Relay

Focused

Business EN ↓ 268 episodes

David Sparks and Mike Schmitz are not nearly as productive as they’d like to be. Join these fellow travelers (and a bunch of special guests) as they share the best ways to get focused, and talk through their successes and failures along the way. Hosted by David Sparks and Mike Schmitz.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: relay.fm

Author

Relay

Episodes

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.