Back to Work

An important discussion about aging as examined and explained through the lens of James Howlett.

https://www.backtowork.limo/644

Merlin thinks LLMs have raised the bar for voice assistants in general and Siri in particular. Dan and his kid watch the excellent HBO series, Chernobyl. Merlin’s weird, truncated contexts in T...

https://www.backtowork.limo/643

Your hosts discuss facial hair, notebooks, the metric system, flexing about local weather, and becoming the bathroom supplies you want to see in the world.

https://www.backtowork.limo/642

Travel is not always about traveling, but it is definitely always about your life.

https://www.backtowork.limo/641

A classic odds n' sods episode. Plus, Merlin has thoughts about memory and ecosystems, and Dan is considering jetting through an eclipse. e640 Bob Evans https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-up...

https://www.backtowork.limo/640

Dan talks about what he's learned from traveling a bunch, and Merlin thinks a lot of weirdness comes from our twin fears of boredom and inconvenience.

https://www.backtowork.limo/639

A classic odds n' sods episode.

https://www.backtowork.limo/638

Merlin conducts a deep dive on being busy versus being time-constrained, and Dan has some updates on his task management odyssey.

https://www.backtowork.limo/637

Dan is navigating the landscape of task management apps, and, shockingly, Merlin has some thoughts.

https://www.backtowork.limo/636

Dan and Merlin kick off the new year with a wide-ranging look at how tools and motivations evolve with how we work.

https://www.backtowork.limo/635

A fairly epic episode covering health tracking and self-quantization. Remember: data doesn't have to hurt.

https://www.backtowork.limo/634

Your hosts talk about how we perceive the world and the challenge of mindfully updating our perceptions.

https://www.backtowork.limo/633

Dan and Merlin are excited about technologies that have found a place in their lives. What a blessed season of thanks! Runner-Up Titles: A Lot of Their Unhappiness Came from Me The Smell of a 15-...

https://www.backtowork.limo/632

Merlin has more on generative AI, and Dan has a sweet new watch.

https://www.backtowork.limo/631

On AI and curiosity.

https://www.backtowork.limo/630

And and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion.

https://www.backtowork.limo/629

Talk of eyes, intentionalities, and HDMI.

https://www.backtowork.limo/628

Merlin claims he's not going to do any work for this one, and Dan has some advice for travelers.

https://www.backtowork.limo/627

Your hosts catch up on some great media, and Merlin expounds on the magic of Channels. Also, Merlin logrolls a recent podcast episode and re-extolls the power of dictation.

https://www.backtowork.limo/626

Dan and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion.

https://www.backtowork.limo/625

Dan and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion about technology, and Merlin lays the groundwork for several spirited rants.

https://www.backtowork.limo/624

Over the course of this classic Odds n' Sods episode, it becomes clear that all Merlin cares about is babies and 3D printing.

https://www.backtowork.limo/623

Dan returns from a nice trip, and Merlin has been printing lizards.

https://www.backtowork.limo/622

You’re either early or you’re late; leave time for a flat tire; have you tried melatonin?; a new search engine and some enthusiasm for blogs.

https://www.backtowork.limo/621

With Merlin on the mend, your hosts discuss actors named Hurt, comic books, and old Macs.

https://www.backtowork.limo/620

DISCUSSED: A self-hypnosis recommendation leads to another look at meditation (as well as not-meditation), plus Merlin has a few more beta finds that contribute to the Tiny Life Improvement Proje...

https://www.backtowork.limo/619

DISCUSSED: Dan sets up his little office, your hosts talk about the new Apple dingus, and Merlin highlights some strong OS updates.

https://www.backtowork.limo/618

Dan needs your help with a flooring dilemma, and your hosts share some thoughts on WWDC announcements.

https://www.backtowork.limo/617

Dan dives deep on his Sonos setup, and Merlin explores official state things.

https://www.backtowork.limo/616

DISCUSSED: Merlin's family doesn't understand him; an extremely funny TV show is recommended; your hosts address some of the trade-offs that continue to hinder easy smart home adoption; Dan tease...

https://www.backtowork.limo/615

Try to make sure fear is always preceded by curiosity.

https://www.backtowork.limo/614

Merlin has a lot of thoughts about AI stuff.

https://www.backtowork.limo/613

Dan's house continues to get smarter, and Merlin has some very good media picks.

https://www.backtowork.limo/612

Dan has big updates about his smart home setup, and Merlin is getting intimate with a robot.

https://www.backtowork.limo/611

DISCUSSED: Steve Buscemi is celebrated, and The Big Lebowski is congratulated; the guys continue their dive into the state of smart home hardware with a focus on switches. e610-buscemi https://fi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/610

Dan is curious about AI voice transcription, and Merlin has yet more smart home advice for a new homeowner.

https://www.backtowork.limo/609

DISCUSSED: Merlin has some been analyzing a very misleading song about beaches, and Dan has been visiting more with ChadGPT.

https://www.backtowork.limo/608

DISCUSSED: Dan has a new iPad keyboard, and Merlin is intrigued by ChatGPT. Also, Merlin almost tunes his guitar.

https://www.backtowork.limo/607

DISCUSSED: Dan's takes some smart baby steps into home automation, and Merlin has a lot to say about everything.

https://www.backtowork.limo/606

DISCUSSED: Dan begins a new journey into smart home living, and Merlin is excited about common misconceptions. e605-infants https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-...

https://www.backtowork.limo/605

DISCUSSED: After settling some confusion about Anna Borg, the boys settle into an amble about the state of voice assistants and the future of the theoretically smart home. As ever, Merlin is pret...

https://www.backtowork.limo/604

DISCUSSED: Merlin is extremely happy with a suggestion that Dan made, and Dan has a bunch of apps he's excited about. e604-adam-12 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e...

https://www.backtowork.limo/603

Typing on an iPad, rhyming compulsively, default media, and taking a young foodie out on the town.

https://www.backtowork.limo/602

DISCUSSED: Merlin is excited about reading, and Dan sometimes puts his time in a box. Also: Breaking Bad.

https://www.backtowork.limo/601

DISCUSSED: Merlin recommends an exciting new beta; Dan gets a new e-reader; and Merlin has a lot to say about taking notes. e600-notebook https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/...

https://www.backtowork.limo/600

DISCUSSED: a classic odds n' sods episode encompassing a missing remote (and a failed system), some wallet FU, cool help with playlist management, unsubscribing in dribs and drabs, and a big-ass ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/599

Merlin is still on Island Time, so discussion is mostly limited to Columbo, Star Wars, Merlin's playlists, Ellsworth, and, of course, wallets. We almost talked about _Triangle of Sadness_ https:/...

https://www.backtowork.limo/598

DISCUSSED: Dan has a new concern; some thoughts on resistance; Merlin shares a new insight on creativity and sleep; Dan has FU directly from the Nosferatu band; Merlin serves a turducken of sugge...

https://www.backtowork.limo/597

DISCUSSED: Merlin is playing with his new dingus; Dan almost talks about wallets; try Tailscale to make your stuff work better together; why you (yes, you) need a VPN; Dan is getting enthused abo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/596

DISCUSSED: Halloween Follow-Up; exit interview for Season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows; how Apple could build users' confidence and stimulate their curiosity with better documentation; Merlin m...

https://www.backtowork.limo/595

Fortunately, Merlin had thoroughly prepared for 62 minutes of lizards, Morgellons, animal powers, and Tom Cruise. e594-bears https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f...

