Focused
Episodes
146: The Extended Mind, with Annie Murphy Paul
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Rhone joins us to talk about analog productivity, knolling, mise en place, and staying focused while wearing many hats.
143: Thinking Annually
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike share some thoughts about what they’re up to in the new year and the personal changes they’re making to their routines.
142: Sparky Gets Focused
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sparky finally put his money where his mouth is and he's doing just one thing now. In this episode, Mike has questions and David has answers.
141: You Never Arrive
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike discuss the arrival fallacy and the importance of finding joy in the journey.
140: Your Brain is Not a Computer with Cory Hixson
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Engineering professor Cory Hixson joins the Focused crew this week about staying on target, not letting your kids eat take your brain, and why you are...
139: Soundtracks & Self-Talk
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike consider the source of negative self-talk, the power of positive thinking, and taming the rebellious brain.
138: Hyper-Scheduling Revisited
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David return to the subject of hyper-scheduling after they've both been at it a few years. What works? What doesn't? And how did Mike's exper...
137: Managing Busy
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David return to the insidious problem of "busy". Mike and David are not beyond getting caught in this trap and share some ideas about how to ...
136: Social Focus, with Taylor Jacobson
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor Jacobson joins us to talk about groundedness, vulnerability, and accountability on his journey to founding Focusmate.
135: Don't Eat the Frog, with Jesse J. Anderson
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jesse Anderson joins us to talk about self-awareness and the struggles with being productive while battling ADHD.
134: Finding Space with Sean McCabe
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sean McCabe comes back to report in on what happened when his year-long sabbatical smacked into a pandemic and how he keeps his focus while winding up...
133: Success & Failure
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike do an audit of their productivity workflows and share what's working (and what isn't).
132: Willpower and Your Environment
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is willpower enough to plow through? In this episode, Mike and David look into that question.
131: Liminal Thinking
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're all a lot less objective than we give ourselves credit for. David & Mike attempt to figure out why by considering limiting beliefs, learning loo...
130: Toxic Productivity
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At what point does your quest for productivity and efficiency become toxic? It's a good question and an easy trap. Mike and David have a few ideas.
129: No One Wants to Work With a Jerk, with Colleen Wainwright
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gmail ninja Colleen Wainwright joins us to talk about delegating work to others, the evolution of the attention economy, and working out of email with...
128: Communication
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David tackle one of the most difficult subjects of focus, Communication.
127: Focusing a Team, with Ken Case
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Case joins us to talk about how the Omni Group focuses their work teams, the lessons they've learned from forced changes due to COVID, and the ben...
126: Productivity vs. Grinding
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David get into note-taking (and note-making), listener feedback, and the pesky problem of productivity vs. grinding.
125: Professional Nerd, with Rosemary Orchard
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rosemary Orchard joins us to talk about juggling projects, automation, kanban boards, and keeping the jobby job.
124: Reading and Learning
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mike and David talk about PKM planets and how they read, process, and learn from books and other media.
123: A Focus on Time
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike talk about the different ways they track their time, what tools they use, and share the focus & productivity benefits they glean from the...
122: Linking Your Thinking with Nick Milo
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Milo from *Linking Your Thinking* joins this week to consider the role of focus in idea development and knowledge management.
121: Analog Focus, with Jeff Sheldon
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Sheldon from Ugmonk joins us to talk about his Analog productivity system, connecting dots, intentional constraints, and being a geek for the det...
120: Caveday with Jake Kahana
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jake Kahana from Caveday joins to talk about his journey and how Cavedays can help you get your focus mojo back.
119: Productivity & Meditation, with Chris Bailey
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author Chris Bailey joins us to talk about the productivity benefits of meditation, conquering resistance, and the path of least regret.
118: Tasks and Habits
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tasks are great but sometimes the wrong tool. Mike and David make the case that habits are underrated and can help you where projects can not.
117: Roles & Goals
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Goals are great, but they aren't enough. In this episode, David & Mike talk about how roles & goals work together and how the hats that you decide to ...
116: The Big Reset
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David take on the new year in their own focused ways as they talk through a workflow for change.
115: Solving Interesting Problems, with Ernie Svenson
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ernie Svenson joins us to talk about how focus inspired his career change from lawyer to small firm consultant, the importance of getting help, and th...
114: Inputs and PKM Stacks
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Inputs! We all have too many of them and not enough of us have a plan for them. In this episode, Mike and David talk about those pesky inputs and how ...
113: ADHD and Cognitive Science, with Brittany Smith
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brittany Smith is a cognitive scientist and very focused. She's also diagnosed with ADHD and she has a lot of wisdom to share in this week's episode.
112: Productivity & Creativity
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike consider the relationship of productivity & creativity and how it shapes the work that they do. They dive into their personal knowledge m...
111: Environmental Focus, with Erik Fisher
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Erik Fisher joins us to talk about internal and external distractions, setting up your environment for focused work, dealing with unexpected changes, ...
