Podcast
Focused
Hosted by Relay · EN
David Sparks and Mike Schmitz are not nearly as productive as they’d like to be. Join these fellow travelers (and a bunch of special guests) as they share the best ways to get focused, and talk through their successes and failures along the way. Hosted by David Sparks and Mike Schmitz.
29episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
257: I Go By Vibes, with Stephen Robles
4d ago01:15:20Tap to summarizeStephen Robles joins us to talk about reading, intentional technology use, directing AI, and the golden era of the generalist. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Keeper: Get 60% off personal and family plans. Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED. Guest Starring: Stephen Robles Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Focused 257 on YouTube Stephen's website Riverside.fm Stephen's YouTube channel Treo 755p | Wikipedia Engadget | Technology News & Expert Reviews Mac Power Users | Relay Range by David Epstein The Gap and The Gain by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan MKBHD on his 100th video | YouTube The Talk Show Ep. 447, with Adam Lisagor Hovercraft The Rise of the Creative Tastemaker | Practical PKM The Light Phone FL Studio The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk I Am Not a Robot by Joanna Stern Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross 100 Rules for Living to 100 by Dick Van Dyke Creativity by John Cleese Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman The Other Side of Sadness by George Bonanno The Violin Maker by John Marchese Foundation | IMDb Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday Last Meals | YouTube Reconcilable Differences | Relay Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara Unreasonable Hospitality: The Secret to an Audience That Never Leaves | Nathan Barry Show #127 On B.S. by Harry Frankfurt The Odyssey by Homer, Emily Wilson translation Shark Slider Pico | iFootage Plaud Note Pro Govee Smart Cordless Table Lamp Classic | Amazon
Transcribe →256: Calendar Modes & Transitions Rituals
3w ago01:00:46Tap to summarizeDavid & Mike discuss the difference between task triage and time architecture when designing your week and using rituals to help you transition from one task to the next. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Vitally: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Keeper: Get 60% off personal and family plans. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Video version of this episode Focused #250: Planning Your Week Don't Plan Your Week, Design It | Practical PKM The Deep Life by Cal Newport #316: Weekly Templates David's Ideal Week Template Mike's Ideal Week Template Plan Your Ideal Week | Free Tool by Mike Schmitz Timery Day One Obsidian Keychron K2 HE Wireless Keyboard Mike's guitar What You're Made For by George Raveling The Morality of Happiness by Julia Annas
Transcribe →255: Get Your Machete Out
May 500:59:28Tap to summarizeIn this feedback episode, David and Mike discuss slowing down, complicated second brains, and the minimum viable productivity system. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Video Version of This Episode Focused #254: Battling Burnout Mike's Newsletter on The Amateur Advantage Focused #87: Nerds Like Us, with Myke Hurley The Pen Addict Obsidian NotePlan I Deleted My Second Brain by Joan Westenberg | Medium Why You Should Write Every Day (Even if You’re Not a Writer) by Joan Westenberg | Medium Mac Power Users #845: Intentional Technology with Patrick Rhone NextLevel Pulsar Brewer Ruby Coffee Roasters How to Live a Meaningful Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans Good Eye | Lost Art Press
Transcribe →254: Battling Burnout
Apr 2101:16:54Tap to summarizeDavid & Mike discuss the many different flavors of burnout, why productivity nerds are so susceptible, and what you can do to fight back against this insidious foe of focus. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Vitally: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Gusto: Payroll, HR, Benefits. Simplified. Get 3 months free. Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code FOCUSED with this link and get 60% off an annual plan. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Video for this episode Mike's Book Summary Channel | YouTube How Claude Helped Me Make the Videos I Want to Make | Practical PKM Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) | Mind Garden The End of Burnout by Jonathan Malesic Bookworm #243: The End of Burnout by Jonathan Malesic LARQ Bottle PureVis™ 2 Insta360 Wave | Professional AI-Powered Speakerphone Insta360 Link 2 The Way of Excellence by Brad Stulberg Harry Potter Full-Cast Editions | Audible.com
Transcribe →253: Finding Focus in the Midst of Chaos, with David Roth
