Back To Work

TOPIC: First Meeting, Gifts, and Grifts This week—after 122 episodes, plus almost a decade of internet pal-dom—Dan and Merlin finally meet and record in a room together for the first time. With only passing nods to the nominal topic of "gifts," Dan and Merlin mostly get to know each other. Why is Dan staring so penetratingly at Merlin? Does Dan think Merlin is fat as well as old? Why does Dan keep looking at his phone? Does that look clean to you? Whose show is it, really? Is John Siracusa slender or sickly? Why can't I show you the sole of my shoe? Should we stand up? Who am I thinking of? Is it hot in here or is it just me? Which one am I? Also, bathrooms. Inarguably, a Very Important Episode™. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Tonx CoffeeTonx sources, roasts, and ships to your door every-other-week some of the freshest and finest beans on earth. Sign up now for The Standard (or bigger) subscription to Tonx and we’ll throw in another great tool: a FREE Aeropress! ($30 value). [SPONSOR] Build a Websi

TOPIC: Loyalty, Altruism, Reality Check, or Extortion? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about what we talk about when we talk about "loyalty." Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] ShutterstockStock Photos | Shutterstock: Royalty-Free Subscription Stock Photography & Vector Art - Search and select from millions of high resolution royalty free images, stock photos, vector art, and stock photography. [SPONSOR] Less MeetingLess Meeting helps you improve meeting planning, running meetings, and meeting follow-up. Less Meeting improves your ability to plan a meeting with meeting agenda templates and it helps you improve meeting minutes and action item follow-up. [SPONSOR] BackblazeEasiest online backup service for $5 month unlimited storage. Backblaze's remote backup automatically backs up your data to our secure datacenter. 15 day free trial. Graceland - a set on Flickr (Jimmy Marks)[[via](https://twitter.com/jimmymarks/status/341964747979235329)] Elvis: Albert Harry Goldman: 9780140059656: Amazon.com: BooksAmazon.com:

TOPIC: Dan's Recent Bathroom Incident, et al. This week, Dan and Merlin exhale. Don't search for secret doors. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] TextExpander Touch 2 by SmileTextExpander Touch: Type more with less effort on your iPhone or iPad! Expand custom keyboard shortcuts into frequently-used text snippets. Grab your favorite snippets from your Mac! [SPONSOR] SquarespaceSquarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included. Use offer code "**`enchiridion`**" for an additional 10% off. "Unacceptable Condition" by Thenamelessavenger"I wanted to teach myself how to use Audiosnap (a timing repair tool) in Sonar. So instead of faking a sloppy take and adjusting for rhythm, i sampled Lemongrab from Adventure Time into an entirely new composition. I am going to bed beaming tonight at how well this came out. Oh my god! I hope you like it too." [[via](https://twitter.com/Josh_Harper/status/33940395

TOPIC: What would you do differently if you had a "safety net?" This week, Dan and Merlin congratulate their pal, Marco, on the acquisition of a company he helped co-found. Which leads to the nominal topic: what kind of safety net would you need to feel secure, do the things you'd like, and mostly banish the more persistent cumulonimbus clouds of your own anxiety? Many angles are explored. Why was Elvis unhappy? How is habitual Schadenfreude and automatic bile ensmallening our culture? Can we ever be—let alone feel—truly secure? And, how much of our old selves do we end up lugging along inside every suitcase we carry? Pretty great episode. Especially if you like the ones where Merlin gets all mad. Those are usually good ones. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - ShutterstockSign-up for a free browse account, go to Shutterstock.com, no credit card needed. When you find the images you like and decide to purchase, user offer code "**`DANSENTME5`**" and get 30% off

TOPIC: Macintosh Nostalgia and Utter Apple ID Madness. This week, after an entirely appropriate amount of very important follow-up, Dan and Merlin talk about Susan Kare's original Mac icons, why they're not going to be appearing on John Siracusa's t-shirt, plus the litany of completely monkeyballs problems that now has Merlin ready to literally shoot his Apple ID in the back of the head, mob-style. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Squarespace.comBuild a Website - Squarespace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included. Beyond the To Do List - "Merlin Mann Interview"For the 1st time, the origin story behind Back to Work can be told. 5by5 | The Incomparable #140: The Sublime Magicks of ExpositionNo more mutants! We discuss the 2005 Marvel Comics miniseries "House of M," in which writer Brian Michael Bendis gets to show off his love of meetings, Doctor Strange, and meetings chaired by

