Back to Work

TOPIC: Interstitial time and why you want it back. This week, after some preliminary discussion of smoking and the children who throw rocks and run track, Dan and Merlin answer questions from listeners. Links for this episode:OpenDNS: Cloud-Delivered Security Enforcement & IntelligencePublic DNS   |   Google DevelopersAd-free time! | Blocking ads, unblocking Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, BBC and moreStatus overview | Down DetectorInflight smoking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaHome and Family solutions | OpenDNSBetterTouchToolSpark - fast and smart email for your iPhone on the App Store on iTunesMicrosoft Outlook on the App Store on iTunesSponsored by Lynda - visit http://lynda.com/backtowork for a free 10-day trial, and by Squarespace - use code ITSYOURSHOW for 10% off your first purchase.

Merlin and Dan use The Aviator as a jumping-off point to talk about OCD as it relates to perfectionism, creativity, and drive in the workplace. They discuss rituals and their consequences, the importance of mise en place, and eliminating disruptive processes. Also, Merlin invokes the term "workflows". Links for this episode:5by5 | Back to Work #221: Minimally Viable InterruptionTOPIC: Time, Stones, and Giving Yourself a BreakJust…give yourself permission to not feel like a dick today. Especially if you think you don't deserve it. Outside the Lines: An Artists' Coloring Book for Giant Imaginations: Souris Hong-Porretta: 9780399162084: Amazon.com: BooksNetflix June 2015: What's Coming? What's Going?The Aviator (June 1): Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio team up for a sweeping Howard Hughes biopic. Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (TV Movie 2008) - IMDbStanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001) - IMDbMise en place - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaa French phrase which meant "putting in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organising and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift. For A More Ordered Life, Organize Like A Chef : The Salt : NPRThe system that makes kitchens go is called mise-en-place, or, literally, "put in place." It's a French phrase that means to gather and arrange the ingredients and tools needed for cooking. Ratatouille (2007) - IMDbJohnny Carson: The First King Of Late Night - Esquirenervous How It All Began: A Brief History of the Kitchen Brigade - Food - The Austin ChronicleSponsored by Casper (Visit the link and enter the code BACKTOWORK for $50 toward your new mattress purchase), PDFpen Scan+ by Smile Software (Visit the link to learn more and start scanning documents to your mobile device), Wealthfront (Visit the link and get your first $10,000 managed for free), and JustWorks (Let JustWorks handle your benefits, payroll, and HR by visiting the link and using the code 'backtowork' when you sign up to get 15% off your first year).

TOPIC: Time, Stones, and Giving Yourself a Break Just…give yourself permission to not feel like a dick today. Especially if you think you don't deserve it. Links for this episode:Dogs CAN see in colour: Scientists dispel the myth that canines can only see in black and white | Daily Mail OnlineThe Dalrymple ReportMac Power Users #257: Workflows with Merlin Mann: Episode VI - Relay FMColor Therapy: An Anti-Stress Coloring Book: Cindy Wilde, Laura-Kate Chapman, Richard Merritt: 9780762458806: Amazon.com: BooksBalance (Angie's Extreme Stress Menders Volume 1): Angie Grace: 6063887956581: Amazon.com: BooksCreative Haven Creative Cats Coloring Book (Creative Haven Coloring Books): Marjorie Sarnat: 9780486789644: Amazon.com: BooksThe Dalrymple Report — OvercastCreative Coloring Animals: Art Activity Pages to Relax and Enjoy! (Design Originals): Valentina Harper: 9781574219715: Amazon.com: BooksAmazon.com: Sargent Art 22-7251 50-Count Assorted Colored PencilsAmazon.com : Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, 48 Assorted Color Pencils : Wood Colored Pencils : Office ProductsAmazon.com : Kum Long Point Pencil Sharpener with Pointer : Office ProductsSunrise Launches ‘Meet’, a Custom Keyboard to Schedule Meetings – MacStories5by5 | Back to Work #139: Tap Your Meat Stack5by5 | Back to Work #133: I'm Glad Your Computer DiedMysterious red light puzzles Cocoa Beach residents5by5 ShowbotThe Flashing Lights - 01 Where The Change Is - YouTubeIron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson gets cancer all-clear | Music | The GuardianFLAX art & design - The Source for Arts & Crafts SuppliesElton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - YouTubeSponsored by Citrix GoToMeeting (Visit the link and click the “TRY IT FREE” button to get a free 30 day trial and have your first meeting up and running in minutes), Wealthfront (Visit the link to get $10,000 managed for free), JustWorks (Visit the link and get 15% off your first year of HR, benefits, and payroll needs by using the code 'backtowork'), lynda (Learn something new today by visiting the link for free 10 day trial access to their 3,000+ courses).

