Deep Questions with Cal Newport

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Ep. 395: Should I Try a “Social Media Pause”?

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Mar 9, 2026

Guest

T.K. Coleman

T.K. Coleman, writer and podcast host linked with The Minimalists, reflects on a deliberate social media pause. He describes team logistics, personal motives, surprising effects on focus, and the business tradeoffs like lost reach. They discuss returning more intentionally, social pressures that keep people online, and practical rules for running your own pause.

01:27:03

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ADVICE

Run A Social Media Pause As An Experiment

Do run a social media pause as an experiment to learn what role social media truly plays in your life or business.
Cal Newport and T.K. Coleman used a defined pause to reveal what was unnecessary and what was valuable.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Minimalists Took Nearly A Year Off Social Media

T.K. Coleman and The Minimalists committed to a long pause after staffing changes and personal reflection.
They stopped daily reels and reorganized roles while rethinking social media strategy during the transition.

insights

INSIGHT

Holding Thoughts Deepens Thinking

Removing the urge to immediately post forced T.K. Coleman to hold thoughts and deepen them through walks and reflection.
He rediscovered sustained reading and realized his attention had been 'out of shape.'

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Why The Minimalists Tried a Social Media Pause

03:29 • 1min

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How Social Media Fit The Minimalists' Workflow

04:42 • 1min

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Timing and Team Changes That Enabled the Pause

05:58 • 56sec

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What Motivated the Company to Pause

06:54 • 3min

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T.K.'s Personal Reasons for Pausing

09:51 • 6min

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Immediate Effects: Deeper Thinking and Focus

Business Impacts: Loss of Reach and Revenue

24:17 • 4min

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How Their Funnels and Revenue Work

28:32 • 51sec

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Deciding If the Pause Was Sustainable

29:23 • 3min

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Returning Mindfully: Less Frequent, More Intentional Posting

32:20 • 3min

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T.K.'s Personal Struggle Rejoining Social Media

34:56 • 5min

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Rediscovered Activities and Relationships During the Pause

39:37 • 4min

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The Social and Pragmatic Forces Keeping People Online

43:59 • 7min

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The Value of Clarity from Experiments

50:33 • 1min

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Practical Advice: How to Run a Social Media Pause

Inbox: Early Modern Deep Work Example

59:49 • 5min

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Inbox: Obsidian for Task Management

01:05:10 • 8min

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Inbox: Staring at a Painting for Three Hours

01:13:27 • 5min

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What Cal's Been Reading, Watching, and Building

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Shop class as soulcraft

an inquiry into the value of work

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Matthew B. Crawford

In 'Shop Class as Soulcraft,' Matthew B. Crawford argues that the manual trades offer a unique form of intellectual and personal satisfaction. He critiques modern society's emphasis on 'knowledge work' and the devaluation of manual labor, highlighting the cognitive demands and personal fulfillment that come from working with one's hands. Crawford draws on his own experiences as a motorcycle mechanic and philosopher to illustrate the importance of craftsmanship, self-reliance, and the integration of thinking and doing in meaningful work. The book challenges consumerist culture and advocates for a more humane economy that values and rewards meaningful labor.

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Slow Productivity

The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout

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In this book, Cal Newport draws on the habits and mindsets of historical figures like Galileo, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, and Georgia O’Keefe to propose a new approach to productivity. He argues against the modern culture of 'pseudo-productivity,' where busyness is mistaken for actual productivity. Instead, Newport advocates for 'slow productivity,' which involves doing fewer things, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality. The book combines cultural criticism with practical advice to help readers transform their work habits and achieve more sustainable and meaningful accomplishments.

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John and Paul

Ian Leslie

#2081

• Mentioned in 21 episodes

The Age of Extraction

How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity

Tim Wu

• Mentioned in 496 episodes

Deep Work

Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Cal Newport

In 'Deep Work', Cal Newport argues that the ability to perform deep work—professional activities in a state of distraction-free concentration—is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explains why deep work is valuable, rare, and meaningful, while the second part presents four rules to transform your mind and habits to support this skill. These rules include 'Work Deeply', 'Embrace Boredom', 'Quit Social Media', and 'Drain the Shallows'. Newport provides actionable advice and examples from various successful individuals to help readers master the skill of deep work and achieve groundbreaking results.

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4,000 Weeks

Time Management for Mortals

Oliver Burkeman

#52

• Mentioned in 240 episodes

Digital Minimalism

Cal Newport

In 'Digital Minimalism', Cal Newport argues that we need to be more intentional about the technologies we allow into our lives. He proposes a philosophy of digital minimalism, where individuals focus their online time on activities that strongly support their values and ignore the rest. The book highlights the negative effects of behavioral addictions created by technology, such as solitude deprivation and the fleeting nature of social media satisfaction. Newport suggests a 30-day 'digital declutter' process and other practices to help readers integrate digital minimalism into their lives, emphasizing the importance of optimizing technology use to support personal goals and values.

Do you need social media? Which services? For what purposes? These are complicated questions and in today’s episode Cal proposes a simple route to answers: conducting a “social media pause.” To help investigate this strategy, Cal is joined by T.K. Coleman, of The Minimalists, to talk about a social media pause that they tried and the surprising results it generated.

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

IDEAS SEGMENT: Interview with T.K. Coleman [3:26]

INBOX:
- Focused work in early modern time [1:00:18]
- Tool suggestion from a programmer [1:05:10]
- Staring at a painting for three hours [1:13:26]

WHAT CAL IS UP TO:
- Changes to the show [1:18:44]
- What Cal read [1:20:04]
- What Cal watched [1:21:34]
- Renovation of Maker Lab [1:25:38]

The Age of Extraction (Tim Wu)
John and Paul (Ian Leslie)

Movies:
Train Dreams
The Hurt Locker
Three Days of the Condor

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?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgMUBMqrE7M
https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/161jik7/please_share_how_you_use_obsidian_for_task/

Thanks to our Sponsors:
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Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

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