TOPIC: Toward an (Admittedly Dubious) Unified Field Theory of Creativity This week, Dan and Merlin consider a framework for understanding the basic modes and focal lengths involved in producing creative work. Why and how do we get so hung up and frustrated about getting good at what we do? Why's it so hard to take an abstract idea for making something great, then end up feeling pathologically stymied when we struggle to actually make it? The boys return to the classic topic of expertise, especially the frustrating ironies that separate the pro from the amateur from the, as they say, "failure." Also under consideration is Roger Von Oech's fascinating modal, character-based approach to making stuff—acknowledging the very different work of the Explorer, Artist, Judge, and Warrior. But, critically, also striving to keep those characters in the right order and on the right parts of the right task at the right time. Then, knowing when to change things up. Finally, there's a bit of discussion on Merlin's squirr

TOPIC: Offices, and when to get out of them. This week—in what will surely be remembered as the greatest Back to Work episode of all time—Dan and Merlin eventually talk about working at a desk and when to take it someplace else. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Squarespace.comBuild a Website - Squarespace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included. GIRL TALK - ALL DAY - ILLEGAL ARTAll Day is intended to be listened to as a whole. It is broken up into individual tracks only for easier navigation.This album is a free download.Girl Talk thanks all artists sampled. SluglineFinally, a simple, elegant app for writing screenplays on your Mac. Slugline is a minimal, distraction-free environment for the most important part of screenwriting—the writing part.There are plenty of apps for your final draft. How about one for your first 99? "Double Fantasy," indeed | Flickr - Photo Sharing!humberto

TOPIC: Quit & Analyze, and Marvel Character Speculation. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Dan's "Quit & Analyze" episode, then proceed into a very useful conversation about which characters from the Marvel Universe they're each most like. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] TextExpander: Mac Typing Shortcut Utility Saves You TimeType more with less effort! TextExpander saves your fingers and your keyboard, expanding custom keyboard shortcuts into frequently-used text and pictures... Noteboard®: The pocket whiteboardEvery Noteboard is durable, portable, and infinitely rewritable folds up map-style. 5by5 | Quit! #21: Quit & AnalyzeDan is joined by a familiar guest, Marco Arment, to take calls and discuss Marco's very recent sale of Instapaper. They delve deeper and discuss when to hire, outsourcing, feeling burnt out, when to sell, and being selective about which company gets to buy what you've built. They take some listener calls and answer questions about job-seeking in a new town, how to come u

TOPIC: Fixing the Culture of Meetings This week, Dan and Merlin address the problems with meetings, and how we can each choose to improve them. Ten quick ideas? Purpose Agenda Grazing Policy Hard Edges Scheduling Guests Timekeeper No Ratholes Focus Follow-Up Consistency Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - ShutterstockOver 25 million stock photos, illustrations, vectors, and videos [VIDEO] Merlin Mann - "Broken Meetings (and how you'll fix them)"There's a big elephant in the office today that's becoming harder to ignore—meetings.Even the best meetings can eat up massive person-hours, but those really awful ones will just kill you. You know the type.Those time-wasting, rudderless, repetitious, zombie meetings where "deep dives," "drill downs," and "face time" often mean much is debated, little is accomplished, and everybody leaves feeling broken--AND, often as not, late for their next meeting.In the premiere of this all-new presentation, Merlin M

TOPIC: Quicksilver and the OS X App Launcher Landscape This week, Dan triumphantly returns from two weeks of crippling illness. So, the boys ease their way back into the groove with a grab bag of great follow-up, some Adventure Time talk, and a longer discussion of popular OS X App launchers, including Quicksilver 1.0, LaunchBar, and Alfred 2. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Build a Website — SquarespaceSquarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included. New Template Design: Adirondack — The Official Squarespace BlogAdirondack is a modern, clean design built with small business owners and savvy entrepreneurs in mind. Minimal navigation and full header images provide a bold framework for your company or brand. The template is characterized by scrolling effects New Feature Roundup: Page Duplication and More — The Official Squarespace BlogWhile we’re pushing out changes and improvements to Squarespace 6 a

