162: Perfectionism
David & Mike discuss perfectionism, procrastination, and overcoming the urge to get everything just right.
Episodes
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
161: Stolen Focus, with Jean MacDonald
Jean MacDonald joins us to talk about social media, the M.E.O.W. system, and reading books.
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.
159: The Art of Note-Taking
David & Mike consider note-taking and its role in the creative process.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
153: A Wandering Mind, with Kourosh Dini
Kourosh Dini is back to talk about being with the work and the dark side of flow.
152: Mental Models
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
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
David & Mike celebrate episode 150 by talking about focus traps and answering a bunch of listener questions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
141: You Never Arrive
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
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.
139: Soundtracks & Self-Talk
David & Mike consider the source of negative self-talk, the power of positive thinking, and taming the rebellious brain.
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?
137: Managing Busy
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.
136: Social Focus, with Taylor Jacobson
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
Jesse Anderson joins us to talk about self-awareness and the struggles with being productive while battling ADHD.
134: Finding Space with Sean McCabe
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.
133: Success & Failure
David & Mike do an audit of their productivity workflows and share what's working (and what isn't).