Focused

168: 2023 Focus Resolutions 03.01.2023 1:04:07 ↓

David & Mike share their words for the year and discuss their plans to live out the first quarter of 2023 with intentionality and focus.

167: 2022 Year in Review 20.12.2022 1:01:18 ↓

David & Mike reflect on the last year and share what went well, what could have gone better, and their lessons learned.

166: The Social Dilemma 06.12.2022 1:11:55 ↓

David & Mike walk through their planning processes and make their best case for leaving social media altogether.

165: On the River, with Chris Upchurch 22.11.2022 1:18:52 ↓

Chris Upchurch joins us to talk about his recent career change from metropolitan transportation planner to whitewater rafting guide.

164: Mind Mapping 08.11.2022 1:10:57 ↓

David & Mike consider the focus benefits of mind mapping and discuss the tools and methods they use to think beyond the outline.

163: The Laws of Creativity, with Joey Cofone 25.10.2022 1:01:51 ↓

Baron Fig CEO Joey Cofone joins us to talk about creativity, embracing constraints, and finding your own way.

162: Perfectionism 11.10.2022 1:04:00 ↓

David & Mike discuss perfectionism, procrastination, and overcoming the urge to get everything just right.

161: Stolen Focus, with Jean MacDonald 27.09.2022 1:22:22 ↓

Jean MacDonald joins us to talk about social media, the M.E.O.W. system, and reading books.

160: Balancing Calendars and Tasks 13.09.2022 1:18:21 ↓

David & Mike compare calendars and task lists, the jobs to be done by each, and the resistance that will inevitably appear in your quest to get things done.

159: The Art of Note-Taking 30.08.2022 1:07:03 ↓

David & Mike consider note-taking and its role in the creative process.

158: Humans First, with Rob Krecak 16.08.2022 1:23:53 ↓

Rob Krecak joins us to talk about the psychology behind email, the importance of communication norms, and tips from his experiences helping organizations move to a 4-day work week.

157: Non-Traditional Measures of Productivity, with Mike Vardy 02.08.2022 1:29:02 ↓

Mike Vardy is back to talk about the rhythm of work and why some people feel "productivity" is becoming a dirty word.

156: The State of GTD 19.07.2022 1:27:39 ↓

Inspired by a Cal Newport article on Getting Things Done, David & Mike go through an audit of the (in)famous productivity system.

155: 12 Favorite Problems 05.07.2022 1:18:43 ↓

David & Mike explore the idea of favorite problems and identify a dozen of their own in a quest for self-discovery.

154: Building a Second Brain, with Tiago Forte 21.06.2022 1:04:29 ↓

Tiago Forte joins us to talk about his new book, building knowledge assets, and flipping the switch from consumer to creator.

153: A Wandering Mind, with Kourosh Dini 07.06.2022 59:44 ↓

Kourosh Dini is back to talk about being with the work and the dark side of flow.

152: Mental Models 24.05.2022 1:19:30 ↓

David & Mike share some of their favorite mental models and how to use them for better sensemaking.

151: The Bento Method, with Francesco D'Alessio 11.05.2022 1:06:46 ↓

Francesco D'Alessio joins us to talk about the state of productivity apps, picking the right tools, and his new app, Bento.

150: Optimize for Intentionality 26.04.2022 1:28:22 ↓

David & Mike celebrate episode 150 by talking about focus traps and answering a bunch of listener questions.

149: Asking Questions, with Marc Champagne 12.04.2022 1:12:46 ↓

Marc Champagne (author of Personal Socrates) joins us to talk about mental fitness, journaling, and why simply asking the right questions can change your life.

148: Savoring the Moment, with Chris Bailey 29.03.2022 1:29:51 ↓

Chris Bailey is back to talk about his dopamine fast, the art of savoring, and avoiding the productivity racket.

147: Task Management & Focus 15.03.2022 1:26:30 ↓

David & Mike revisit the topic of task management to talk about Mike's Obsidian task management experiment and their (very different) use of checklists.

146: The Extended Mind, with Annie Murphy Paul 01.03.2022 1:01:12 ↓

Author Annie Murphy Paul joins us to talk about playing with ideas, working in groups, and other ways to extend the mind.

145: Focus & Your Environment 15.02.2022 1:21:39 ↓

David & Mike consider how the environment affects our ability to focus and share the very different ways they set up their workspaces.

144: Enough, with Patrick Rhone 01.02.2022 1:26:21 ↓

Patrick Rhone joins us to talk about analog productivity, knolling, mise en place, and staying focused while wearing many hats.