David & Mike continue the overload series with a look at emotional overload. They consider the value of introspection, share some fun distractions, and discuss being ok with not being productive. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code FOCUSED to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021. Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Matt Ragland's Journaling Course Day One in Depth (The Sweet Setup course) The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (Amazon) Stop Trying to Be Productive (The New York Times) The Intentional Family (Mike's new podcast) The IT Crowd (Netflix) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Amazon) Temeraire 9 Book Series (Amazon)

Mike and David consider keeping your focus while working from home. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Agenda: Date-focused note taking. Download now for free. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Focused #95: Five Years of Freedom - Relay FM Working From Home — MacSparky Staying Focused at Home Webinar Replay — The Focus Course Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily – Take Control Books Fun and Useful Apps (and more) for Working from Home – The Sweet Setup

David, an independent professional with five years of experience, shares insights on self-employment alongside Mike, who explores themes of fear and productivity. They discuss the fear of failure and the importance of embracing intentional constraints to boost creativity. David highlights the joy and challenges of working remotely, while his new puppy adds a playful twist to productivity. Together, they reflect on personal growth, effective delegation, and the value of community support in navigating the freelance journey.

Matt Ragland explains how he uses his paper bullet journal to stay focused. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code FOCUSED to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021. Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Indeed: Post your job today and get a free sponsored job upgrade. Guest Starring: Matt Ragland Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Matt Ragland - YouTube Matt Ragland — Minimalist Bullet Journal & Time Tracking Freed & Bound - Notebooks, Journals, and Analog Tools for Productivity – freedandbound My Field Notes to Bullet Journal system || Why it's a great EDC notebook for logging & time tracking - YouTube

Dive into the world of attention overload and discover how emotional hijacking impacts our decision-making. Explore the myth of multitasking and learn why focusing on one task at a time can boost productivity. Hear about the importance of nourishing your mind with quality content while practicing mindfulness techniques to manage distractions. Strategies like time blocking and setting personal boundaries become vital tools in reclaiming your focus in a world full of sensory overload.

Author, physician, and busy guy Kourosh Dini joins us to talk about how to stay focused when you have a lot of things going on. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Timing: The automatic time tracking app for macOS. Use this link to save 10% on your purchase. ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package. Guest Starring: Kourosh Dini Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Kourosh Dini | Mind, Music, and Productivity Course & Books | Kourosh Dini Music | Kourosh Dini

David and Mike kick off a new series on overload by examining their own FOMO triggers and make the productivity case for intentionally missing out. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Blinkist: Read 3000+ books in 15 minutes or fewer. Start your 7-day free trial. Ahrefs: SEO Tools & Resources To Grow Your Search Traffic. Get a 7-day trial for just $7. ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Habits > Goals Thread | Focused Forum The Focused Calendar | Focused Forum Digital Minimalism thread | Focused Forum Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky | Amazon Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport | Amazon Digital Declutter Kickoff | The Focus Course

David and Mike are not fans of New Year's resolutions but they are fans of creating new habits. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code FOCUSED to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31 2021. Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Timing: The automatic time tracking app for macOS. Use this link to save 10% on your purchase. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Atomic Habits The Power of Habit The Infinite Game Cortex #95: 2020 Yearly Themes - Relay FM

MindNode designer Harald Eckmüller joins us to talk about using mind mapping as a focus tool. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Guest Starring: Harald Eckmüller Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Mac Power Users #82: Cooking Ideas - Relay FM David's MindNode Screencasts An Example of Mike's Book Notes Mind Map (Flow) Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon - Amazon The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron - Amazon How Thomas Shows Clients the Bigger Picture – MindNode Mac Power Users #319: Teaching Workflows with Teddy Svoronos - Relay FM Mac Power Users #383: More Education Workflows with Teddy Svoronos - Relay FM 3W6 Podcast Aces in Space by Christian Vogt — Kickstarter

As we approach the end of the year, Mike and David check in on their own Focus journeys. Also, David has a secret life as a Jedi and Mike is using coffee to hack focus. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Ahrefs: SEO Tools & Resources To Grow Your Search Traffic. Get a 7-day trial for just $7. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership The FOCUSED Calendar – NeuYear.net Cortex #94: State of the Apps 2020 - Relay FM Mindfulness Monday: Meditation (& Our Pick for the Best Meditation App) – The Sweet Setup