https://www.backtowork.limo/594

Sleep, practice, infrastructure, power, and OCD are themes. As per usual. e593-power https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/gu-haXo7.jpg

https://www.backtowork.limo/593

Dan has Covid, so Merlin agrees to carry him, and yet Dan improbably carries them both.

https://www.backtowork.limo/592

There are a few odds and sods, but, yeah, it's mostly about adjudicating Peak Cruise. Runner-Up Titles Bespoke Slime Hole Gavin Assumed Nom De Repair Species-Ending Annoyance Mosquito Tasks One S...

https://www.backtowork.limo/591

Feeling bad about feeling bad is ultimately optional. 2022-09-13 Rhys Darby https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/2S54RNRq.jpg

https://www.backtowork.limo/590

From choosing a pencil to relocating your ladder, one big and complex part of Knowledge Work is deciding how to do what you do.

https://www.backtowork.limo/589

DISCUSSED: Your hosts talk about some of their favorite Mac apps available via Setapp (https://setapp.com/). TK e588 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98...

https://www.backtowork.limo/588

We've got a man on the boat.

https://www.backtowork.limo/587

DISCUSSED: A very moist man's lawyer learns how Dropbox works; Merlin introduces "The Bump"; Dan has a cool new calendar technology; and Merlin speed-rounds some odds and sods.

https://www.backtowork.limo/586

Frankly, it was a bit of a fever dream, but your hosts discuss sportsball, collective singular nouns, Coleridge's trap street, LEGO, and a handful of Merlin's recent wins. Lego https://files.fire...

https://www.backtowork.limo/585

Merlin has thoughts on survival, aging, and whether to bother trying to understand whatever NFTs are. Next up, the triumphant return of "Cool Thing I Learned This Week" brings updates on iOS dict...

https://www.backtowork.limo/584

Your hosts discuss dramaturgy, package managers, and monospaced fonts. Ladies?

https://www.backtowork.limo/583

DISCUSSED: Dan misses going to the movies; cool ways to save your bacon in Git; and Merlin is excited about a (new to him) app for personal tracking and quantization.

https://www.backtowork.limo/582

DISCUSSED: Merlin runs the table this week with: unseasonable heat; the joy of realizing when someone obviously loved (and probably had to fight for) the thing that they made; and finally, an ext...

https://www.backtowork.limo/581

A classic odds n' sods episode. Merlin needs help with a journaling via voice solution; your hosts look at password enhancements in the Apple betas; praise for Apple's SF fonts and SF symbols; a ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/580

Dan & Merlin are live from the show floor, sharing their thoughts on the WWDC 2022 keynote address.

https://www.backtowork.limo/579

On memory, security, and sleeping injuries.

https://www.backtowork.limo/578

Considering the value of finding something new to suck at. Runner-Up Titles Stop Trying to Meditate and Just Breathe I’m That Guy in My Own Head The Confidence of the New Idiot

https://www.backtowork.limo/577

It's a very special "Oops! All Automation Check-ins" episode. But, of course—as always—there's also a philosophical component.

https://www.backtowork.limo/576

DISCUSSED: Dan's new tenants flip him the bird, and Merlin has strong feelings about email. Runner-up titles: Glass Surfing I Don't Believe in a Lizard Binary A Game Stop and a Bathroom A Mother ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/575

Your hosts are finally back in action with vital updates on #productivity and #creativity. Also, ginger ale and egg substitutes.

https://www.backtowork.limo/574

DISCUSSED: Updates on new Plex functionality; praise for Severance; plus some updates on Merlin's new setup—and pursuing the life that you'd like to have. Runner-Up Titles: Shoulders Come in Pa...

https://www.backtowork.limo/573

DISCUSSED: Big news from Plex; Merlin has an expansive new computer project; and Dan continues to make his way at a new gig using his trusty calendar.

https://www.backtowork.limo/572

DISCUSSED: Dan is doing new things that require a new approach to his calendar. Merlin proposes some appropriate Calendar Kyber Crystals.

https://www.backtowork.limo/571

DISCUSSED: Dan is back from reporting on the show floor; recommendations for some Back to Work-adjacent podcast episodes; incidental thoughts and advice on presentations as performance; everybody...

https://www.backtowork.limo/570

DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's latest event and consider what the future looks like from Cupertino.

https://www.backtowork.limo/569

Links: uBlacklist for Safari on the App Store — "Blocks sites you specify from appearing in search engine results" uBlacklist for Safari | Search Engine filter for Safari Why Are There So Ma...

https://www.backtowork.limo/568

DISCUSSED: the Russians are coming; Dan has thoughts on Marvel TV shows, and Merlin has thoughts on Hawkeye specifically; Merlin bravely and boldly recommends watching a film that's often conside...

https://www.backtowork.limo/567

DISCUSSED: your hosts can't complain (but, sometimes, they still do); a provisional craving for secular pre-cana; what are your canonical family holidays?; Dan has to sign something; a quick clar...

https://www.backtowork.limo/566

DISCUSSED: boiling ATX water and the long-term return of the Bang-Bang Machine; thought-provoking insight on youth, hustle, and work-life balance from Slate Political Gabfest; and Dan tries his h...

https://www.backtowork.limo/565

DISCUSSED: 🐇🐇; Dan shares follow-up on surviving his Covid week; a listener emails the show with a fascinating offer; your hosts discuss childhood mail; in Breaking News, the actor, M. Emme...

https://www.backtowork.limo/564

An epic journey that begins with Dan's viral week and ends with a misunderstanding about the first Chicago album.

https://www.backtowork.limo/563

DISCUSSED: Memories of Super Dave; KEYnote by LockPickingLawyer ; Dan gets conspiracy theory-curious; the tapestry of entertainment by cults; Dan helps Merlin understand Git; and Merlin gets a ne...

https://www.backtowork.limo/562

Taskapalooza begins. Rock me, Joseph Alberto Santiago. Links for this episode: Kiss - "Love Gun" - YouTube Why 70% Isopropyl Alcohol Is a Better Disinfectant Than 99% Isopropyl Alcohol - Mu...

https://www.backtowork.limo/561

Wrapping up the year with thoughts on unearned Covid optimism, defining "normal," Roomba training, Microsoft Visual Studio, plus a new (and decidedly more positive) reframing for New Year's resol...

https://www.backtowork.limo/560

Talking Spider-Man and phones for kids. Links for this episode: Magneto | Marvel Database | Fandom Dimensions | Into the Spider-Verse Wiki | Fandom Griffin Explains Electro's Origins in Ama...

https://www.backtowork.limo/559

Merlin's Best of 2021™ kicks off with the return of "Cool Things I Learned This Week." Links for this episode: The Talk Show #331 – “John Was the Problem,” with Merlin Mann Merlin Mann...

https://www.backtowork.limo/558

A classic odds and sods episode covering: Rush lyrics; personal pronoun tips; Fitness+ meditation; more melees with various voice assistant ecosystems; a big shout-out to the iconic Listener Rach...

https://www.backtowork.limo/557

The Boys are back, and they're not sure how big this thing gets. Links for this episode: Amazon.com: Celery Man : Alexa Skills Good morning, Paul. What will your first sequence of the day be? ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/556

DISCUSSED: Dad stuff; flying too close to the smart home sun; appreciating the magic of Wes Anderson; the virtues of UPS battery backup; and, finally, Merlin starts tentatively sketching a unifie...

https://www.backtowork.limo/555

DISCUSSED: please stop changing the clocks; our kids are not us; the people of England have spoiled or corrupted several very good words; The Ellis Island Bit; surnames mean things; getting pelte...

