Calvin C. Newport is an American nonfiction author and full time professor of computer science at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Background and education

Newport grew up in

Pennington, New Jersey Pennington is a borough in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan Valley region to the northeast. As of the 2020 United St ...

, and graduated from

Hopewell Valley Central High School Hopewell Valley Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school operating as part of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Townshi ...

in 2000. Newport completed his undergraduate studies at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 2004 and received a Ph.D. in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in 2009 under

Nancy Lynch Nancy Ann Lynch (born January 19, 1948) is a computer scientist affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the NEC Professor of Software Science and Engineering in the EECS department and heads the "Theory of Distributed ...

. He was a post-doctoral associate in the MIT computer science department from 2009-2011. His grandfather, John Newport, was a Baptist minister and theologian.

Career

Newport joined

as an assistant professor of computer science in 2011, was granted tenure in 2017, and was promoted to full professorship in 2024. His work focuses on

distributed algorithms A distributed algorithm is an algorithm designed to run on computer hardware constructed from interconnected processors. Distributed algorithms are used in different application areas of distributed computing, such as telecommunications, scientific ...

in challenging networking scenarios and incorporates the study of

communications system A communications system is a collection of individual telecommunications networks systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole. Commu ...

s in nature. Newport is currently Provost's Distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at

and the author of eight books.

Attention management

{{See also, Attention management Newport started ''Study Hacks'' blog in 2007 where he writes about "how to perform productive, valuable and meaningful work in an increasingly distracted digital age". Newport used the term "deep work", that existed in a psychological or religious sense, in his book ''Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World'' (2016). Newport uses it to refer to studying or working for focused chunks of time on intellectually skilful tasks without

distraction Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: inability to pay attention; lack of i ...

s such as email and social media. He challenges the belief that participation in

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

is important for career capital. In 2017, he began advocating for "digital

minimalism In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

." In 2021, he began referring to the role

email Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...

and

chat Chat or chats may refer to: Communication * Conversation, particularly casual * Online chat, text message communication over the Internet in real-time * Synchronous conferencing, a formal term for online chat * SMS chat, a form of text messagi ...

play in what he calls "the hyperactive hive mind". In addition to his blog and newsletter, he is the creator of a regular podcast about productivity and knowledge working which is available on YouTube.{{Cite web , last=Newport , first=Cal , date=2024-12-21 , title=Cal Newport , url=https://youtube.com/@calnewportmedia?si=fUcjhNS75nOFnCXS , access-date=2024-12-21 , website=Youtube , language=en-US

Books

*''How to Win at College'' (Crown, 2005) {{ISBN, 978-0767917872 *''How to Become a Straight-A Student'' (Crown, 2006) {{ISBN, 978-0767922715 *''How to Be a High-School Superstar'' (Crown, 2010) {{ISBN, 978-0767932585 *''So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion In The Quest For Work You Love'' (Grand Central Publishing, 2012) {{ISBN, 978-1455509126 *''Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World'' (Grand Central Publishing, 2016) {{ISBN, 978-1455586691 *''Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World'' (Portfolio, 2019) {{ISBN, 978-0525536512 *''The Time-Block Planner'' (2020) ** 2nd ed. (Portfolio, 2023) {{ISBN, 978-0593545393 *''A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload'' (Portfolio, 2021) {{ISBN, 978-0525536550 *''Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout'' (Portfolio, 2024) {{ISBN, 978-0593544853

References

{{reflist {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Newport, Cal Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American bloggers American computer scientists American self-help writers Dartmouth College alumni Georgetown University faculty Hopewell Valley Central High School alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni People from Pennington, New Jersey Writers from Mercer County, New Jersey American male non-fiction writers