive — if I entirely exist from moment to moment,” he explained deliberately, “this is not a great way to live.” In the “complicated productivity landscape that the modern human exists in,” he concluded, having “no structure is never going to be the right answer.”