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.

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David Sparks

MacSparky.com

Mike Schmitz

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    Latest Episodes

    #148: Savoring the Moment, with Chris Bailey

    March 29th, 2022 · 89 minutes

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

    #147: Task Management & Focus

    March 15th, 2022 · 86 minutes

    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

    March 1st, 2022 · 61 minutes

    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

    February 15th, 2022 · 81 minutes

    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

    February 1st, 2022 · 86 minutes

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

    #143: Thinking Annually

    January 18th, 2022 · 90 minutes

    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

    January 4th, 2022 · 72 minutes

    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

    December 22nd, 2021 · 76 minutes

    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

    December 7th, 2021 · 79 minutes

    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

    November 23rd, 2021 · 69 minutes

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