Back to Work

Episode 24: The Daddy for your Destiny

July 12th, 2011  |  1 hr 32 mins

Dan's in a closet, but Merlin has a lot of FU from the last show: good jobs don't get posted on Craigslist and while you may not know what's gonna happen next, you're not just gonna install Xcode and retire on your angry bird so either do your research, g

Episode 23: Failure is ALWAYS an Option

July 5th, 2011  |  1 hr 17 mins

This week, Dan and Merlin determine that even the Chico Marx of notebooks is the right one if you're writing in it, failure is ALWAYS an option: fully committing didn't do Pickett any good, but you should commit to narrowing scope and deciding what succes

Episode 22: My Baby Likes Aluminum Foil!

June 28th, 2011  |  1 hr 10 mins

This week, Merlin and Dan share their Pick: The Macintosh Computer.

Also, a 17-minute experimental startup sound, catching conflicts, shivving the stagecoach, machine-gunning with SoundMaster, the dangers of ResEdit, and the future of recumbent bike ba

Episode 21: Assistant TO the Regional Monkey

June 22nd, 2011  |  1 hr 1 min

Merlin and Dan talk about the problem of permanent zeroes, desiring not to desire, why "hypocrisy" is killing you, stepping back on the path without apologizing, Merlin's new tattoo, and—yeah—going a little easier on yourself.

Also, how almost everythi

Episode 20: Muscle of Failure

June 14th, 2011  |  1 hr 13 mins

Merlin and Dan talk about getting started, putting on your shoes instead of shopping for pedometers, false dilemmas, doing as much work with your hands as you've done in your head, why you should leave some water in the pump, meta-fiddling, and getting be

Episode 19: Corner Casey Kasem

June 7th, 2011  |  1 hr 22 mins

Merlin and Dan talk about mindful tool adoption, screwdriver museums, why Vi users may (or may not) be cannibalistic insects—plus debate on whether a home video of a toy horse falling down in someone's bathroom is about Humanity. Also, Dan effs with Merli

Episode 18: Forking the Question

May 31st, 2011  |  1 hr 25 mins

Merlin and Dan talk about educating "That's Just a Button Guy," practicing more humane pushback, asking better questions, why laundromats don't accept "focus," plus what happens when you put WAY too much crap in your five-pound bag.

Episode 17: Brick Building Full of Lies

May 27th, 2011  |  1 hr 26 mins

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about checking email under the table to catch up on your 27 high priority tasks, a good time to use the word priority, blowing cycles on meeting with Narnia's stakeholders, and getting tasks out of your dreamcatcher.

Episode 16: Bracing for the Blow

May 18th, 2011  |  1 hr 12 mins

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin aren't afraid of lawyers, dentists, negative feelings, or of not being afraid of something.

Episode 15: Marionette of my own Design

May 10th, 2011  |  1 hr 9 secs

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin are here to discuss the awareness of fear, asking yourself why, and knowing the problem instead of chasing fake confidence, patches, and hacks.

Episode 14: Velocity of Disappointment

May 3rd, 2011  |  1 hr 7 mins

Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about problems that are impossible, problems that are boring, problems that you're scared of, and why you need to differentiate between fear and anxiety so you can be scared of something interesting.

Episode 13: The Kid's Great

April 26th, 2011  |  1 hr 30 mins

Dan and Merlin talk about "Cranking" - Merlin's latest post at 43folders.com.