https://www.backtowork.limo/554

This is what happens when Merlin stays up til 2 a.m. watching a movie and then has to record a podcast at 9 a.m. Because, your day is a continuum. Links for this episode: YANSS 218 – How an...

https://www.backtowork.limo/553

Dan has all the waiters singing at him, and Merlin tries to buy the non-existent SIMS 4 for the Mac. Main topic is considering how best to set up a device that provides structure and motivation...

https://www.backtowork.limo/552

DISCUSSED: Your hosts talk about music, Apple Watch, and getting out of your kid's way. Also: life and MacBooks Pro. Links for this episode: Michael Penn - Try - YouTube Michael Penn – Try...

https://www.backtowork.limo/551

DISCUSSED: Dan and his son are up to Daniel Craig in their Bond journey, and this leads to an exploration of how our feelings about movies and their characters can change over time; considering t...

https://www.backtowork.limo/550

DISCUSSED: Exploring rural voices; the things that kids (and we) have had stolen away over the past couple years; what movie would get your butt back into a cinema seat?; an opinionated dive into...

https://www.backtowork.limo/549

DISCUSSED: Merlin considers a black market medical purchase; the anatomical anomalies of the problematic sleeper are considered; some favorite YouTube finds are discussed; and, finally, your host...

https://www.backtowork.limo/548

Dan and Merlin almost talk about iOS 15. Links for this episode: The Different Types of Twilight, Dawn and Dusk Blues Traveler - Hook - LIVE! - YouTube iConnectHue | The essential Philips H...

https://www.backtowork.limo/547

Reporting live from the show floor and looking at options for time tracking. Links for this episode: Toggl: Time Tracking, Project Planning and Hiring Tools to Help Teams Work Better Reliable ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/546

DISCUSSED: The rules of "Rabbit Rabbit"; exploring the magic of Domino's probability-altering powers; forests versus trees and past versus future; Chevy Chase and a familial ninety-ten inversion;...

https://www.backtowork.limo/545

Links for this episode: Scotch-Mount™ Extreme Double-Sided Mounting Tape | 3M United States Community (TV series) - Wikipedia Magneto | Marvel Database | Fandom Story Structure 101: Super...

https://www.backtowork.limo/544

DISCUSSED: Nicholson movies; Synology yums and yucks; difficulties of shows about music; upcoming rabbit rabbit plans. Links for this episode: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest What’s Up With...

https://www.backtowork.limo/543

DISCUSSED: Catching up; Merlin's Travel Results; praise for Best in Show, SCTV, and public libraries; Dan has a new computer. Links for this episode: Reconcilable Differences #162: A Pile of Be...

https://www.backtowork.limo/542

A celebration of M1 devices, the benefits of learning how to learn, and considering when a new learning curve might be worth the climb. Links for this episode: Gordon Solie - Wikipedia Final ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/541

Find the tool you need—but, keep asking yourself, "Soooooo…now what?" Links for this episode: The paradox of abundance – Jon Udell Could Gen Z Free the World From Email? - The New York ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/540

Things get pretty silly, yet somehow land on some extremely Back to Work points about time management, compression, values, and moving your own goalposts. For some reason, McDonald's becomes an i...

https://www.backtowork.limo/539

DISCUSSED: Dan begins a journey into new worlds of voice control and home automation. Links for this episode: Run Farther, Faster: tips from Endure author Alex Hutchinson. To run farther and f...

https://www.backtowork.limo/538

DISCUSSED: Some ups and downs of living the smart speaker lifestyle. Also: the dramatis personae of The Land of Make Believe; feeding the demon dogs; and learning to be careful with the words w...

https://www.backtowork.limo/537

DISCUSSED: Merlin and his wife realize the moment they crossed a line; in Follow-Up, your hosts celebrate the late great Fred Willard; in further Follow-Up, the state of the union in smart voice ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/536

DISCUSSED: Dan finally gets more three-six-five, and Merlin gets extremely deep in the stack. Also, just a little more calendar talk, including a model for deciding where something goes. Links ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/535

DISCUSSED: Merlin runs into some problems reporting live from the show floor; is social media making us as happy as we'd like to think?; thoughts on pro wrestlers and the films of John Carpenter;...

https://www.backtowork.limo/534

DISCUSSED: Part one of a deep dive into calendars. Links for this episode: 206 - Narcissism — You Are Not So Smart — Overcast Dark triad - Wikipedia In psychology, the dark triad compris...

https://www.backtowork.limo/533

DISCUSSED: Merlin is full of beans this week. Links for this episode: Adam Neely - YouTube Once More, With Feeling Thread Benefits HomeKit over Thread | evehome.com Bacon Ray - "Sundays...

https://www.backtowork.limo/532

DISCUSSED: A classic, old-school “Odds ’n Sods” episode that includes: Apple’s audio upgrade announcement; AirTags and the promising future of UWB; lots of thoughts on anxiety; caffeine w...

https://www.backtowork.limo/531

DISCUSSED: Merlin has been cracking nuts, and Dan is enjoying a beverage; in Follow-Up, Dan has made great progress with his new voice assistant; Merlin has thoughts on choosing a dingus ecosyste...

https://www.backtowork.limo/530

DISCUSSED: Dan is actively gaslighting Merlin, and this can be proven; please stop stealing focus; praise for Ferris Bueller in general and the knees of Sloane Peterson in particular; passing tho...

https://www.backtowork.limo/529

Merlin has a whole new setup, and Dan has a whole new TV. Links for this episode: My Secret Sauce of Blogging This is where I give away all of my blogging secrets. I’ve decided to divest mys...

https://www.backtowork.limo/528

DISCUSSED: Merlin is reporting live from the show floor; sleep is complicated; food is complicated, too; Dan tries to build muscles the right way; he also has strong feelings about TV shopping; M...

https://www.backtowork.limo/527

DISCUSSED: some important movie follow-up; films (and other media) can be a powerful way to talk about things we aren't supposed to be talking about; Merlin has some links to help think about wha...

https://www.backtowork.limo/526

DISCUSSED: fake southern accents lead to some movie talk; Merlin apologizes; Dan does not want to spend a night in The Box; please utilize the restroom that conforms to the color of your gender; ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/525

DISCUSSED: iOS has gotten really good; still, there's some Apple stuff we'd love to see get better; some Covid updates; anxiety and OCD in these fraught times; finally, Dan and Merlin need your a...

https://www.backtowork.limo/524

DISCUSSED: DST and rebooting sleep; some quick documentary talk; a challenging H.R. Giger poster; updates on sane prepping, looking at some interesting sources for electric power; on rational pre...

https://www.backtowork.limo/523

Diving deep on the power of infrastructure. Yes, for you, too. Links for this episode: The new, improved StyleStealer for Marked 2 - BrettTerpstra.com This tool is great if you’re on online ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/522

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a lot to say about fizzy water and the drugs of Florida; someone please help Dan get his old Twitter name; talking recent media and deciding when a kid is "ready" for it; so...

https://www.backtowork.limo/521

Preparing isn't just for preppers. But, how do you incorporate scope and infrastructure without turning into a nut? Links for this episode: Four-Day Work Week Gains Popularity Around the World ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/520

DISCUSSED: Dan has updates on Texas's recent weather events and the unanticipated cascading effects on complex and interconnected infrastructures; then, for dessert, your hosts explore the deligh...