TOPIC: Hopeless and Impossible. This week, Dan and Merlin, delve deeper into the impossibly hopeless nature of email. Links for this episode:Girl Talk - All DayGirl Talk - Feed the AnimalsMaking Time to Make: Bad Correspondence | 43 FoldersLetters of Note: Just personal enough? The Kids in the Hall - Hard Day - YouTubeHBO: Living With Lincoln: HomeQueen - Somebody To Love - YouTubeRoman à clef - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia5by5 ShowbotSponsored by Harry's (Use the code COMICS for $5 off your first purchase), Squarespace (Use the code ITSYOURSHOW for a free trial and 10% off), lynda (Visit the link and get 10 day free trial access to their 3,000+ courses), and Wealthfront (Visit the link and get your first $10,000 managed for free).

TOPIC: Jumping Over the Precipice. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about what to be courageous about and when. It's rarely as easy or as simple as it seems. Links for this episode:Inside Amy Schumer - Pretentious Hotel - YouTubeAt sixes and sevens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaTo be "at sixes and sevens" is a British English idiom used to describe a state of confusion or disarray. Axolotl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJohn Cleese on Creativity - YouTubeSponsored by Slack (The messaging app for teams), Citrix GoToMeeting (Visit GoToMeeting.com and click the “TRY IT FREE” button), Wealthfront (Visit the link to get $10,000 managed for free) and MailRoute (To remove spam from your life for good visit the link and get a free trial and 10% off the lifetime of your account).

TOPIC: Fear, Anxiety, and Existential Whack-A-Mole This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Color Guard, the science of binge watching, and the uncertain future of podcasts. But, mainly, they talk a lot about fear and anxiety. Deep dive here. How are fear and anxiety different? What's a habitual thought feel like? And, what are some little ways to start gently climbing out? Links for this episode:TeeVee | Daredevil Rewind: Episodes 4-6 (Episode 64)In this episode we crest violent bloodshed and flow with universe building. Characters are further fleshed out as the tides begin to rise again. Merlin “The Hammer” Mann and Dan “The Anvil” Moren bring their pipes to help Hell’s Kitchen. Color guard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaQueen & David Bowie vs. Taio Cruz - Dynamite Pressure [DJ Tripp] - YouTube5by5 | Cash's Corner #3: A Psychic Ability5by5 | Back to Work #1: Alligator in the BathroomIn the inaugural episode of Back to Work, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss why they’re doing this show, getting back to work instead of buying berets, the lizard brain, and compare the Shadow of the Mouse to San Francisco, and eventually get to some practical tips for removing friction. 5by5 Showbot11 LET ME SEE YOU - YouTubeMashup (music) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaA mashup (also mesh, mash up, mash-up, blend, bootleg[1] and bastard pop/rock) is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another. Sponsored by PDFpen Scan+ (Visit the link and start scanning documents easily right from your mobile device), TripCase (Make all of your travel simple and organized for free today), Wealthfront (Visit the link and get your first $10,000 managed for free), and lynda (Learn something new today by visiting the link for free 10 day trial access to their 3,000+ courses).

