Mike Vardy is back to talk about the rhythm of work and why some people feel "productivity" is becoming a dirty word. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite. Get a special one-of-a-kind financing offer. Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Guest Starring: Mike Vardy Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done | The New Yorker Focused #156: The State of GTD Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith | Amazon Journaling in Obsidian Using Daily Questions | YouTube Meditations by Marcus Aurelius | The Internet Classics Archive Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey | Amazon Greenlights journal | Amazon Drafts Reflection Hyper-Scheduling | MacSparky Hemingwrite Personal Retreat Video | MacSparky Personal Retreat Handbook | Faith-Based Productivity Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez | Amazon The Productivity Diet | The Productivityist @mikevardy | Twitter

Inspired by a Cal Newport article on Getting Things Done, David & Mike go through an audit of the (in)famous productivity system. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite. Get a special one-of-a-kind financing offer. Setapp: More than 240 powerful apps. Try it free for a week. Indeed: Start hiring now and only pay for quality applications matching the sponsored job description. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended episodes with bonus deep dive content. The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done | The New Yorker Getting Things Done by David Allen Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte Focused #154: Building a Second Brain, with Tiago Forte Mike's Input Workflow | Faith-Based Productivity Personal Retreat Handbook | Faith-Based Productivity Hazel Field Guide | MacSparky Journaling in Obsidian Using Daily Questions | YouTube

David & Mike explore the idea of favorite problems and identify a dozen of their own in a quest for self-discovery. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Setapp: More than 240 powerful apps. Try it free for a week. NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite. Get a special one-of-a-kind financing offer. Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Focused #154: Building a Second Brain, with Tiago Forte Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte Mac Power Users #82: Cooking Ideas Richard Feynman's Letter on What Problems to Solve | Farnam Street Focused #149: Asking Questions, with Marc Champagne How to do what you love and make good money | Derek Sivers Sabbaticals, Long and Short | MacSparky Focused #101: Taking a Sabbatical, with Sean McCabe Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray

Tiago Forte joins us to talk about his new book, building knowledge assets, and flipping the switch from consumer to creator. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Timing: The automatic time tracking app for macOS. Use this link to save 10% on your purchase. Setapp: Curated playlists to help you get things done. Search and follow ‘Setapp’ on Spotify. Guest Starring: Tiago Forte Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended episodes with bonus deep dive content. Building a Second Brain Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte | Amazon Focused #146: The Extended Mind, with Annie Murphy Paul How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler | Amazon What is GTD? | Getting Things Done Tiago Forte (@fortelabs) | Twitter

Kourosh Dini is back to talk about being with the work and the dark side of flow. 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. Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Guest Starring: Kourosh Dini Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended episodes with bonus deep dive content. Shortcuts for Mac Field Guide | MacSparky Focused #135: Don't Eat the Frog, with Jesse J. Anderson Miller’s Law Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi | Amazon The War of Art by Steven Pressfield | Amazon The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin | Amazon Waves of Focus (Kourosh's course) Being Productive Kourosh Dini

David & Mike share some of their favorite mental models and how to use them for better sensemaking. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Kolide: Endpoint Security Powered by People. Try Kolide for 14 days free; no credit card required. Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Timing: The automatic time tracking app for macOS. Use this link to save 10% on your purchase. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Linking Your Thinking The Great Mental Models Volume 1 by Shane Parrish & Rhiannon Beaubien Bookworm #113: The Great Mental Models, Volume 1 The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull Ship 30 for 30 Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray Think Again by Adam Grant

Francesco D'Alessio joins us to talk about the state of productivity apps, picking the right tools, and his new app, Bento. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Kolide: Endpoint Security Powered by People. Try Kolide for 14 days free; no credit card required. Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Guest Starring: Francesco D'Alessio Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Keep Productive | YouTube The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan Bento: The Do Less Todo List The Story of the Chinese Farmer | YouTube

David & Mike celebrate episode 150 by talking about focus traps and answering a bunch of listener questions. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Kolide: Endpoint Security Powered by People. Try Kolide for 14 days free; no credit card required. Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Timing: The automatic time tracking app for macOS. Use this link to save 10% on your purchase. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky Focused #149: Asking Questions, with Marc Champagne Personal Socrates by Marc Champagne Esington Glass PARKS Board Game Essentialism by Greg McKeown About the Circa Discbound Notebook System | Levenger Discbound Heirloom Journal (Brown) | Ugmonk Part-Time YouTuber Academy with Ali Abdaal

Marc Champagne (author of Personal Socrates) joins us to talk about mental fitness, journaling, and why simply asking the right questions can change your life. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Microsoft Lists – MSA Preview: Sign up, sign in and track what matters most. Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase. Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Guest Starring: Marc Champagne Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Marc Champagne Personal Socrates by Marc Champagne Behind the Human podcast Better Questions Newsletter Day One Improve Your Focus and Productivity with Interstitial Journaling

Chris Bailey is back to talk about his dopamine fast, the art of savoring, and avoiding the productivity racket. 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. Ahrefs: Improve your website’s SEO performance and get more traffic from search. Free for website owners. Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post. Guest Starring: Chris Bailey Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended episodes with bonus deep dive content. The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey How to Train Your Mind by Chris Bailey | Audible The Time and Attention Podcast | A Life of Productivity Freedom - Block Websites, Apps, and the Internet The Molecule of More by Daniel Lieberman The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Billy Joel - Vienna | YouTube Savoring by Fred Bryant Getting Things Done A Life of Productivity