https://www.backtowork.limo/519

DISCUSSED: As The Lone Star state struggles with a surfeit of anomalous weather events, your hosts dig into the challenges inherent to all sorts of complex, interconnected systems. Links for th...

https://www.backtowork.limo/518

DISCUSSED: Doing pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good; Dan discovers a shark is menacingly circling one of his product names; there's a reason Merlin is not in the corner office; your hosts fondly...

https://www.backtowork.limo/517

No WAY am I even going to attempt a description this week. With that said: Links for this episode: harrumph! still crazy ("Rabbit rabbit!") "It's the end of the month and you know what th...

https://www.backtowork.limo/516

DISCUSSED: There are things that one wants to see less or fewer often; is this particular button actually hooked up to anything?; there is literal must-see TV and you must see it literally immedi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/515

DISCUSSED: Dan continues to explore the exciting possibilities of his latest hardware acquisition. Links for this episode: Wisdom From Merlin Or: “Everybody likes being given a glass of wate...

https://www.backtowork.limo/514

DISCUSSED: life's relentlessness continues apace; Cash enjoyed Dan's modified Godfather trilogy; celebrating Lil' Inappropriate Books; a terrific recent use of "Layla"; some Inside Baseball talk ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/513

DISCUSSED: Merlin looks at a shelf and then, for some reason, discusses it; walls and Japanese beds and jokey-sized dishwashers all benefit from wheels; life is different when you live on a boat;...

https://www.backtowork.limo/512

DISCUSSED: Making a problem go away is not the same thing as solving the problem. Links for this episode: Craft - Create Amazing Documents Built for digital devices from the ground up, Craft b...

https://www.backtowork.limo/511

DISCUSSED: The generational struggle to understand things we can't understand, dealing with other people, and Star Wars. Links for this episode: Craft - Create Amazing Documents Craft Review:...

https://www.backtowork.limo/510

Sometimes, no one can see the ball—let alone reach the ball.

https://www.backtowork.limo/509

DISCUSSED: Habits, cycles, and patterns of thinking. Why it's difficult to rehearse success—but surprisingly easy to rehearse failure. Links for this episode: Linky Linky - This has to become...

https://www.backtowork.limo/508

Discussed: the paths of thought and emerging from a rut the size of the Grand Canyon.

https://www.backtowork.limo/507

DISCUSSED: From Jerry Lewis to a drinking bird in a scant 80 minutes. Links for this episode: Opinion | Your Brain Is Not for Thinking - The New York Times Hook – Find without searching Ho...

https://www.backtowork.limo/505

DISCUSSED: lot of projects going on!; praise for Nicki Minaj; some recent TV shows that are important to your hosts; Merlin is a little obsessed with a new Mac productivity app; interrogating pro...

https://www.backtowork.limo/504

DISCUSSED: Merlin's additions to Bunch have him stepping on his own dingus; maybe it's time to invert the permissive legacy model for who gets access to us (as well as how and when); there's no ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/503

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a lot to say about the benefits of making lists; this leads to an old-school stemwinder on "Journal" calendars, functional playlists, shared Notes, the lessons of the cutler...

https://www.backtowork.limo/502

DISCUSSED: hey, it's an advice episode!; San Francisco has a lot of available office space; a musical unguent for your soul; a cool font that makes accessibility pretty; getting in front of your ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/501

DISCUSSED: Sending good vibes to The Dude; Merlin has a couple awesome app recommendations; some Follow-Up on the Apple Event, including what your hosts are ordering and what they're each excited...

https://www.backtowork.limo/500

DISCUSSED: Merlin is reporting live from the show floor; Dan is due for a new phone; nostalgia for buying a carton of cigarettes; praise for Netflix's "Challenger" series; Merlin shares some upda...

https://www.backtowork.limo/499

DISCUSSED: Merlin craves an easy visit with Floyd; Spirit's lawsuit no longer winds on down the road; Question: what obligation does a company have to support their developer tools? And for how l...

https://www.backtowork.limo/498

DISCUSSED: the boys update one another on some very good media they're enjoying; everybody loves a movie with a big world; Merlin pitches Dan on the improbable magic of Ted Lasso; talk turns to s...

https://www.backtowork.limo/497

DISCUSSED: Folks, this one is a doozy, and that's all I'm gonna say about that. Links for this episode: Inbox Zero: Merlin Mann's Tips for Managing Your Life Online | GQ “I've come to think ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/496

DISCUSSED: Merlin is reporting live from the show floor; remember to photograph your kid's room; some bearded dragon updates; some thoughts on pets; Merlin's grandfather was a reluctant dog obses...

https://www.backtowork.limo/495

DISCUSSED: California has no shortage of crises; Dan's got a brand new bag; thoughts on exercise as prophylactic medicine; extremely anecdotal data on the rise of fake ratings and reviews on Amaz...

https://www.backtowork.limo/494

DISCUSSED: Rabbit, rabbit!; Dan wants to be sedated; at some point, Merlin had most of the optimism bred out of him; a lot of problems and small beefs get overlooked for survival and sanity reaso...

https://www.backtowork.limo/493

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a lot of infrastructure going on; your hosts share strong feelings on time zone discrimination and its attendant big-timing; Dan has more cool videos coming to his channel ;...

https://www.backtowork.limo/492

DISCUSSED: time is hard; X-Men for eight cellos; in follow-up, Dan has some clues for troubleshooting his jumpy screen; it's valuable to understand what problem you didn't solve; then, of course,...

https://www.backtowork.limo/491

DISCUSSED: Dan is joining a campaign, and Merlin's eyesight now precludes him from being an AD&D dungeon master; Dan has a concern about his laptop screen and needs your help; then, the boys sett...

https://www.backtowork.limo/490

DISCUSSED: the joys of a movie that reveals itself over multiple viewings; good storytelling is difficult but so rewarding; as you know, Bob, a lot of movies have that Walk Hard problem; Merlin h...

https://www.backtowork.limo/489

DISCUSSED: Merlin has discovered a unique new voice emerging from the medical and spiritual communities; your hosts interrogate the implications of this new material; Dan and Merlin have media re...

https://www.backtowork.limo/488

DISCUSSED: There's really only one topic right now, and it's not going away any time soon. Many analogies and historical echoes are explored. The future, if it exists, is going to be very weird. ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/487

DISCUSSED: knife talk and flea market nostalgia; a deep dive on state knife law; knife tips from listeners; Merlin reinstalled Homebrew; comfort viewing amidst these challenging times; also, a he...

https://www.backtowork.limo/486

DISCUSSED: Merlin has flies in his bathroom; Dan's town is really going through some times; there's some COVID talk, duh; Merlin solved a very strange iOS beta bug; main topic involves some thoug...

https://www.backtowork.limo/485

DISCUSSED: the things we can and cannot do anything about; the things that can and cannot change; and the wisdom to know all of the differences. Links for this episode: Ep. 389: "The New March...

https://www.backtowork.limo/484

DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin take a first look at Apple's recently-announced iOS and iPadOS updates. Links for this episode: iPad Keyboards - Apple Paul Verhoeven - Wikipedia Secure, Fast & Pr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/483

DISCUSSED: Merlin is nauseated, and Dan has advice on what you definitely should or should not buy at a gas station; Merlin says he'll be brief, but, as usual, it turns into a real stem-winder as...

https://www.backtowork.limo/482

DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin talk about hot dogs. Links for this episode: Uncured Beef Frankfurters (Natural Casing) | Boar's Head Products - Hot Dogs - Applegate PRODUCTS « Kahns Donate - ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/481