110: Focus with Michael Hyatt
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Hyatt joins in to talk about staying focused, drift, scaling back on social media.
109: Email Workflows
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike revisit the topic of email and discuss their current workflows. They share how and when they process email, what they use to do it, and t...
108: Pruning with Ian Byrd
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Educator, speaker, and online course creator Ian Byrd joins Mike and David to talk about quarterly retreats, technology, and focus. David makes a comm...
107: The Bullet Journal Method, with Ryder Carroll
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bullet Journal Method founder Ryder Carroll joins us to talk about taking time offline, asking the right questions, and finding the the balance betwee...
106: Home Offices with Laura Vanderkam
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Vanderkam joins the podcast this episode to talk about challenges and opportunities in working from home. Mike and David also break down their e...
105: Living the Multipotentialite Life, with Jay Miller
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jay Miller joins us to talk about balancing many interests, transferring your focus as you switch between them, and what it means to live the multipot...
104: Sleep and Sabbaticals
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David cover a lot in this week's episode ranging from David's attempt at a sabbatical to sleep to productivity in virtual reality.
103: Systems & Challenges
07 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David tweaks his shutdown routine and preps for his sabbatical, Mike unpacks his hybrid productivity system, and they each have their own productivity...
102: Analog Productivity with Brad Dowdy
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Pen Addict Brad Dowdy joins in to explain how he struggles to stay focused and discovers that he's a time blocker. We also get very nerdy about pe...
101: Taking a Sabbatical, with Sean McCabe
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sean McCabe is back to talk about sabbaticals - and to convince David to take one of his own.
100: Staying Focused with Episode 100
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's Episode 100 and Mike and David are looking back and looking forward in terms of focus.
99: Working From Home, with Dave Caolo
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Caolo joins us to talk about games & productivity, how his bullet journal helps him stay focused, and working from home without going crazy.
98: Floating with Dave Hamilton
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Hamilton joins in to talk about how to keep your focus in the workplace and during a pandemic. Also, Dave uses an isolation tank and we have ques...
97: Emotional Overload
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike continue the overload series with a look at emotional overload. They consider the value of introspection, share some fun distractions, an...
96: Working from Home
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David consider keeping your focus while working from home.
95: Five Years of Freedom
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David shares the big lessons he's learned from five years of working independently. He and Mike talk about the fear of failure, intentional constraint...
94: Journaling with Matt Ragland
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Ragland explains how he uses his paper bullet journal to stay focused.
93: Attention Overload
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this second part of the overload series, David & Mike discuss emotional hijacking, the myth of multitasking, and how to tame the lizard brain.
92: Getting Focused Kourosh Dini
04 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author, physician, and busy guy Kourosh Dini joins us to talk about how to stay focused when you have a lot of things going on.
91: Information Overload
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike kick off a new series on overload by examining their own FOMO triggers and make the productivity case for intentionally missing out.
90: Habits > Goals
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike are not fans of New Year's resolutions but they are fans of creating new habits.
89: The Magic of Mind Mapping, with Harald Eckmüller
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
MindNode designer Harald Eckmüller joins us to talk about using mind mapping as a focus tool.
88: Annual Check-Ins
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the end of the year, Mike and David check in on their own Focus journeys. Also, David has a secret life as a Jedi and Mike is using cof...
87: Nerds Like Us, with Myke Hurley
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Relay co-founder Myke Hurley joins us to talk about the power of yearly themes, becoming more intentional, and working with other humans.
86: Rest is a Weapon
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mike and David tackle sleep, napping, and how important they are to Focus.
85: The Depth of Our Madness
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike reveal their obsession with calendars. They discuss time and tasks, maintaining motivation, and their own calendaring workflows for how...
84: Focus is a Super Power
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mike and David dive deep on why Focus is so important. They also share thoughts about Ultralearning and why sometimes survival alone ...
83: Ideas Over Art, with Mike Rohde
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author and Designer Mike Rohde joins us to discuss the practice and process of sketchnoting. We talk about choosing the right tools, the benefits and ...
82: The Hustle
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mike and David tackle The Hustle. Is that a good thing or bad thing? The hosts also get around to gratitude and virtual help.
81: Breaking the Twitch, with Anthony Ongaro
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Anthony Ongaro joins us to talk about practical minimalism, designing an intentional life, and his multipotentialite resume which covers everything fr...
80: The Power of "No"
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David tackle the challenges that come with saying "No" and why a well-intentioned decline can make all the difference.
79: Reclaiming Margin, with Shawn Blanc
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Focus Course founder Shawn Blanc is back to talk about the importance of margin, how it gave him the space he needed to work through a personal cr...
78: Changing Defaults with John Zeratsky
23 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
John Zeratsky had the dream job at Google but left it all to write a book, Make Time, and reset his defaults. Learn about John's journey and how reset...