Apr 701:04:55Tap to summarizeCorporate lawyer David Roth joins to talk about the challenges of staying focused in a fast-paced profession where small mistakes can cost millions of dollars. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED. Guest Starring: David Roth Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Video for this episode David Roth | Attorney & Technologist Remember The Milk Getting Things Done® OmniFocus Things | Cultured Code NotePlan Obsidian Mac Power Users #756: Exploring NotePlan with David Roth Claude Cowork | Anthropic Robot Assistant Field Guide | MacSparky Field Guides Enchiridion of Epictetus | Wikipedia Readwise Cleft Notes Leatherman ARC Multi-tool MacBook Neo | Apple MacBook Pro | Apple Basecamp Orange - iPhone 16 Pro | Ridge Wallet for MagSafe - Basecamp Orange | RIdge Power Bank - 10k mAh - Basecamp Orange | Ridge MV88 USB-C | Shure Sponsor Games Apple in China by Patrick McGee Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni The Score by C. Thi Nguyen
Transcribe →252: Donkey Work
Mar 2401:15:06Tap to summarizeDavid has a new Field Guide, and both he & Mike discuss the ways they're using AI to have their robot assistants help with the donkey work. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Gusto: Payroll, HR, Benefits. Simplified. Get 3 months free. Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code FOCUSED with this link and get 60% off an annual plan. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Video for this episode Robot Assistant Field Guide | MacSparky Field GuidesSave 10% with code FOCUSROBOT LifeTheme Cohort Did the AI Job Apocalypse Just Begin? (Hint: No.) | Cal Newport's AI Reality Check OpenClaw Claude The Ultimate AI Masterclass For Businesses in 2026 | The Nathan Barry Show Claude for Chrome Obsidian FreshBooks DJI Osmo Pocket 3 The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr By Hand & Eye
Transcribe →251: Not Throwing Away My Shot, with Joe Casabona
Mar 1001:15:46Tap to summarizePodcast coach and Streamlined Soloprenuer founder Joe Casabona joins us to talk about building systems, effective delegation, and when to actually automate. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED. Guest Starring: Joe Casabona Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Joe's Website Joe Casabona | LinkedIn Focused #249: What if This Were Easy? with Ernie Svenson Toggl Focus app | App Store Brick | Take Back Control of Your Screen Time Sponsor Games Balatro A World Without Email by Cal Newport Streamlined Solopreneur #520: 3 Steps to Reclaim Your Life from Email Onlinejobs.ph Tella SaneBox The End of Burnout by Jonathan Malesic Zapier OpenClaw David's OpenClaw video reMarkable Paper Pro Move reMarkable 2 Supernote Nomad USB Hub | Elgato Keychron Q3 QMK Custom Mechanical Keyboard Keychron K2 HE Wireless Magnetic Switch Custom Keyboard The Iliad by Homer The Odyssey by Homer Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Transcribe →250: Planning Your Week
Feb 2401:08:54Tap to summarizeDavid & Mike discuss how to plan your week and share their own weekly planning workflows. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Gusto: Payroll, HR, Benefits. Simplified. Get 3 months free. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Productivity Field Guide 2026 (Pro Edition) | MacSparky Field Guides The 4 Disciplines of Execution Supernote Nomad Analog Weekly Cards | Ugmonk The End of Burnout by Jonathan Malesic The Peace Of Wild Things by Wendell Berry
Transcribe →249: What if This Were Easy? with Ernie Svenson
Feb 1000:59:00Tap to summarizeDavid's personal Yoda is back to talk about curiosity, creativity, and the role of AI in focused work. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code FOCUSED with this link and get 60% off an annual plan. Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED. Guest Starring: Ernie Svenson Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Ernie the Attorney Circle | The complete community platform Creativity by John Cleese Wispr Flow | Effortless Voice Dictation The War of Art by Steven Pressfield The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Writing Without Teachers by Peter Elbow The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd Alchemy by Rory Sutherland Influence by Robert Cialdini Day One Journal App | Your Journal For Life OpenClaw The Overthinker's Guide to Making Decisions by Joseph Nguyen The Tools of Excellence by Nicholas Bate The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Ready Player One by Ernest Cline The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Red Rising by Pierce Brown His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novick
Transcribe →248: Seriously, A Heroic Journey
Jan 2700:57:45Tap to summarizeDavid & Mike discuss the Hero's Journey and how focus can help in your own epic quest. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Gusto: Payroll, HR, Benefits. Simplified. Get 3 months free. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Video version of this episode Productivity Field Guide 2026 (Pro Edition) | MacSparky Field GuidesUse coupon code FOCUSEDPFG for 10% off. Die Empty by Todd Henry How many career changes in a lifetime? | The University of Queensland Hero's Journey Overview | Wikipedia Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth | BillMoyers.com From Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks The Library Community The Personal Retreat Planner
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