Azure & DevOps Podcast Dan Clarke: Personal Productivity - Episode 377
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Nov 24, 2025 Dan Clarke, a seasoned software consultant, Microsoft MVP, and founder of Everstack Ltd., dives into the world of productivity. He shares insights on building tool-based habits, focusing through distractions, and utilizing techniques like time blocking and the Pomodoro method. Dan discusses the value of IDE automation and his experiences with AI tools like GitHub Copilot to accelerate development. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining code quality and the potential risks of AI-generated apps for junior developers.
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From Vic-20 To Podcast-Fueled Passion
- Dan Clarke traced his earliest coding to childhood machines like the Vic-20 and BBC computers he used with his father.
- Podcasts later amplified his passion by exposing him to the energy of hosts and guests and many technologies.
Productivity As Interlocking Pillars
- Dan organizes productivity into multiple complementary pillars rather than a single technique.
- He argues that combining focus, notes, to-dos, time blocking, tools, health, mindset, learning, goals, and people compounds effectiveness.
Eliminate Notifications To Protect Focus
- Turn off notifications and remove short-form distraction feeds so you can focus on one task at a time.
- Work in longer uninterrupted blocks to enable deeper thinking and fewer context switches.
