Back to Work

TOPIC : Standing up to Attention Bullies. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the world's impossible expectations regarding each of our own time, attention, and access. What happens when we tacitly allow the universe to ask us anything any time for any reason? How do we develop the sympathy to understand how vastly our schedules and priorities differ at a given moment? Well. One possible solution...

TOPIC : Ubi Sunt, LCS? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the uneasy future of local comic shops—especially in light of Amazon's announced acquisition of comiXology. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] lynda.com Favorite Podcasts for Writers | The Star-Dusted Sirens "But some episodes also cover more esoteric issues like agency or creativity. Merlin excels at taking all those nebulous ideas about...

TOPIC : The future we can't know. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about how quickly technology is evolving, how janky that evolution can be, and how terrible we all are at forecasting what will come next and beyond. Could Merlin have ever imagined he'd pay $3.00 for an episode of Under the Gunn ? No, he could not. Links for this episode: The health effects of a world without darkness – Rebecca Boyl...

TOPIC : Words mean things. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the blight of buzzwords, jargon, and douchespeak writ large. Links for this episode: Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism popularized the term "thought-terminating cliché". This refers to a cliché that is a commonly used phrase, or folk wisdom, s...

TOPIC : Curiosity & Creativity This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about expertise and how it relates to the ineffable qualities of curiosity and creativity. Can curiosity be inspired or taught? Or, is it just something you either have or don't? How do we buck the implicit authority to explore the vast universe of "unnecessary things?" Links for this episode: 21 Compelling Reasons Why Florida...

TOPIC : LEGO and Expertise This week, Dan and Merlin talk about LEGO and what becoming a Master Builder can teach us about expertise. Also: tooth fairies, binder clips, and the pedagogical warning shot. WARNING : This episode of B2W contains information about holiday-related personalities that may be of a sensitive nature. Listener discretion is advised. Links for this episode: How Much Good Is An...

TOPIC : ““Experiencing Issues”” with Customer Service This week, Dan and Merlin analyze what's really going wrong when we get bad customer service. Spoiler: The brand is only as sound as its day-to-day implementation. Links for this episode: 5by5 | Back to Work #161: Zeitgeist Helmut TOPIC: Time, Sleep, and AspirationsThis week, Dan and Merlin talk about impossible trade-offs and the benefits of r...

TOPIC : Time, Sleep, and Aspirations This week, Dan and Merlin talk about impossible trade-offs and the benefits of remembering this is actually your life. Links for this episode: More Reflection, Less Action - NYTimes.com CAPS To Launch Original Art Auction to Benefit Stan Sakai and Family - Comic Book Resources Contributors include: Adam Hughes, Alex Maleev, Arthur Adams, Batton Lash, Eric Powel...

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about shaving, lights, and Dan's amazing new superpower. Links for this episode: 5by5 | CMD+Space #85: Being a Geek, with John Siracusa This week Myke is joined by John Siracusa. They discuss what it means to be a Geek and explore what John is geeky about. Special guest John Siracusa. Ep. 98: "A Mastiff of Spinach" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann The Proble...

Merlin and Dan talk about Library Elf, app launchers like Quicksilver and Alfred, Stanley Kubrick, pushing people to create greatness, not knowing what you like until you see it, the typefaces of Moon, and more. Links for this episode: Elf | Your Personal Email Library Reminder Service Moon | Typeset In The Future [VIDEO] Camper Van Beethoven - "Good Guys and Bad Guys" "And let me plaaaaaaaay your...

TOPIC : Why We Have Doors. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about internet nostalgia, hacking vs. whacking, and why we have doors for a reason. Links for this episode: FAQ Friday - What have you wondered about sleep? : askscience Tips for a good night of sleep are usually referred to in a scientific context as "good sleep hygiene". Here is a list from the National Sleep Foundation. Finger protocol -...

TOPIC : The Spreadsheet of You This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about sleep and how self-quantization can goose your mindfulness. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Build a Website — Squarespace [SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock [SPONSOR] Application Performance Management & Monitoring | New Relic [SPONSOR] Website Hosting Services, VPS Hosting & Dedi...

TOPIC : Better Sleep Habits This week, Dan and Merlin do a deep dive on building better sleep habits with a focus on the paradoxes and planning of daily activities that can make all the difference. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Application Performance Management & Monitoring | New Relic [SPONSOR] Build a Website — Squarespace [SPONSOR] lynda.com library | Trial Subscription [SPONSOR] Smile...