77: You Can't Hack the System
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike are sick and tired of being sick and tired, so in this episode they share some things they've learned about managing energy. They discu...
76: A Failure Across the Board
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, David and Mike dispel a myth about their feelings toward time tracking and David outs himself about exactly how unproductive he was o...
75: Intentional Constraints
11 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The conversation on moving the needle continues as David and Mike talk about intentional constraints. Mike embarks on a task management spirit quest, ...
74: Moving the Needle
28 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David & Mike unpack David's new system to help focus on important work, talk about stepping off the hamster wheel of efficiency, and discuss what to d...
73: Productivity and Art with Bob Reynolds
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike interview professional Saxophonist Bob Reynolds to talk about the importance of productivity when creating art.
72: Heart-Centered Productivity, with Jocelyn K. Glei
30 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The host of Hurry Slowly joins David & Mike to talk about avoiding burnout, percolating ideas, intentionality for introverts, and what it means to do ...
71: Hyper-Scheduling
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode focuses on hyper-scheduling and how to turn your calendar into a productivity weapon. Mike and David also continue the conversation about...
70: Digital Decluttering, with Shahid Kamal Ahmad
02 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Video game developer Shahid Kamal Ahmad is back to talk about his digital declutter, staying present, and quieting the voices in your head with an int...
69: The Intentional Life
19 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike continue to explore the topic of intentionality and the role it has in every area of your life. They also catch up on some listener fee...
68: Getting Productive with an Unproductive Boss
05 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, David and Mike talk about getting intentional and getting productive with an unproductive boss. Finally, they cover productive Italia...
67: Staying Motivated with Laura McClellan
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Laura McClellan, The Productive Woman, joins to talk about her perfectly scheduled day (and what happens when that goes wrong), habit...
66: Putting Email in its Place
05 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike navigate the minefield of email, sharing strategies and workflow tips to help you curb inbox addiction and reclaim your focus.
65: Hyperfocused with Chris Bailey
22 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author and productivity experimenter Chris Bailey joins us to share ideas and strategies for getting your focus on.
64: The Power of Habits
08 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike kick off Focused with an in-depth look at why New Year's resolutions usually fail. They discuss the power of tiny gains, why systems ar...
63: Lessons Learned
26 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David wrap up the Free Agents run with a discussion of depression and Free Agency and David has some overall thoughts on free agency as they ...
62: The Year End Audit
11 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike do a year end audit of their own Free Agency to figure out where they spent their time and money. They talk about fixing broken systems...
61: The Morning Routine
27 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David dig in on their morning routines. Mike finds himself entering the Free Agent arena like never before and David wants to start year-end ...
60: Be Strategic About It, with Mike Vardy
13 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Productivityist founder Mike Vardy joins David & Mike to tell his free agent story, from Costco to comedian to productivity strategist. He shares how ...
59: Kaizen
30 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, David and Mike look at the concept of Kaizen and how little changes can add up to big results. They also help Michael as he makes his...
58: A Better Path, with Joe Buhlig
16 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Podcaster and programmer Joe Buhlig shares his free agent journey, from bean field to office to family room. He joins David and Mike to talk about his...
57: Chef = Boss
02 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about space. Mike and David discuss the role of Mise-en-place ("Everything in its place") with a successful free agency. Also, Dav...
56: Iterate in Public, with Sean McCabe
18 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sean McCabe started his free agent journey as a designer doing hand lettering, and has built a successful online business through teaching what he kno...
55: The Math Works
04 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mike and David cover a variety of Free Agent topics including getting enough sleep, staying motivated, and David makes a big decision about his transp...
54: I Have to Try It, with Casey Liss
21 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Podcaster and programmer Casey Liss joins David and Mike to talk about his Free Agent journey, what caused him to take the leap, the tendency to do to...
53: The Value of Your Time
07 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike talk about protecting your most valuable resource and how to figure out what you shouldn’t be doing anymore. Mike gets inspired durin...
52: You Can't Be What You Can't See with Ann Shen
24 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ann Shen started her career as a grant writer and realized the ladder she was climbing was leaning against the wrong wall. She then took the courageou...
51: Freedom Frogs
10 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David and Mike talk about why “eating your frog” is an important Free Agent survival skill. David talks through a pivot in his approach to book pu...
50: Bet on Yourself
26 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Schmitz joins as the new Free Agents co-host. In this episode, we get to know Mike better, learn about his journey, and discuss the show format g...
49: Panting to the Finish Line
12 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Family members with employment issues remind Jason about just how far he's come; David grapples with letting go of control and working with an assista...
48: Lousy With the Stink of Freedom, with Merlin Mann
29 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Podcaster Merlin Mann joins us to discuss his long journey as an independent worker, during which he's pivoted from tech guy to productivity expert to...
47: Personal Floating Holiday
15 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David needs to deal with some clients who aren't paying him. Jason thinks about "taking a personal day" and how that's different from going on vacatio...