TOPIC: Drafts for iOS, and Who You Want to Be This week, Dan and Merlin cover two very different topics. First, there's a detailed discussion of one of Merlin's favorite iOS apps, Drafts, including a deep dive on the app's extraordinary interactions with everything from Twitter to calendars to Dropbox. Second, Dan and Merlin have an A-plus conversation on the hardest question you’ll ask yourself this week: “Is this who I want to be?” Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] ShutterstockRoyalty-Free Subscription Stock Photography & Vector Art - Search and select from millions of high resolution royalty free images, stock photos, vector art, and stock photography. Fancy Monkeys - Scruffy Thinking - Scruffy.TVOn this special That Scruffy Post Show Kanen sits down with Stu Maschwitz and Merlin Mann on their second visit to the show! They discuss delegation, dealing with email and to do lists, assistants, and working hard to make being lazy possible. Does it get better than that? Why 'Adventure

TOPIC: Choosing Your Forks. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about some of the deeper and more slippery issues behind changes in our career and life. In particular, how do we go from a vague tickle to that feeling of full-blown intolerability that can end up driving a change? Are we looking backward at what we should be doing as we slavishly catalog our many petty aggrievements? Or, do we take two giant steps back and apply a cooler eye to what we really want to do next? Even before we find our forks in the road, how can we know a big decision might or should be coming our way? And, how do we stay current on that never-ending need to accept and plan for the changes we never could have anticipated? It's tough at 23, it's super-hard at 30, and, brother, is it ever murder at 50. Sure, it's a little fruity, but, yeah: you need to write the story you really want to live. Rather than just cobbling together a flattering post-mortem on how you magically ended up where you are. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] We

TOPIC: Memory. This week, Dan and Merlin try to tackle the complexities of memory. Why do we remember things from childhood with unimpeachable detail, but then forget our own phone number or PIN code? How can the same person remember the name of everyone he's ever met, and then space a phone call a couple hours after it was scheduled? Why do we remember and why do we forget? Unsurprisingly, few concrete answers appear, but there's plenty of lively conversation on savant syndrome, tactical memory aides, and the precise location of Merlin's pills. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] ShutterstockRoyalty-Free Subscription Stock Photography & Vector Art - Search and select from millions of high resolution royalty free images, stock photos, vector art, and stock photography. Forgetfulness - Billy Collins Animated Poetry - YouTubeThis is real. And, it’s still my favorite email... | kung fu grippeCompose Gmail Message.app I just ““wrote”” my... | kung fu grippeIt’s the world’s dumbest and awesomest Automator app, and

TOPIC: Stupidity. This week, Dan and Merlin tackle stupidity. And, brother, there sure are a whole lot of flavors of stupid. Are we really talking about being clueless, unaware, dumb, absent-minded, or just plain-old ignorant? Because they're actually pretty different animals. Whether you're dropping your library book in the mailbox, leaving your iPad at home, following baseless medical advice, or doing whatever Dan did with his garage door (don't worry: the car is fine), it's really helpful to understand where your real problem really lives. From a tactical standpoint, try some useful failsafes, rituals, and habits. But, at a higher level, learn to develop the curiosity to keep evolving. Stay open to how you might be wrong by always seeking out the smartest person you can find who disagrees with you. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] SquarespaceBuild a Website - Squarespace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, domains, hosting, analytics, 2

TOPIC: Not So Much This week, Dan and Merlin eschew ““topic”” to freely discuss razors, beef, They Might Be Giants, prolapse, Genesis, dogs, Spider-Man (and -Womyn), pretender marteenies, truck butt, the lonely plaster casts of our youth, blind harmonicists, those awesome blue IKEA bags, ceviche, E.L.O., Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, bumping, hypoglycemia, how Merlin named his daughter, Hyman Roth, endive, and, of course, The Big Lebowski. Then, they go and blow it all by unintentionally having a really useful discussion about Merlin's three key elements of optimal and sustainable workflows. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] SquarespaceSquarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included. Use offer code "**`CASH`**" for an additional 10% off. Templates.scptOmniFocus is an incredible piece of software. I and countless others rely on it every day to manage increasingly hectic lives and complex, multi-facette

