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
191: Multi-Scale Planning
190: Overdosing on Gratitude, with Karl Staib
189: Focus & AI
188: Q4 Planning & The PKM Stack
187: Drop Zones & Launch Pads, with Jesse J. Anderson
Jesse J. Anderson is back to talk about troubleshooting productivity systems and his new book for helping adults with ADHD find focus.
186: The Burden of Opportunity, with Shawn Blanc
The Focus Course creator and small business owner Shawn Blanc is back to talk about margin, sabbaticals, and focusing like a boss.
185: How to Be Miserable
David & Mike discuss the satirical self-help book How to Be Miserable by Randy J. Paterson and share the dysfunctional skills they are particularly good at.
184: Solving Problems, with Jay Clouse
Jay Clouse of Creator Science joins us to talk about the sawdust problem, the focus benefits of community, and finding the balance between quality and quantity.
183: Practicing Focus
David & Mike discuss how they inject focus into their workdays & Mike shares about his tiny house retreat experience.
182: Building Focused Flywheels, with Nathan Barry
ConvertKit CEO Nathan Barry joins us to talk about the power of focus and how it helped save his company.
181: Walking Your Own Path, with Justin Moore
Sponsorship coach Justin Moore joins us to talk about his journey from medical devices to Creator Wizard founder, avoiding the comparison trap, and finding your niche.
180: A Focused Hodgepodge
David reflects on 18 months of freedom, Mike reports back from Craft + Commerce, and they both share their best advice for teaching kids how to focus.
179: Ideal Weeks
David & Mike discuss the process of planning (and attempting to live out) their ideal weeks.
178: Mike's Big Adventure
Mike is finally a Free Agent. In this episode, he & David talk through the process and share some tips for those considering making revolutionary change.
177: The Care and Feeding of Technology, with Mike Rohde
Mike Rohde is back to talk about the role of analog and digital tools in maintaining creative focus.
176: Doing Less
David & Mike revisit the importance of saying no and discuss how to prevent taking on too much.
175: The To-Don't List
David & Mike get caught up on listener feedback as they discuss journaling data, power naps, and choosing the things you aren't going to do.
174: Deep Work, with Cal Newport
Computer scientist & author Cal Newport joins us to talk about the impact of technology and culture on productivity and shares what we can do to protect our ability to focus.
173: Life Has Lifed You, with Mark Metzger
Business lawyer Mark Metzger joins David to talk about false urgency, the power of having a coach, and getting back on the wagon when life happens.
172: Journaling & Focus
David & Mike dive deep into the topic of journaling and share their workflows for making it stick.
171: Communication & Focus
David & Mike discuss communication, project management, and managing expectations to protect your focus.
170: Holistic Productivity, with Tim Stringer
Tim Stringer joins us to talk about mortality, reinvention, and the fight to live a focused life.
169: How to Calm Your Mind, with Chris Bailey
Chris Bailey is back to talk about dopamine, burnout, and finding calm in these anxious times.
168: 2023 Focus Resolutions
David & Mike share their words for the year and discuss their plans to live out the first quarter of 2023 with intentionality and focus.
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.
166: The Social Dilemma
David & Mike walk through their planning processes and make their best case for leaving social media altogether.
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.
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.
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.