TOPIC : Isolation and Identity This week, Dan and Merlin talk about civility, identity, Florida, and how you can't unsee Idiocracy . Links for this episode: The Living Wiccan, Curse Removal & Reversal Why Songs Get Stuck in Your Head - Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis - The Atlantic What Are You Doing Right Now? - Merlin Mann "Is this really what you want to be doing right now?" "Right Now, What Ar...

TOPIC : The Attention Stack This week, Dan and Merlin talk about—what?—maybe the attention stack . How what we pay attention to (and, yes spend our time on) can't help but affect how we see, think, feel, and decide. Not happy with any of those things? Start working your way down the stack. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Designer Frames & Online Eyeglasses - $95 Rx Glasses | Warby Parker [SP...

TOPIC : The thoughts we think. And think. And think . This week, Dan and Merlin talk about anxiety, compulsive thoughts, and how to at least crack an air hole in a big problem. Way of the future . Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Build a Website - Squarespace [SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock The Rook: A Novel: Daniel O'Malley: 9780316098809: Amazon.com: Books...

TOPIC: Consistency, Change, and Counting-Down This week, Dan and Merlin return to the evergreen topic of new year's resolutions. Remember: in the main, you are what you've already done a lot. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Squarespace Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, e-commerce, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all i...

TOPIC : Christmas and Control This week, Dan and Merlin meander through holiday matters, including the Winter Warlock-like impotence of having your electric meter blow up on Christmas Eve Eve. Links for this episode: The 'Homeland' Finale, Reviewed : The New Yorker When John le Carr? concocted such maneuvers, we saw the characters? machinations but didn?t understand their intent. ?Homeland,? by co...

TOPIC : Enough. This week, Dan and Merlin meander around the meaning of, "enough," pondering the deep existential pit we dig for ourselves and maybe how to get out of it. Merry Christmas. Get your head out of your ass. Links for this episode: Even An 85 MPH Highway Can't Fix Austin's Traffic Tangle : NPR Austin is the largest city in America with only one interstate running through it. Just six la...

TOPIC : Criticism and Its Discontents This week, Dan and Merlin talk about criticism, people who don't like you, and how much to let each have anything to do with the work you produce. Links for this episode: Better - Merlin Mann Politics, celebrity gossip, business headlines, tech punditry, odd news, and user-generated content. These are the chew toys that have made me sad and tired and cynical....

TOPIC : Gooseneck Options This week, with Dan re -sick and Merlin full of beans, the boys do a deep dive on hand washing, purpose-built bathroom activity gadgets, and the benefits of arming our children. Links for this episode: Amazon.com: CTA Digital Pedestal Stand for iPad 2/3/4 with Roll Holder: Computers & Accessories Technical Difficulties - 057 - Reinventing Yourself with Merlin Mann Gab...

TOPIC : Perfectionism and Procrastination This week, Dan and Merlin talk about why the classic meanings of perfectionism mostly miss the mark; it's less about being scared to finish and more about being terrified to start. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] PDFpenPro: Mac PDF Editor - Create PDF Forms, PDF Table of Contents Everything PDFpen can do and more! Make interactive forms, build tables of...

TOPIC : Going Mobile- er . This week, Dan and Merlin are very sick, so they talk about being sick. Then, they talk about what it would take to move to using just an iPad Air on the road. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Build a Website — Squarespace [SPONSOR] OmniFocus - The Omni Group OmniFocus is designed to quickly capture your thoughts and ideas to store, manage, and help you process them int...

TOPIC : Grab bag This week, Dan takes a minute to sit down with Merlin to talk about bathroom GIFs, Marvel movies, private school ejection, and a new interview with Merlin that is very very long. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock [SPONSOR] Website Hosting Services, VPS Hosting & Dedicated Servers - HostGator The best way to pee into...

TOPIC : Perception and Perspective. In their second ever live, face-to-face episode, Dan and Merlin talk about goats, noise gate, and taking a step back for a better view of where you are. Links for this episode: [SPONSOR] Designer Frames & Online Eyeglasses - $95 Rx Glasses | Warby Parker [SPONSOR] Build a Website — Squarespace [SPONSOR] OmniFocus - The Omni Group 5by5 | Bionic #66: Crossover...