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Specifically calling out the Deep Work book, I recall after the 6 months of promo, talks, and general marketing of the book the author wrote a blog post calling

Specifically calling out the Deep Work book, I recall after the 6 months of promo, talks, and general marketing of the book the author wrote a blog post calling for participants to actually, well, you know, help test if the ideas in the book actually had any scientific merit. I was already pretty disillusioned with the self help crowd (even those who claimed a scientific background), but that was the nail in the coffin.

galkk 9y ago
Omg, did that really happened? I either missed it or didn't read properly, but I'm definitely going to unsubscribe. p.s. I've read the book and felt that there is too much noise and anecdotes for actually useful content.
1123581321 9y ago
That doesn't make sense. Cal Newport's audience was built from the beginning around one person's efforts to get more work done. It's always been an anecdotal/self-experimental approach. Why quit reading now? Probably the biggest testable assertion Cal makes is that focus is a muscle that can be strengthened and called on a schedule rather than a depletable, fickle resource. This is consistent with current research: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/03/psychologys-favorite-theory-about-willpower-may-be-totally-wrong.html http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/03/psychologys-favorite-th...
- JamesBarney 9y ago
  Do they have any studies where they manipulate people's beliefs about willpower to see if that affects it? This study has a been confound which is equivalent too "we asked a bunch of people if they thought they were strong. People who said yes we're stronger than people who said no! Therefore believing your strong is how to become stronger!"