TOPIC: Take it personal and make it personal. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about culture, solipsism, hiring, and needle-moving things. Links for this episode:Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #8 — Merlin MannSteve Albini: State of the Music Industry 2015 - yewknee? A Few Good Men Introduction - YouTubeJohn Gholson on Twitter: "Recolored KILLING JOKE looks like a totally different book. http://t.co/wcKz73nhHH"#19 Underdog — Reply All — Gimlet Media5by5 | Hypercritical #12: Nothing Is So PerfectJohn Siracusa and Dan Benjamin turn a critical eye towards last week's episode on criticism, then try to pick the single biggest challenge facing three different wildly successful companies: Google, Facebook, and yes…Pixar. Hypercritical: OS X ReviewedNearly 15 years ago, I wrote my first review of Mac OS X for a nascent “PC enthusiast’s" website called Ars Technica. Nearly 15 years later, I wrote my last. Though Apple will presumably announce the next major version of OS X at WWDC this coming June, I won’t be reviewing it for Ars Technica or any other publication, including the website you’re reading now. 5by5 ShowbotMr. Show - "The Five Voices" Sketch"He takes it personal and MAKES it personal." Here's What It Really Looks Like When Classic Comics Get RecoloredEarlier today, Marvel unveiled its "remastered" edition of the 1977 comic adaptation of Star Wars. Many were unhappy to see the art of Howard Chaykin redone with a modern comic's color palette, including writer John Gholson, who took to Twitter to show how much a comic loses when it's recolored. Scrum Sprint Planning MeetingAfter the sprint review meeting, the team and the ScrumMaster get together for the retrospective meeting. During this meeting, the team considers what went well, what didn’t, and what improvements could be made in the next sprint. Team members should be able to speak frankly about the sprint’s successes and failures. It’s an especially important opportunity for the team to focus on its effectiveness and identify strategies to improve its processes. Moreover, it allows the ScrumMaster to observe common impediments that impact the team and then work to resolve them. After fifteen years, Ars says goodbye to John Siracusa’s OS X reviews | Ars TechnicaStandard WordPress cannot handle a Siracusa review. Sponsored by Slack (The messaging app for teams), Citrix GoToMeeting (Visit GoToMeeting.com and click the “TRY IT FREE” button), Wealthfront (Visit the link to get $10,000 managed for free) and TripCase (Make all of your travel simple and organized for free today).

TOPIC: Kremlinology and Verbing This week, Dan and Merlin follow-up on Dan's neighbor and The Trailer Incident. They also undertake a rather circuitous exploration of how little we understand about how stuff gets made. This leads to a semi-useful discussion of how the verbs we verb do and don't constitute the nouns we noun—and when we realize that. Links for this episode:5by5 | 5by5 at the Movies #3: The Big Lebowski - "A Life of Achievement"Dan Benjamin and Merlin Mann talk about The Big Lebowski, which is just, like, their opinion, man. 5by5 ShowbotWhat is Catastrophizing? | Psych CentralCatastrophizing is an irrational thought a lot of us have in believing that something is far worse than it actually is. Pain catastrophizing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaKremlinology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaSponsored by Squarespace (Use the code ITSYOURSHOW for a free trial and 10% off), lynda (Visit the link for a free 10 day trial and access to their 3,000+ courses), Tripcase (Visit the link and start making all of your travel simple and organized for free with Tripcase), and Wealthfront (Visit the link and get your first $10,000 managed for free with Wealthfront).

