Focused - podcast cover

Focused

Relaywww.relay.fm
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.

Episodes

107: The Bullet Journal Method, with Ryder Carroll

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.

Sep 01, 20201 hr 1 minEp. 107

106: Home Offices with Laura Vanderkam

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.

Aug 18, 20201 hr 20 minEp. 106

104: Sleep and Sabbaticals

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.

Jul 21, 20202 hr 36 minEp. 104

103: Systems & Challenges

David tweaks his shutdown routine and preps for his sabbatical, Mike unpacks his hybrid productivity system, and they each have their own productivity challenge to complete.

Jul 07, 20201 hr 12 minEp. 103

102: Analog Productivity with Brad Dowdy

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 pens and paper toward the end.

Jun 23, 20202 hr 38 minEp. 102

99: Working From Home, with Dave Caolo

Dave Caolo joins us to talk about games & productivity, how his bullet journal helps him stay focused, and working from home without going crazy.

May 12, 20201 hr 9 minEp. 99

98: Floating with Dave Hamilton

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 questions.

Apr 28, 20202 hr 32 minEp. 98

97: Emotional Overload

David & Mike continue the overload series with a look at emotional overload. They consider the value of introspection, share some fun distractions, and discuss being ok with not being productive.

Apr 14, 20201 hr 5 minEp. 97

96: Working from Home

Mike and David consider keeping your focus while working from home.

Mar 31, 202059 minEp. 96

95: Five Years of Freedom

David shares the big lessons he's learned from five years of working independently. He and Mike talk about the fear of failure, intentional constraints, effective delegation, and the impact David's furry new coworker has on his productivity.

Mar 17, 20201 hr 16 minEp. 95

93: Attention Overload

In this second part of the overload series, David & Mike discuss emotional hijacking, the myth of multitasking, and how to tame the lizard brain.

Feb 18, 20201 hr 5 minEp. 93

92: Getting Focused Kourosh Dini

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.

Feb 04, 20201 hr 19 minEp. 92

91: Information Overload

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.

Jan 21, 20201 hr 10 minEp. 91

90: Habits > Goals

David and Mike are not fans of New Year's resolutions but they are fans of creating new habits.

Jan 07, 20202 hr 31 minEp. 90

88: Annual Check-Ins

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 coffee to hack focus.

Dec 10, 20192 hr 32 minEp. 88

87: Nerds Like Us, with Myke Hurley

Relay co-founder Myke Hurley joins us to talk about the power of yearly themes, becoming more intentional, and working with other humans.

Nov 26, 20191 hr 21 minEp. 87

86: Rest is a Weapon

In this episode, Mike and David tackle sleep, napping, and how important they are to Focus.

Nov 12, 20192 hr 30 minEp. 86

85: The Depth of Our Madness

David and Mike reveal their obsession with calendars. They discuss time and tasks, maintaining motivation, and their own calendaring workflows for how they plan their day.

Oct 29, 20192 hr 43 minEp. 85

84: Focus is a Super Power

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 is good enough.

Oct 15, 20191 hr 22 minEp. 84

83: Ideas Over Art, with Mike Rohde

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 drawbacks of analog vs. digital, and why sketchnoting is for everyone - even if you don't think of yourself an artist.

Oct 01, 20191 hr 11 minEp. 83

82: The Hustle

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.

Sep 17, 20191 hr 22 minEp. 82

81: Breaking the Twitch, with Anthony Ongaro

Anthony Ongaro joins us to talk about practical minimalism, designing an intentional life, and his multipotentialite resume which covers everything from musician to log roller.

Sep 03, 20191 hr 10 minEp. 81

80: The Power of "No"

Mike and David tackle the challenges that come with saying "No" and why a well-intentioned decline can make all the difference.

Aug 20, 20191 hr 6 minEp. 80

79: Reclaiming Margin, with Shawn Blanc

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 crisis, and life lessons learned from his orange 1984 Jeep CJ-7.

Aug 06, 20191 hr 6 minEp. 79

78: Changing Defaults with John Zeratsky

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 resetting your own defaults can make all the difference.

Jul 23, 20191 hr 2 minEp. 78