Back to Work

TOPIC : Incentive, Inspiration, and Motivation This week, Dan and Merlin are inspired to talk about the incentive and the motivation to make something. Inspiration is marketed as something you're missing, but it has a short expiration date, and if you're more scared than uninspired then it doesn't matter how many pieces of candy you're offered. And what do you do if selling bottled water cozies af...

TOPIC: Trying On The Change This week, Dan and Merlin (who might not have mentioned he didn't sleep much) discuss the balance between placing nickel bets versus going all-in—or at least thinking all-in. You might be talking yourself into stasis or change, but if you don't really try it on first, you may find out the techno and combat boots are nothing compared to living under incontinent grackles....

TOPIC : The Pete Campbell Problem Ever notice how you never really "arrive?" Or, have you ever noticed that right when you think you've "arrived," you don't stay arrived for very long—but now have a whole big bunch of new stuff to do? Yeah, us too. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about expectations, the wrong kinds of ambition, and the unquenchable lust for prestige and respect. Good practitioners...

TOPIC: Stressing Out About Stress Dan and Merlin talk about what happens when stress meets stress, anxiety feeds anxiety, and 10 guys maybe try to jump you in the woods. Which kinds of stress are simply unavoidable? Which ones are addictive? Which ones can be tolerated? And, yes, which kinds of stresses can be vanquished by firing your boss? Links for this episode: FoundMyPlace.net (Merlin's Music...

TOPIC: The Surprising Problems of "Doing What You Love" Merlin has some follow up on Agency: be in control of what you give away and why you charge what you charge, and Dan is interested in what happens when you stop loving what you love when you do it as a job. There are no guarantees, so don't mistake the Federalist Papers for Constitutional Law, and if you miss the signs you shouldn't be sailin...

TOPIC: Agency, Independence, and Outing Your Makebelieve "Partners." Dan and Merlin return to the topic of agency . Who's allowed to speak and act on your behalf? And, what happens when you discover people who've unilaterally decided by fiat to speak and act on your behalf? Well. If your work (and your business) matters to you, you tell them to knock it off. How to reclaim your own stuff, set your...

TOPIC : Karmasucks, No-Sayers, and Black and White Thinking Dan and Merlin consider the karmasucks and black and white thinking that lead to inertia and a culture of derision. Anyone can laugh at an agenda, and it only takes one turd in the punchbowl to ruin the party, so don't ask permission, ask yes or no questions, and keep your judge behind your explorer. Links for this episode: Why isn't that...

Dan and Merlin talk about Dancing Han Solo, going to college in Florida, and developing smarter patterns for Getting Things Diaried . Whether you're calling collect, person-to-person, or station-to-station, it's time to get serious, get realistic, and just get it on the calendar. Send the invite, work those Telephone Thursdays , and make that call E6W ("Every 6 Weeks"). Pick the system that suppor...

Dan and Merlin consider how to rethink your work as a platform . It's not just a job, or just a career, or (God forbid) just a brand--it's about deciding when you need to take your time and attention pro. How the stuff you've made and done can be leveraged into the next things you'd like to make and do; how to find the orthogonal angles and unexpected branches; how to learn what you need to learn;...

This week, Dan and Merlin tackle the problem of changing cultures at work. It's not a snapshot, it's not a kitchen table, and it may actually have surprisingly little to do with you. Which is complicated . Links for this episode: App Store - Flow Powered by Amazon RL Classic for iPhone, iPod touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad (3rd generation) and iPad Wi-Fi + 4G on the i...

TOPIC: Changing Inputs Dan turns Merlin's technical difficulties into a discussion of discovering and paying attention to things that have a high ROI. It's not about who you think you are, or the latest and loudest thing. You'll miss something even if you follow 1000 blogs, so remember who you really are. La pregunta: ¿Que hacer? Links for this episode: Squarespace Food Truck (@ SxSW, Mar 9-17) [P...

Merlin and Dan talk about successful lawn care secrets and getting angry over dog poop, paper towels, duck crossings, and the Dark Side. No one ever saw the error of their ways because they saw a note from Management. Instead of counting piles and grabbing coals, maybe act a little more like Mr. Rogers. Links for this episode: Rogue Amoeba | Piezo: Charmingly Simple Recording From Applications and...