DISCUSSED: not everything can be everything; pain accumulates; getting weepy about a cool teacher; expanding on our new thought technology for reframing negative thoughts and feelings; abstractin...

https://www.backtowork.limo/480

DISCUSSED: Skype struggles; nobody likes parsnips; Dan remotely teaches Merlin to cut his own hair; Dan introduces a new game show, and Merlin is dealing with poop; life is not currently optimize...

https://www.backtowork.limo/479

DISCUSSED: discussion of The Freshman and thoughts on what makes a movie "hold up"; has anyone ever craved a three-star movie?; what Merlin really wants is a smart friend; Dan is enjoying On Beco...

https://www.backtowork.limo/478

DISCUSSED: Here we are in Spain; a lot went on behind the scenes of The Wizard of Oz; also Modern Problems existed; further discussion of 80s movies; they used to make more movies; B-MO gets a sh...

https://www.backtowork.limo/477

DISCUSSED: Dan has concerns!; every road has many parts, but you seriously need to show your humanity; stop signs are really just velocipede serving suggestions; not all wood floats; too soon; an...

https://www.backtowork.limo/476

DISCUSSED: Merlin is having a strange day, and Dan notices everything; please remember that fear and stress and anxiety are pretty terrible motivators; praise for On Becoming a God in Central Flo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/475

DISCUSSED: our perception of value is definitely personal and maybe even a little generational; sometimes, the only thing you can afford is the best; a listener question about where your hosts ar...

https://www.backtowork.limo/474

DISCUSSED: Dan loves it when things just work and so does Merlin; Dan is composting, and Merlin is down to clown; ¡repita después de mi!; massive real-time follow-up; playing with iBeacons; exc...

https://www.backtowork.limo/473

TW: very brief mention of suicide around minute 24. DISCUSSED: a classic three-act episode! Expertise is difficult to explain—let alone to teach; the Sunday Scaries are real; it's an interest...

https://www.backtowork.limo/472

In this very intimate episode, Dan and Merlin share some ideas for positive yet do-able projects to improve your life and world in these dumb, scary times. Also, covered in this episode: recomm...

https://www.backtowork.limo/471

Difficult times and the Venn overlap between anxiety and OCD. Hang in there, everybody. Links for this episode: Epistemic Trespassing | Mind | Oxford Academic Epistemic trespassers are thinker...

https://www.backtowork.limo/470

DISCUSSED: “CATS — Now and Forever!”; BokBok.wtf ; on civic responsibility; Dan browses worms, and Merlin finds him a spider; Dan wants some keyboard advice, and Merlin just needs a ride; s...

https://www.backtowork.limo/469

DISCUSSED: heck, yeah, there's a lot of uncertainty; the woeful knock-on effects of COVID-19, from SxSW to presidential handshaking; Dan graciously accepts Merlin's apology; it's SO important tha...

https://www.backtowork.limo/468

DISCUSSED: Merlin's uvula thing is back; some handy one-liner suggestions; the boys are loving uBar, and this leads to a dive on how they use the macOS Dock; praise for Witch; Ultraman is back, b...

https://www.backtowork.limo/467

DISCUSSED: Skype steals focus, and Merlin ate your poem; music is pretty great; some odds and sods and recommendations; everyone should have a bell; learning to trust your system (and yourself); ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/466

DISCUSSED: Merlin isn't quite awake yet and has some audio struggles in the midst of a new project; Dan is bringing back The Podcast Method ; committing something to media can still be very speci...

https://www.backtowork.limo/465

DISCUSSED: new muting!; infrastructure is hard; on dogs; Dan gets a podcast recommendation from his fish guy; who we're 'shipping on Star Trek; a free musical performance for a beloved sponsor; s...

https://www.backtowork.limo/464

DISCUSSED: thoughts on hand-washing and habit-building; Dan has a really good scarecrow joke; Merlin still can't figure out how many 12-year-olds Dan owns; Dan has a question about laptops and ba...

https://www.backtowork.limo/463

Merlin is pretty out of it this week, and Dan shares some listener questions. Links for this episode: Reilly's a match for show business / Actor-director here in one-man show - SFGate The Com...

https://www.backtowork.limo/462

DISCUSSED: strongly-held podcast preferences; Skype hates you; praise for Rogue Amoeba and Strong Songs; a small B2W milestone passes; Dan likes 1917; what Jack did; praise for Match Game; a coup...

https://www.backtowork.limo/461

DISCUSSED: A fun and creepy new face swap app; Twitter is not creating much new happy; this leads to a discussion of generational perceptions about what's acceptable or even desirable (especially...

https://www.backtowork.limo/460

Merlin needs help in the NOC; Dan discovers sensitive sauce; there are thresholds; hurting your roller skating muscles; new printer; and, finally, Merlin conducts a long exploration of unnecessar...

https://www.backtowork.limo/459

For this very special end of the century, fin de siècle episode, Dan and Merlin make bespoke personal recommendations for music, podcasts, apps, TV shows, YouTube videos, and gadgets. Links fo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/458

DISCUSSED: holiday lizard talk; some benefits of using "Environment" and "Journal" calendars; nostalgia for the Palm family of products in general and Graffiti in particular; responses to listene...

https://www.backtowork.limo/457

DISCUSSED: Dan presents a curious new bathroom project; some thoughts on OCD, procrastination, and empathy; praise for Fury Road, Inglourious Basterds, and Dunkirk; Dan has follow-up on his aweso...

https://www.backtowork.limo/456

DISCUSSED: Drafts for Mac is out!; check out Damon Lindelof on The Watch; suggestions for HomeKit power strips; and responses to listener letters on rediscovering the joys of physical media and...

https://www.backtowork.limo/455

Discussed: the commercials you get in your head listener feedback on music management first results of Merlin's own deep dive on music management alternatives thoughts on the "safety" that ends u...

https://www.backtowork.limo/454

DISCUSSED: Merlin has an email confession; Dan steps up with a shoulder; listeners have given your hosts a season of the show; praise for HBO's Watchmen; a discussion of curating media for kids; ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/453

updates on travel and packing a new notebook Merlin likes finding a notebook that accommodates both your brain and the shape of your day Merlin's bespoke six-block notebook method Dan struggles ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/452

Our worst episode ever. Enjoy! Links for this episode: Mark Text CommonMark Spec Venice ‘on its knees’ after second-worst flood ever recorded Sweeping Study Points To Devastating Impa...

https://www.backtowork.limo/451

Dan is getting a Synology, Merlin has been making stuff, plus the return of "Cool Things I Learned This Week." Links for this episode: Keyboards, Computer Keyboards, Wireless Keyboards | Logite...

https://www.backtowork.limo/450

DISCUSSED: coincident birthdays; mathowie's gigantism and very online Ex Machina house; extensive actor and media talk; you probably hadn't heard, but, The Revenant was very difficult to make; Ap...

https://www.backtowork.limo/449

This week, Dan and Merlin dive into the benefits (and fun) of a NAS project. Also, Merlin goes off about the horror show of letting old people determine the future. Also, also, hey, kung fu movie...

https://www.backtowork.limo/448

It's Infrastructure Week! Dan and Merlin start with California's power crisis and end up pivoting to phones, cable TV, and, of course, Apple. What happens when a resource we think of as a solve...

https://www.backtowork.limo/447

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about living in a world of hardware choices. How do you decide which device is best suited to a given task? Which ones do you find yourself preferring to use beca...

