Focused

David & Mike explore the idea of favorite problems and identify a dozen of their own in a quest for self-discovery.

Tiago Forte joins us to talk about his new book, building knowledge assets, and flipping the switch from consumer to creator.

Kourosh Dini is back to talk about being with the work and the dark side of flow.

David & Mike share some of their favorite mental models and how to use them for better sensemaking.

Francesco D'Alessio joins us to talk about the state of productivity apps, picking the right tools, and his new app, Bento.

David & Mike celebrate episode 150 by talking about focus traps and answering a bunch of listener questions.

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.

Chris Bailey is back to talk about his dopamine fast, the art of savoring, and avoiding the productivity racket.

David & Mike revisit the topic of task management to talk about Mike's Obsidian task management experiment and their (very different) use of checklists.

Author Annie Murphy Paul joins us to talk about playing with ideas, working in groups, and other ways to extend the mind.

David & Mike consider how the environment affects our ability to focus and share the very different ways they set up their workspaces.

Patrick Rhone joins us to talk about analog productivity, knolling, mise en place, and staying focused while wearing many hats.

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.

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.

David & Mike discuss the arrival fallacy and the importance of finding joy in the journey.

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 not a computer.

David & Mike consider the source of negative self-talk, the power of positive thinking, and taming the rebellious brain.

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 experiment go where he stopped blocking time?

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 avoid it.

Taylor Jacobson joins us to talk about groundedness, vulnerability, and accountability on his journey to founding Focusmate.

Jesse Anderson joins us to talk about self-awareness and the struggles with being productive while battling ADHD.

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 a new business.

David & Mike do an audit of their productivity workflows and share what's working (and what isn't).

Is willpower enough to plow through? In this episode, Mike and David look into that question.

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 loops, and the slippery slope of self-sealing logic.

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.

Gmail ninja Colleen Wainwright joins us to talk about delegating work to others, the evolution of the attention economy, and working out of email without going crazy.

Mike and David tackle one of the most difficult subjects of focus, Communication.

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 benefits of planning for disruption.

Mike and David get into note-taking (and note-making), listener feedback, and the pesky problem of productivity vs. grinding.

Rosemary Orchard joins us to talk about juggling projects, automation, kanban boards, and keeping the jobby job.

In this episode, Mike and David talk about PKM planets and how they read, process, and learn from books and other media.

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 process.

Nick Milo from *Linking Your Thinking* joins this week to consider the role of focus in idea development and knowledge management.

Jeff Sheldon from Ugmonk joins us to talk about his Analog productivity system, connecting dots, intentional constraints, and being a geek for the details.

Jake Kahana from Caveday joins to talk about his journey and how Cavedays can help you get your focus mojo back.

Author Chris Bailey joins us to talk about the productivity benefits of meditation, conquering resistance, and the path of least regret.

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.

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 wear are the real foundation of a solid personal productivity system.

Mike and David take on the new year in their own focused ways as they talk through a workflow for change.

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 the value of journaling.

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 to deal with them.

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.

David & Mike consider the relationship of productivity & creativity and how it shapes the work that they do. They dive into their personal knowledge management stacks and the tools they currently use, share some tips for tagging, and discuss where to draw the lines between tools for managing tasks and ideas.

Erik Fisher joins us to talk about internal and external distractions, setting up your environment for focused work, dealing with unexpected changes, and building self-awareness.

Michael Hyatt joins in to talk about staying focused, drift, scaling back on social media.

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 the strategies they use to break free from their inboxes long enough to do some actual work.

Educator, speaker, and online course creator Ian Byrd joins Mike and David to talk about quarterly retreats, technology, and focus. David makes a commitment.

Bullet Journal Method founder Ryder Carroll joins us to talk about taking time offline, asking the right questions, and finding the the balance between style and substance in getting the right things done.

Laura Vanderkam joins the podcast this episode to talk about challenges and opportunities in working from home. Mike and David also break down their ever-evolving shut down routines.