Merlin and Dan talk about your attachment to old coffee cups, Captain America glasses, and Grandma's underwear cabinet—all the physical (and emotional) clutter that keeps you from making the things you love and having the life you want. The Kipple . See: it's not a red snapper problem, it's an emotional problem. So, quit being scared of your fridge, or your inbox, or your todo list. Just suck it u...

This week Dan and Merlin ponder why there's so much variability in the quality of our work.  Whether we're making code, scrubbing toilets, or stinking up the Arby's, what explains our individual drive to do something better? Links for this episode: Features - Squarespace Sponsored by 1Password and Squarespace .

Merlin and Dan talk about returning to paleo, the nature of wieners and discouragement, crown vic habits and anxiety addiction. You won't beat it without a cocktail of grit and care with just the right amount of sacrifice. Links for this episode: BRYCE DOT VC Hot dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 5by5 | 5by5 Specials #4: Kindacritical Studio Neat — Welcome My Family’s Experiment in Extreme Sc...

In the most average episode ever, Merlin and Dan talk physical and digital work environments so you can get going in the right direction and don't have to spend all day on it. And, when do you know you don't want 10 times more of something and what do you do about it? There's no guarantee of security, even if you show up sober, so start acting like an entrepreneur and choose what you want 10 times...

TOPIC : The Hidden Cost is the True Cost Merlin is back from MacWorldPipeiWorld to talk with Dan about the True Cost of iceberg lettuce, an anchor tenant, 20 minutes of your time, and how much of your life you're going to eat sand. You don't have a TARDIS to make it back to pick up your kid or make it to Built to Spill so walk the coastline. Links for this episode: Between Two Ferns With Zach Gali...

TOPIC : Slipping on Dates, Sliding on Days Merlin and Dan talk about managing projects, scheduling calls, and being home when you scheduled a party. It SEEMS SO SIMPLE but then Jeannie has to go to Guam and slipping is your SOP. The way out of this quagmire is to admit you can't get out of it. You can't change a culture of slipping with a poster or a fairy princess. You have to fix the slides if y...

TOPIC : What to do if you fear a layoff. Merlin and Dan talk about rumors of layoffs—when the fear gets you, and you start filing in the narrative with a panther, even if you're developing the best-of-breed cereal portal or have been in the newspaper's Accounts Payable department for 20 years. What do you do at the fork in the road? Do you interview with The Bobs? Do you just grow up and ask what...

John Gruber joins Merlin to talk about blog engines, Lego, bias, credibility, the project triangle, and (duh) Star Wars .  Links for this episode: Project triangle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Star Wars Vintage KENNER Commercial - Death Star - YouTube The Phantom Edit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Edit » Fanedit.org – Home of the fanedits star wars...

TOPIC : How habits get made.  Dan and Merlin are back for 2012 to discuss how habits are like little hairs or inertia or homeostasis or something. How we build habits, how they get built for us, and what we can learn about habits from making our daily coffee. Links for this episode: Shutting Down My Porno Site | Pat Dryburgh Amazon.com: Thinking, Fast and Slow (9780374275631): Daniel Kahneman...

TOPIC : Resolving to skip the New Year's resolutions. In the last episode of 2011, Merlin and Dan talk about fresh starts and modest changes rather than rehearsing for sucking. You don't need a calendar to tell you to change. Whether you want to give up nail biting, onanism, or drinking a gallon of vodka a day, you need a plan and a tolerance for failure. Plus, a little care never hurts. How to do...

Topic : The Meta-Distractions of "Minimalism" This week, Merlin and Dan get all "Zen" about bias and minimalism. Your background won't get any blacker, so stop burning cycles arguing on the internet or worrying about what other people think or how minimal you are. It's not about the bird skeletons, lion skins or barefoot girls. Unless that's what works. Just make sure it really works.  Links...

Topic : The Narcissism of Small Differences This week, Merlin has a quiz for Dan to determine whether Ben Franklin, "The Immigrant Song," or Quantum Mechanics has the most cultural impact--as well as his teasing out Dan's go-to for uninstalling Android apps. Paying attention to the same degree you care goes nicely with keeping a sense of humor. Especially about those small differences regarding co...

Topic : Moving from dumb nouns to awesome verbs. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the problem with Capital Letter Nouns; how real and specific verbs will always trounce Excellence, Effectiveness, and Mission Statements--even in the Best-of-Breed Pursuance of Five-Nines Quality Across The Enterprise. They also look at transitive and intransitive flavors of "feasance," finding your keyboard's Ex...