https://www.backtowork.limo/446

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's OS rollouts, changes in Apple retail, and week two with the new Apple Watch. Links for this episode: Release dates for iOS 13, iPadOS 13, macOS Cata...

https://www.backtowork.limo/445

This week, Dan and Merlin focus on the new Apple Watch. Links for this episode: New iPhone set up: Transfer data directly to a new iPhone wirelessly, or using a cable Siri on Apple Watch: The...

https://www.backtowork.limo/444

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a cool new voice from talking to friends late last night; Dan has an automotive collision anecdote, while Merlin has thoughts on how preparation fails us in extreme moments;...

https://www.backtowork.limo/443

Dan and Merlin discuss the upcoming big Apple event and why this one's potentially interesting. Also, dog anecdotes. Links for this episode: AVIATOR VISUAL EFFECTS - BEHIND THE SCENES The Dar...

https://www.backtowork.limo/442

hurricanes! hyperactivity exposing kids to the canonical films that weird, affected Hollywood accent a name for that time comparison phenomenon making your voice interactions more fun catching u...

https://www.backtowork.limo/441

Lots of talk about the changing media landscape, plus some odds and sods. Links for this episode: Jia Tolentino on what happens when life is an endless performance — The Ezra Klein Show — O...

https://www.backtowork.limo/440

DISCUSSED: finding an actor's age and height; time analogies; Merlin needs help naming two critical phenomena; Dan is dissatisfied with how cars look; could Wolverine get a Caillou tattoo, and wo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/439

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a little visitor today. Dan has some thoughts on conference scheduling. This leads to a broader discussion of the sensitivities we may or may not have to other peoples' limi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/438

Dan and Merlin explore the complexities of personal style. Not personal style as in fashion, but as in preferences, identity, and modes of interaction. How do we let others know how we are? How...

https://www.backtowork.limo/437

DISCUSSED: the admirable candor of B.B. King; the simple joys of the Ordinary Night; movies that are or are not dated and how that affects your enjoyment; how sci-fi seemed to mostly miss the int...

https://www.backtowork.limo/436

DISCUSSED: kindness; eyeglasses, at length—including eyeglasses indignities, discounts, and injuries; a renewed surfeit of dingalings, fake friends, and a dumb podcast hit piece; and, finally, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/435

Show notes are short this week because Merlin had to go buy contrast paints for his figs. Main topic is speculating about speculation. Links for this episode: Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter...

https://www.backtowork.limo/434

DISCUSSED: Dan has found a terrific solution for his son's iPad case; on the benefits (and challenges) of getting away from our devices for a while; listener recommendations for YouTube keyboard ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/433

DISCUSSED: Merlin is a little hoarse; but what's an actual pony versus an actual little horse?; there's a lot of sadness and housing problems in the Hundred Acre Wood; the challenges of recommend...

https://www.backtowork.limo/432

First and most importantly, Dan is back! Woo! Second, now, listen: please bear with me, and do not leave. Because, when I say we talked mostly about Disney—and especially Disney properties—...

https://www.backtowork.limo/431

Dan's away this week, so Merlin tries going it alone. Topics include lessons from painting D&D minifigs, listener letters, and some recommendations. Feel better soon Dan; WE NEED YOU! Links...

https://www.backtowork.limo/430

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a catastrophic off-by-one-week error; Roderick's June is very triggering to your hosts; sometimes, it's nice to be exposed to stuff you didn't expect, but…; at a certain p...

https://www.backtowork.limo/429

DISCUSSED: Nobody got enough sleep last night, but they're gonna power through anyhow; your hosts fawn over the amazing Chernobyl miniseries; various hardware mute button options are discussed; M...

https://www.backtowork.limo/428

DISCUSSED: nasty, brutish, and short sleep; watching TV with a game controller; Dan has to deal with suite concatenation; your hosts crave the expertise of a craftsman; Merlin realizes he and his...

https://www.backtowork.limo/427

DISCUSSED: Dan has a new setup, and Merlin randomly recommends a kids' book; your hosts remember too much; Dan realizes he took the wrong shop class, and Merlin realizes why Generation X was (and...

https://www.backtowork.limo/426

DISCUSSED: Dan explains what the photos he sends mean; Merlin encourages Dan to air a beef, and Dan kindly assents; Oh, boy, Windows! My old nemesis…Windows!; the Mac's interoperability glory d...

https://www.backtowork.limo/425

DISCUSSED: the restorative tonic of a good night's sleep; a return to sleep as video game; it's okay to tweet your hosts about hoagies and Publix; concerns about butt cancer; Dan recommends a Net...

https://www.backtowork.limo/424

DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin get hungry, but they've had it with all the bread; the trough food is SO costly; no one is sweating Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Marvel-ish movies are discussed, in...

https://www.backtowork.limo/423

DISCUSSED: Dan has just started a new pen; there's some pen, pencil, and eraser talk; Dan has an important anecdote about utilizing eraser-based people skills; Dan's iMac is working fine, but he'...

https://www.backtowork.limo/422

DISCUSSED: What we talk about when we talk about optimism; the power of "Act as Though"; on edibles; a YouTube recommendation, then more YouTube recommendations; how even do we tell YouTube what ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/421

DISCUSSED: Merlin is back on his old cans; Dan is pivoting to video; Cash stepped in paint, and kids are terrible storytellers; a book recommendation; a case for the Oxford comma, please and than...

https://www.backtowork.limo/420

DISCUSSED: allergy attack!; big anniversary today; elegy for Two Cats Comics; some D&D talk; Dan got a sword!; yet more D&D talk; key commands for line-moving; Dan got his YouTube URL back; a The...

https://www.backtowork.limo/419

DISCUSSED: Top o' the Morling!; praise for the home release of Spider-Verse; Dan and Merlin offer some more TV recommendations; Merlin endorses an excellent "turns out" podcast; a deep dive on sl...

https://www.backtowork.limo/418

DISCUSSED: Merlin is trying some new things and probably needs to adjust his DIP switches; audio equipment is discussed; remembering Hal Blaine; German words; fish dropsy; dining at Alamo Draft H...

https://www.backtowork.limo/417

DISCUSSED: Merlin is living the Domino lifestyle; R.I.P. Two Cats Comics; praise for iA Writer; Merlin needs help with his sudden Gmail spam; a meditation on comics as some awesome fun and an ugl...

https://www.backtowork.limo/416

DISCUSSED: Dan has an awesome new video ; Spider-Verse is out!; Merlin's dorky Segway is discussed; app recommendations for a clean new Gmail and an even-smarter Dark Sky; Dan spills the beans on...

https://www.backtowork.limo/415

Mostly one big topic: screen time. Links for this episode: How to Fix “Cellular Update Failed” on iPhone with iOS 12.1.2 SMS, LTE, Cellular Data Issues 16 Surprisingly Funny Palindromes |...

https://www.backtowork.limo/414

DISCUSSED: It's the optimistic day, but Merlin really screwed up an edit; there's some Inside Baseball about how podcasts get made; it's nice to have someone notice the shaving cream on your jowl...

https://www.backtowork.limo/413

DISCUSSED: Gong Hei Fat Choy!; follow-up on the FaceTime bug and the complexity of getting bug and security reports from normals; the weirdness of bug-finders demanding a bounty; Merlin is fascin...

https://www.backtowork.limo/412

DISCUSSED: Dan's fighting his computer and explores font corruption; Merlin hates pebbles in his shoe; Dan has an anecdote about massages; Merlin has an anecdote about the FaceTime exploit; this ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/411

