Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.
Life HacksDave Cheong on staying focused at workMerlin Mann | Jan 8 200718 Ways to Stay Focused at Work In this post from last August, Dave Cheong pointed out some of the hazards of working in a cube farm, and he proposes some handy tips for wresting back your attention from a room full of interruptions and distractions. I think a few of these tips are big winners.
I realize that many of these ideas assume a lot of autonomy and control over your work day as well as how you conduct it -- obviously not every career is conducive to the enforcement of what amounts to "office hours" -- but I think that's kind of the point as well as the irony and the big, bottom-line challenge. read more »POSTED IN:
Tips from Kevin Kelly's Cool ToolsMerlin Mann | Jan 3 2007I love when Kevin posts these collections of tips from his readers. They're cut from the same cloth as our life hacks on the wiki. Like many of 43f's readers, Kevin's contributors also obsess about shaving:
Many more on Cool Tools (here's the CT "Tips" category). POSTED IN:
5 Favorite 43 Folders Podcasts, 2006Merlin Mann | Dec 29 2006
I'm a far from prolific contributor to the personal podcasting scene, but 2006 brought several episodes of the podcast that people seemed to enjoy and that I'm pleased to have made. If you're new to 43f's podcast (subscribe for free) or just want to amble down memory lane with me, here's my five favorite episodes from this past year. Unexpurgated, unedited and, as ever, featuring candid depictions and the occasional swear; because sometimes productivity talk is just NSFW. read more »2 Comments
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MacBreak: Minimize distractions on your MacMerlin Mann | Dec 21 2006MacBreak 33: The Distracted Mac (Direct MOV Download)
Although it covers a lot of the same ground as a previous MacBreak we did on the subject, I think Leo and my segment on un-distract-ifying your Mac turned out pretty good (my atrocious hairstyle at shoot time notwithstanding). Download 10:28 MOV file now... Here's the apps and tricks that we covered, with links:
Edit 2006-12-21 16:51:22: Check after the cut for reader suggestions from comments for this post... read more »POSTED IN:
Crossword-maker Merl Reagle on index cardsMerlin Mann | Dec 19 2006YouTube - The Hipster PDA in Wordplay In the Will Shortz crossword puzzle documentary, Wordplay, Merl Reagle discusses how he uses index cards to collect and track ideas on the go. [ via: The Hipster PDA in Wordplay - Lifehacker ] I love two things in particular about this. read more »POSTED IN:
Life hacks: Smarty Pants v. DumbassMerlin Mann | Dec 8 2006
The New, Soft Paternalism - New York Times A recent NYT Magazine piece considers the trend toward compulsive gamblers being able to self-ban themselves from casinos and considers the discussions around what this sort of self-imposed "paternalism" might mean. I don't have much of an opinion one way or another about whether this is good, bad, paternalistic, or what have you, but I was struck by a couple paragraphs that go straight to the heart of why many folks seek out garden variety "life hacks" in the first place: read more »POSTED IN:
Kati Kim's life-saving ingenuityMerlin Mann | Dec 5 2006I swear, if my family and I are ever in a situation like the Kims went through, I hope to God that one person in our group has the clear thinking, make-do ingenuity, and life-saving cleverness of Kati Kim: read more »POSTED IN:
Productive Talk Compilation: 8-episode podcast with GTD's David AllenMerlin Mann | Nov 28 2006
Download MP3 of "Productive Talk Compilation" As promised, here's the single-file compilation of the Productive Talk podcast interviews I did with David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done. The final version's eight episodes clock in at a considerable one hour and twenty-six minutes, so this should give you plenty to listen to while you're in line at the DMV. read more »POSTED IN:
HOWTO cook a moister turkey: Ice it, pilgrimMerlin Mann | Nov 22 2006Although I’m not much of a hand at generating tasty birdflesh, I heard a great tip a while back, gleaned from Mr. Harold McGee, author of the all-time-awesome geek food book, On Food & Cooking. read more »POSTED IN:
David Allen on GTD's future (and why it just works, as is)Merlin Mann | Nov 21 2006
43 Folders and The David Allen Company present the eighth in a series of conversations that David and Merlin recently had about Getting Things Done. Summary
Grab the MP3, learn more at Odeo.com, or just listen here (after the cut). Merlin's commentsIf you bend David Allen's ear for more than 30 seconds about GTD, you'll hear some variation of a phrase that I heard a lot over the couple days we hung out in Ojai: "It's all in the book!" Say what you will about The David, but he is not a man who suffers from The George Lucas Complex. Much to the consternation of his publishers, his fans, and -- one suspects -- even some of his colleagues, David feels like he has already written the complete and definitive work on the Getting Things Done system. And he very clearly has no desire to futz with that basic system without a good reason; it's sound and complete, as is, and there you go. Next subject. And, I have to say, in a lot of ways, I've come to really admire this. read more »POSTED IN:
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