TOPIC: Shaving a Yak This week, Dan and Merlin talk about The Hierarchy of Fiddling. When does self-improvement silently shade into navel-gazing, and how do we realize that it's happening? Some fixes mean applying a fast change that produces outsized results (a true "life hack"). But, most of our more circuitous excursions into the world of ““productivity”” lead straight into a recursive black hole of lost time, sheer frustration, and soul-sucking existential onanism (let's call that one a "life whack"). Learn how to live with your dirty debit card, just satisfice with your dish-washing skills, and quit trying to solve non-problems with non-solutions. Yes, learn the key commands, but, don't feel like you need to learn all the key commands. Iterate with mindful sanity. And, like it says on the tin: always focus on how you'll get back to work. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] TextExpander: Mac and iOS Typing Shortcut Utility Saves You TimeSave time and effort with TextExpander! Whether it's a simple email

TOPIC: Compression This week, Dan and Merlin talk about compression. What happens when we don't account for how long something really takes to do? And, worse still, what if we don't think about what has to happen before we can even start it? If you find you're stressed-out, over-scheduled, under-resourced—and not particularly loving the things you're making—there's a pretty good chance you've become a victim of your own compression. Acknowledge and understand the problem, and then learn how to avoid the classic pitfalls by falling in love with your calendar all over again. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Squarespace[SPONSOR] HarvestHofstadter's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPlanning fallacy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPlanning Fallacy - Less WrongOvercoming BiasOliver Burkeman on why everything takes longer than you think | Life and style | The GuardianTask Times, The Planning Fallacy, and a Magical 20% | 43 FoldersThe Experience and Perception of Time (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philoso

TOPIC: Duplicates, duplicates, duplicates. This week, Dan and Merlin conclude their discussion of media management by focusing on dealing with duplicates. Just so many duplicates. Music, Photos, Contacts, and Finder files. It's all thorny business, but a canny combination of backup, cool apps, and paranoid discretion can make your digital life more manageable and fun. Also, some handy tips on sharing files, hosting media, and finding a digital home for your comic collection. Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] SquarespaceSnapseed for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad on the iTunes App StoreKleenex Cool Touch Moisturizing Tissues | Kleenex®70Decibels - Generational - 021 - Raising a HumanGreat Comic Stuff — Merlin MannThe Immortal Iron Fist, Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story: Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja, Travel Foreman: 9780785124894: Amazon.com: BooksHawkeye Digital Comics - Comics by comiXologyMat

TOPIC: Cool stuff Merlin loves. This week, Merlin is delirious and may be in a fugue state, so he and Dan talk about a bunch of cool apps and gadgets--stuff that Merlin likes and really recommends. Special attention goes to Drafts for iOS, the Logitech K760 Bluetooth keyboard, Verbatim's Tuff 'n Tiny USB drive, Cortex Camera for iOS, Cobook Address Book, with many more suggestions along the way, including handy tips based on how Merlin uses each. Links for this episode:Amazon.com: SodaStream REVOLUTION Deluxe Bundle Kit Black & Silver: BabyTwitter / siracusa: The latest addition to our ...And now it’s all thisDrafts for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad on the iTunes App StoreAmazon.com: Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 for Mac/iPad/iPhone (920-003884): Computers & AccessoriesAmazon.com: Verbatim TUFF 'N' TINY 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 96816 (Purple): ElectronicsAmazon.com: Plugable

TOPIC: Modern Media Management: Metadata and Smart Playlists This week Dan and Merlin continue their 3-part series on Modern Media Management: handling your iTunes Library, iOS Devices, and iTunes Match without making yourself crazy. In this episode, the focus is on fixing audio metadata, with a big discussion of the awesome MusicBrainz and Picard. Links for this episode:Smile Blog[SPONSOR] Build a Website - Squarespace[SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock[SPONSOR] TextExpander: Mac Typing Shortcut Utility Saves You TimeSquarespace + Typekit: 65 Professional Fonts for Free — The Official Squarespace BlogMerlin's Smart Playlists for iTunes MatchSearch Results - MusicBrainzb2w e104 smart playlists 2013-01-29Tangled - Mandy Moore - When Will My Life Begin HD - YouTubeWatch Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe Online | NetflixMaria Bamford's One-Hour Homemade Christmas Special! on VimeoNerdist Podcast: Maria Bamford Returns! « NerdistMusicBrainz - The Open Music EncyclopediaMusi