DISCUSSED: dreams and whether people like hearing them; turns out: Merlin recommends a podcast episode about mental stuff; practice vs. rehearsal; visualization as a rehearsal thing; follow-up on...

https://www.backtowork.limo/410

DISCUSSED: moisture; kids and watches; some recent media consumption; encouraging kids to have good taste; memories of watching VHS movies in school; follow-up on Dan's new keyboard experiment; D...

https://www.backtowork.limo/409

DISCUSSED: Optimistic Tuesdays; office cleanup; a grave bleach mishap; follow-up on Wirecutter; a listener suggestion on, of all things, acupressure; Dan loves his cool new keyboard, but has a bi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/408

DISCUSSED: "Rabbit Rabbit!"; partial shutdown and the toilet problems it creates; updates on options for Bluetooth keyboards; some extremely random and anecdotal reckoning about the recent Big Ap...

https://www.backtowork.limo/407

It's the most wonderful time of the year, so the boys answer listener mail and get a little silly. Happy Holidays, jackals. Links for this episode: Elmore Leonard: 10 Rules for Good Writing -...

https://www.backtowork.limo/406

Discussed: the harsh mistress of holidays, Hanukah presents, Cash's cool gift, the joys of good UX, some excellent very good recommendations, an exciting Science experiment involving hamburgers, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/405

Discussed: Merlin worries that Dan is getting ground down; web sites are getting very thirsty; Dan thinks it's like pads in football; Dan has updates and more thoughts about doing development wor...

https://www.backtowork.limo/404

Discussed: Why Tuesday is the optimistic day; pourover coffee for Dan's wife; confirm shaming; updates on iPad keyboards and covers; approximately annual history of "Bawk Bawk!"; some thoughts on...

https://www.backtowork.limo/403

Discussed: Thanksgiving; spatchcock chicken; kids and their stupid eating; Dan's concern about how we talk to each other; Merlin encourages people to try not to be terrible. Also, some odds and...

https://www.backtowork.limo/402

Discussed this week: Dan's MOSH setup on iPad; Dan's new NEW iPad; ease of setup on iOS; some iOS photo editing app recommendations; two things Merlin learned this week; and a little rant about h...

https://www.backtowork.limo/401

Dan and Merlin talk about their first week using the new iPad Pro. Links for this episode: The Talk Show: Ep. 234, With Special Guest Merlin Mann Special guest Merlin Mann returns to the show....

https://www.backtowork.limo/400

Discussed this week: coffee water, voting, inertia, new iPads on the way, difficult buying decisions, returning merchandise (as a thing), some TV suggestions, Dan's new ODROID, 80s video game nos...

https://www.backtowork.limo/399

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's Fall event in Brooklyn today. They liked the event. BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Molekule (Visit Molekule.com and use the code BACKTOWORK at checkout for $...

https://www.backtowork.limo/398

Discussed: nailing it, the optimistic valence of Tuesdays, difficulties finding replacement parts on Amazon, headphone preferences, Alexa's service outage and new whisper mode, Austin's big water...

https://www.backtowork.limo/397

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the FitBit Charge 3 and where it fits into their worlds—as well its place in the larger tracker and smart watch ecosystems. Excursions also include: BroBo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/396

Discussed: the tyranny of earliness, the benefits of timeliness, an interesting horology episode about Apple Watch, more watch talk, a blog recommendation, a quick look at Merlin's new FitBit, an...

https://www.backtowork.limo/395

This week: some TV and movie stuff, Dark Mode and accessibility, OS stability and beta temptation, Merlin has an anecdote, the powers and frustrations of Siri via Apple Watch, updates to the Fitb...

https://www.backtowork.limo/394

This week, Merlin's got a LOT going on. Full Catastrophe Living! Discussed: booger colors, some tv and movies, a dream deferred, various X-Persons, loving GoodTask 3, plus Dan and Merlin just c...

https://www.backtowork.limo/393

A classic odds-and-sods episode, featuring important discussions about sleep tracking, the Apple Watch, Succession, sound bars, Chris Nolan's Batman, and Nintendo Online. Links for this episode...

https://www.backtowork.limo/392

Discussed: upcoming Apple announcements; do people with bigger screens use more apps more often?; some follow-up on adaptive testing; and comics for kids. Your hosts answer a listener question ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/391

Skype gets WAY too ambitious; sprinkling sauce on a service; a mandatory social network for doorbells; Dan acquires a new deity; some excellent listener follow-up on Computerized Adaptive Testing...

https://www.backtowork.limo/390

Discussed: homework and testing; wallets and wallet philosophies; things to learn from wallet philosophy; how to fall asleep; watching Star Trek; Dan's new smart speaker; Merlin yells at Alexa se...

https://www.backtowork.limo/389

Discussed: courting a vegetarian; The Information Problem; FU on Dan's new slide remote and keyboard; also, belts; travel pre-screening options; a recommended article on hypocognition; Dan saw IT...

https://www.backtowork.limo/388

DISCUSSED: tech that's gotten so much more dependable (and, yeah, so much less dependable); Dan needs a new presenter remote; Marvel's First Family (finally) returns; who would win if The Hulk fo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/387

Discussed: Merlin sounds like a saxophone, keyboards are extensively discussed, pros and cons of various MacsBooks Pro, Dan likes using one monitor, pining for best-of-class hardware from Cuperti...

https://www.backtowork.limo/386

Discussed: current monospaced font preferences, experimenting with text sizing, getting on the sucker list, old McDonalds had some styrofoam, new tech that would kill old stories, kids bewilderme...

https://www.backtowork.limo/385

Merlin really likes the ones where Dan prepares. Discussed: four-twenty in The Mile High state, some tv and movie recommendations, the creativity that comes from constraints, The Information Pr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/384

This week: Dan may or may not be sanguine, and Merlin is having another meetup; comics, movie and TV discussion (and recommendations) abound; Cash is impatient for a red DS; the magic of ubiquito...

https://www.backtowork.limo/383

Dan's ex-cold, some media recommendations, strobe light problems, Dan's new phone, bad eyeglasses, your fault versus your problem, plus listener feedback about estimating hours and costs. Links...

https://www.backtowork.limo/382

Discussed this week: head colds, Florida, vitamin shots, Pleiades, Pigeon Pose, a new kind of spam, some media recommendations, iOS 12, and a listener question about a job they just don’t wanna...

https://www.backtowork.limo/381

Follow-up on the Benjamin family phone plan, what it's like to use a phone that's not a phone anymore, excitement for Siri Shortcuts, an AR measurement app recommendation, Dan's new TV recommenda...

https://www.backtowork.limo/380

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about some of their favorite announcements at the big computer show. They also deep dive into how to handle the Benjamin family's need for a new phone. Links fo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/379

Discussed this week: media dustups, the deleterious career effects of social media, a week or so of Instagram, love of dogs, a podcast appearance, two great services for spotting fake Amazon revi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/378

Discussed: trust my method, beards, foo bar baz, casting Mysterio, villains of Peter Spiderman, an unpaid debt to Dan, medieval electric billing, endorsing Evil Genius and Belief, the power of Sp...

https://www.backtowork.limo/377

Discussed: lame patents, Salvador Dalí, allergy season, backpack discrimination, friend cosplay, things Dan can't say, AT&T woes, Merlin saw a bear, a YouTube rabbit hole, and some excellent his...

https://www.backtowork.limo/376

Discussed: time flies, nesting dolls, cloud saves for Switch, oy vey the service subscriptions, wheat and chess boards, WiFi and health, abdomen cinchers, more Netflix recommendations, the hollow...