TOPIC: With great power comes…uh, uh, what-have-you. This week, Dan and Merlin cover a lot of ground. What makes a great comics movie. What movies to show (and not show) your kids. The majesty of The Big Lebowski. And, what exactly Dan should do about a construction trailer and a crawfish-pinching doctor. Links for this episode:5by5 | Getting There #33: Merlin Mann Shows Us His PanaceaIn which we talk with the brilliantly undefinable—yet always gracious—special guest: Merlin Mann. Best known as a cornerstone of the classic indie band Bacon Ray, he’s apparently also a prolific podcaster, renowned blogger, sometimes-comedian, and index card enthusiast. However, he’s here today because of his (and all joking aside) amazing insight into, advice about, and dissection of the areas of productivity, motivation, and, well, just trying to get there. As he tackles our listeners' questions (as well as our own), we get a couple hours of some classic Merlin-Mann-ing. 5by5 | Getting There #33: Merlin Mann Shows Us His Panacea on Huffdufferhuffduff-videoExtracts the audio from videos on YouTube, Vimeo, and many more sites and sends it to Huffduffer. Kieron Gillen Talks WATCHMEN Could you... | kung fu grippeWomen in RefrigeratorsBatman: The Killing Joke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaDeath of the Family - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia5by5 | Cash's Corner #1: Double Thumbs Upkung fu grippe - "Phone’s Ringin’, Dude"Scratching my own itch, here’s the ringtone from The Dude’s portable phone. As .m4r, .m4a, and .mp3. 5by5 ShowbotHonest Trailers - Interstellar - YouTubeThe Making of "The Big Lebowski"Part 1. PeterExline.com - The Big LebowskiSo, I'm telling the story about my car getting stolen and finding a kid's homework in the car, then tracking the kid and calling his folks. Lew and I went over there. Lew had a briefcase and inside it were baggies filled with stuff from the car. One baggie had a Whopper wrapper, another the kid's homework. The kid's father lived in the living room in a hospital bed. Older guy. Don't think he and the kid played a lot of baseball in the backyard. Turns out he had a thirty year career in Hollywood. Kieron Gillen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaKieron Gillen (born 1975) is a British comic book writer and former computer game and music journalist. He is known for his creator-owned comic Phonogram, created with artist Jamie McKelvie, published by Image Comics, and for numerous projects for Marvel Comics, such as Journey into Mystery and Uncanny X-Men. Amazon.com: Watchmen (9781401245252): Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons: Books5by5 | After Dark #515: After Back to Work 215Sponsored by Slack (The messaging app for teams), Warby Parker (Visit the link to get free 3-day shipping on your order), PDFpen 7 for OS X (Visit the link to learn more about PDFpen 7 for OS X from Smile Software), JackThreads (Visit the link and use the code BACKTOWORK for an additional 15% off on top of the already exclusive, daily prices).

TOPIC: Youth as exception. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about chess, the problem with SEO, and why getting old is normal (if you're lucky). Links for this episode:I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski: Life, The Big Lebowski, and What Have You: Ben Peskoe, Bill Green, Scott Shuffitt, Will Russell: 9781596912465: Amazon.com: BooksSearch results for the big lebowski on Can I Stream.It?Dudeism - Ordination by the Religion of The Big LebowskiiTunes - Movies - The Big LebowskiAmazon.com : Aqua Notes - Waterproof Notepad 40 Sheet Mountable Pad : Memo Paper Pads : Office ProductsAmazon.com: No Stress Chess: Game: Toys & GamesAmazon.com: Monopoly Junior Board Game: Toys & GamesExpressed as a Vest | You Look Nice TodayUnhealthy ligatures, a course of Prednisone, “I’m not following you!”, obscure chess moves, smoking for the cure, misused orifices, we pass as nosies, Karl Van Hœt. TV Talk Machine | Werewolf Don Draper (Episode 27)Expressed as a Vest — You Look Nice Today — OvercastTime management - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "The Eisenhower Method" Varsity: Pilot PenMozart of Chess: Magnus Carlsen - YouTubeSponsored by lynda (Visit the link to get free 10 day access to their 3,000+ courses), Wealthfront (Visit the link to get your first $10,000 managed for free), and Citrix GoToMeeting (Visit the link and try it free for 30 days).