Back to Work

Merlin and Dan talk about educating "That's Just a Button Guy," practicing more humane pushback, asking better questions, why laundromats don't accept "focus," plus what happens when you put WAY too much crap in your five-pound bag. Links for this episode: Mindfulness in Plain English Sponsored by iStockphoto and MailChimp .

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about checking email under the table to catch up on your 27 high priority tasks, a good time to use the word priority, blowing cycles on meeting with Narnia's stakeholders, and getting tasks out of your dreamcatcher. Links for this episode: BONUS AWESOME: Too Close to the Metal Wallpapers (Chainmail for Manatees) ESSAY: Mud Rooms, Red Letters, and Real Priorities...

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin aren't afraid of lawyers, dentists, negative feelings, or of not being afraid of something. Sponsored by Rackspace and Shopify .

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin are here to discuss the awareness of fear, asking yourself why, and knowing the problem instead of chasing fake confidence, patches, and hacks. Links for this episode: Hetty Green - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Noble Eightfold Path - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mindfulness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Audio Dharma - Gil Fronsdal's Dharma Talks Amazon.com...

Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about problems that are impossible, problems that are boring, problems that you're scared of, and why you need to differentiate between fear and anxiety so you can be scared of something interesting. Links for this episode: 5C6017AB.jpg 277×277 pixels Princess Ardala - Google Search Do I love Terry Gross? - your monkey called Jeff Dee's Home Page Deities &amp...

Dan and Merlin talk about "Cranking" - Merlin's latest post at 43folders.com. Links for this episode: Cranking | 43 Folders 100% New Zealand Bacon Netflix: Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition: Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run Netflix: Cyrano de Bergerac » Chip Scanlan | Poynter. Male Answer Syndrome Netflix - Watch Louis C.K.: Chewed Up Amazon.com: The Triggering To...

Merlin Mann has some "followup" before he and Dan Benjamin discuss entrusting your agency to others, how to reclaim it, and picking the right balance between expertise and challenge instead of fixing your metadata. Links for this episode: The ASC -- American Cinematographer: Post Focus: 002: Interview: Jonathan Coulton | The Merlin Show Don't Run DOS - 30 Seconds with Phone Guy - Merlin Mann...

Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about futureproofing your passion by finding your obsession and voice, putting away your buggy whip and evolving, spreading your chips out across safe and risky investments, and taking smarter chances. Links for this episode: The Pipeline #49: Philip Elmer-DeWitt - 5by5 Sponsored by Shopify and King of the Apps .

Dan and Merlin try to remove the airquotes from "inspiration" by talking about what it's great for (shipping better and more interesting stuff), what it's terrible for (getting started). Also covered: Dan's Old Testament name(s), part of Merlin's body that was once believed to be inspired by air, the problem with Some Hot Chick Typing in Her Underwear, TKTKTK writing tips, plus Batgirl. Always wit...

Dan and Merlin improvise topics this week and get from Synechode, NY to dopamine, being scared and being safe, believing your thoughts and coloring your dreams, and solving problems by moving your hands instead of thinking. Links for this episode: Literature and Latte Better - Merlin Mann Four Years | 43 Folders Great Tools For Your Mac By Andreas Hegenberg » BetterTouchTool, BetterSnapTool &...

This week, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin eighty-six their restaurant jobs—emptying grease traps, handling logs of meat, and sharing what they learned by bringing mostly bad food to America's table. Dan burns velvet hands, Merlin's Mom gives the guy with the coupon a kung fu, and old people want a monkey dish of sauce before they boost all your Sweet'N Low. Links for this episode: 43F Podcast: The P...

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin relate to Richard–a listener in the middle of a quarter life crisis working jobs he doesn't like–with stories from their pasts, suggestions to combat the cascade of seriousness, and some first steps for breaking out of the vocational wheel. Links for this episode: Quarter-life crisis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Saturn return - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ar...

Merlin Mann is back from Webstock and ready to recap with Dan Benjamin, which leads back to caring first, performance and fear, meditation, hypnotherapy, and why you really need the hard answer instead just more tips. Links for this episode: The Conversation #27: Missionless Statements - 5by5 MacSparky - Blog - Mac Power Users - Workflows with Merlin Mann Introducing the Hipster PDA | 43 Fold...

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about the black art of paying attention to the right things, how lamps are no substitute, that it's hard whether you’re working from home or a cube, being honest about your expertise before looking for independence, and the need to move past inspiration. Links for this episode: Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Theory of Forms - Wikipedia, t...

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about trying to change other people, how things really aren’t that bad, balancing fear or being driven by fear, leaving capacity for when you get The Pitch, procrastination (eventually), and giving yourself permission to fail in an interesting way. You’re not gonna get black lung from a spreadsheet. Links for this episode: Why Wesabe Lost to Mint - Marc Hedlund's...

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Links for this episode: Best of Wikipedia Mindfulness In Plain English Mindfulness in Plain English [Amazon] Red Barber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Webstock 2011 — 14th-18th February 2011 Amazon.com: The Wisdom of Insecurity (9780394704685): Alan W. Watts: Books Bacon Ray - "Tomfoolery" 7-inch (1995...

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin formulate a five-minute warning tactic before discussing the reality of bringing change to your company, some patterns that work for startups, solving the right problem at the right level, why you can’t find the innovation button, and using PathFinder as a Finder replacement. Links for this episode: Video: Interview: Chris Wetherell | The Merlin Show Video: Interview:...

In the inaugural episode of Back to Work, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss why they’re doing this show, getting back to work instead of buying berets, the lizard brain, and compare the Shadow of the Mouse to San Francisco, and eventually get to some practical tips for removing friction. Links for this episode: Welcome to BrettTerpstra.com, home of Brett Terpstra and his nerdery carlhuda/janus...