167: 2022 Year in Review
David & Mike reflect on the last year and share what went well, what could have gone better, and their lessons learned.
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 167
Focused
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
166: The Social Dilemma
David & Mike walk through their planning processes and make their best case for leaving social media altogether.
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 166
165: On the River, with Chris Upchurch
Chris Upchurch joins us to talk about his recent career change from metropolitan transportation planner to whitewater rafting guide.
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 165
164: Mind Mapping
David & Mike consider the focus benefits of mind mapping and discuss the tools and methods they use to think beyond the outline.
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 164
163: The Laws of Creativity, with Joey Cofone
Baron Fig CEO Joey Cofone joins us to talk about creativity, embracing constraints, and finding your own way.
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 163
162: Perfectionism
David & Mike discuss perfectionism, procrastination, and overcoming the urge to get everything just right.
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 162
161: Stolen Focus, with Jean MacDonald
Jean MacDonald joins us to talk about social media, the M.E.O.W. system, and reading books.
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 161
160: Balancing Calendars and Tasks
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.
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 160
159: The Art of Note-Taking
David & Mike consider note-taking and its role in the creative process.
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 159
158: Humans First, with Rob Krecak
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.
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 158
157: Non-Traditional Measures of Productivity, with Mike Vardy
Mike Vardy is back to talk about the rhythm of work and why some people feel "productivity" is becoming a dirty word.
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 157
156: The State of GTD
Inspired by a Cal Newport article on Getting Things Done, David & Mike go through an audit of the (in)famous productivity system.
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 156
155: 12 Favorite Problems
David & Mike explore the idea of favorite problems and identify a dozen of their own in a quest for self-discovery.
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 155
154: Building a Second Brain, with Tiago Forte
Tiago Forte joins us to talk about his new book, building knowledge assets, and flipping the switch from consumer to creator.
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 154
153: A Wandering Mind, with Kourosh Dini
Kourosh Dini is back to talk about being with the work and the dark side of flow.
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 153
152: Mental Models
David & Mike share some of their favorite mental models and how to use them for better sensemaking.
May 24, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 152
151: The Bento Method, with Francesco D'Alessio
Francesco D'Alessio joins us to talk about the state of productivity apps, picking the right tools, and his new app, Bento.
May 11, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 151
150: Optimize for Intentionality
David & Mike celebrate episode 150 by talking about focus traps and answering a bunch of listener questions.
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 150
149: Asking Questions, with Marc Champagne
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.
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 149
148: Savoring the Moment, with Chris Bailey
Chris Bailey is back to talk about his dopamine fast, the art of savoring, and avoiding the productivity racket.
Mar 29, 2022•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 148
147: Task Management & Focus
David & Mike revisit the topic of task management to talk about Mike's Obsidian task management experiment and their (very different) use of checklists.
Mar 15, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 147
146: The Extended Mind, with Annie Murphy Paul
Author Annie Murphy Paul joins us to talk about playing with ideas, working in groups, and other ways to extend the mind.
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 146
145: Focus & Your Environment
David & Mike consider how the environment affects our ability to focus and share the very different ways they set up their workspaces.
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 145
144: Enough, with Patrick Rhone
Patrick Rhone joins us to talk about analog productivity, knolling, mise en place, and staying focused while wearing many hats.
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 144
143: Thinking Annually
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.
Jan 18, 2022•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 143
142: Sparky Gets Focused
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.
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 142
141: You Never Arrive
David & Mike discuss the arrival fallacy and the importance of finding joy in the journey.
Dec 22, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 141
140: Your Brain is Not a Computer with Cory Hixson
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.
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 140
139: Soundtracks & Self-Talk
David & Mike consider the source of negative self-talk, the power of positive thinking, and taming the rebellious brain.
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 139
138: Hyper-Scheduling Revisited
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?
Nov 09, 2021•2 hr 35 min•Ep. 138