https://www.backtowork.limo/375

Discussed: places that are closed, dinosaur eyes that follow you, a TV show about makeup, some thoughts on Infinity War, the joy of content that really nails the medium, more on B2W shirts, Merli...

https://www.backtowork.limo/374

Discussed: Dan's gummi vitamins, vitamins in general, the childhood shame of those weird plaque pills, exotic sickness images, Fifth Disease comes to Austin, Dan's car troubles, Faraday Cages and...

https://www.backtowork.limo/373

This week, the boys discuss Drafts, The Archive, Merlin's love of Spotify, some great playlists, and weird rules for cheerleaders. In extensive follow-up, your hosts talk about the listener who...

https://www.backtowork.limo/372

Bula vinaka, bee tee dubs nation! This is an epic odds and sods episode, replete with TV follow-up, font follow-up, and Wild, Wild Country follow-up, along with book recommendations, happy Splato...

https://www.backtowork.limo/371

This week, Dan and Merlin discuss Jessica Jones and the problem of super power constitution, plus some more Netflix recommendations ("Look away! Looooook awaaaaay!"). They also do a dive into upd...

https://www.backtowork.limo/370

This week, your hosts say "Bula Vinaka!" They also discuss phone cards, some Netflix recommendations, Merlin's phone usage, and "accidentally" getting punched in the face by your kid. Of course, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/369

This week, your hosts discuss Steely Dan, digital mastering, The Police, Dune, high-quality VCRs, and Dan's brother-in-law's close call. Next, they dive into a fascinating article on why projec...

https://www.backtowork.limo/368

This week, your hosts talk about some stuff they're doing, loving Spotify, some Echo podcast-listening tips, the attraction of Google Drive, some thoughts on backup strategies, getting swole, the...

https://www.backtowork.limo/367

This week, your hosts talk about using Windows, technology modalities, making sane decisions as a developer, reality TV, 20th anniversary of The Dude, Merlin's new fondness for Spotify, analyzing...

https://www.backtowork.limo/366

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about weather as a thing and giving up on Cash's dumb iPad problem. This leads to discussion about the risks, opportunities, and frustrations of having lots of data...

https://www.backtowork.limo/365

This week, Dan and Merlin talk a little too much about Harry Potter, but also manage to cover some other media properties as well as the shockingly limited options for British casting. Dan has a ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/364

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about lots of recent experiences with the weird and often-frustrating world of streaming TV. What a mess. There's also some discussion of sauna suits, The Eagles,...

https://www.backtowork.limo/363

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the Eagles' big win, what constitutes a catch, Dan's cool new shirt, Merlin's surprisingly positive interactions with Kabletown, the seeming magic of Movies A...

https://www.backtowork.limo/362

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about crazy kids' homework, Dan's exciting nerd field trips in the Bay Area, the magic of PIXAR, a handy Netflix companion site, and using Siri on Apple TV. Thing...

https://www.backtowork.limo/361

This week, Dan and Merlin talk a lot about writing and respond to feedback from listeners. Links for this episode: Bacon Method How long to grill a steak on a charcoal grill - The rule of thr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/360

This week, Dan has some weather, Cash makes a battery, homework can be a silly drag, management is about scalability and quantification, how to figure out how much you have to do, 80s movies can ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/359

This week, your hosts cover some odds and sods, share some recommendations, design some fantasy podcast apps, and introduce an exciting new feature involving the Internet Science Site. They als...

https://www.backtowork.limo/358

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about why they're trending, an exciting update on the Mr. Robot ATV bug, the frustrating opacity of using Apple's stuff, Dan's love for Nintendo Switch, nostalgia f...

https://www.backtowork.limo/357

The boys wrap up a big year—a huge year—with an unintentionally thematic episode about feelings, expectations, nostalgia, and the black boxes of life, technological and otherwise. Links for...

https://www.backtowork.limo/356

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about keyboard preferences (and their noises), Merlin catching Dan's weird "Mr. Robot" bug on Apple TV, feedback about "inside jokes," exclusion as a weapon, more g...

https://www.backtowork.limo/355

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about (partial) resolution to Dan's Apple TV bug, some venting about delivery problems, general complaining about customer service, a good TV podcast episode, a ver...

https://www.backtowork.limo/354

This week, Dan and Merlin discuss theories on Dan's Mr. Robot/Apple TV bug, living in an opinion bubble, an update on flu shot efficacy, Dan's recent insane mail delivery, speculation on how gian...

https://www.backtowork.limo/353

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about…so many things. Merlin had a lot of coffee. Big topics include: Flickr nostalgia (and smart photo backup tips) Dan's crazy Apple TV bug A terrific podcast...

https://www.backtowork.limo/352

This week, your hosts discuss: holiday disruptions, life patterns, the joys of regularity, discovering unnecessary existential vulnerabilities, scheduling as a video game, getting your head aroun...

https://www.backtowork.limo/351

TOPIC: Integrity and Fear. This week your hosts discuss: sandwiches, solar power, some recent movies and what makes them memorable (or not), the glory of Edgar Wright, fun movie commentaries, D...

https://www.backtowork.limo/350

TOPIC: Trials, Trophies, and Trying Harder. This week, the boys arrive from either the past or future to talk about Dan's spoon problem, the refuse racket, the slog of incremental improvement, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/349

Dan and Merlin talk about Halloween, the Chromebook, Apple, WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), and hair removal. Links for this episode: SNL Transcripts: John Goodman: 03/16/96 Mark Rober - Y...

https://www.backtowork.limo/348

TOPIC: Too much ambiguity in time. This week, your hosts discuss hot weather adjustments, Merlin's Skype woes, the state of the union on Skype replacement contenders, ruminations on Mac trouble...

https://www.backtowork.limo/347

TOPIC: Turns out. This week, the boys talk about audio problems, hot dogs, kegeling, Merlin's next meet-up, Tsum Tsums, comic suggestions, Battle of the Sexes, excellent recent TV series, All t...

https://www.backtowork.limo/346

TOPIC: Surface Tension. This week, Dan and Merlin discuss names of cities in Florida, wireless neckbands, elliptical bikes, chore systems (and parental withholding), iOS battery life, canny Mac...

https://www.backtowork.limo/345

TOPIC: You're not supposed to pet the car. This week, Dan and Merlin discuss Nest Cam updates, Ring doorbell tracking, Echo family additions, HDMI questions, the fraught landscape of 4K HDR TV ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/344

TOPIC: Publix Hustle This week, Dan and Merlin talk about grocery store promotions, transactional help, the racket of school photos, Occam's Razor for public schools, Time Machine troubleshooti...

https://www.backtowork.limo/343

After some Followup and Front Matter, your hosts dive into iOS 11. (Spoilers: it's really good.) Links for this episode: Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #18 — Merlin Mann Video: Those 'Shot on iPhon...

https://www.backtowork.limo/342

This week, Dan and Merlin convene to talk about today's big Apple event. Links for this episode: Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #18 — Merlin Mann MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Rec...

https://www.backtowork.limo/341

This week, Dan has useful updates on Windows backup options and answers questions about building a Hackintosh . Both of your hosts extoll the virtues of their new Apple TV remote case dinguses. ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/340

TOPIC: Don't provoke Dan. This week, Dan and Merlin (once again) complain about what works and what just kiiiinda works with smart devices. Who's winning the voice control game, and who's strug...

https://www.backtowork.limo/339

TOPIC: It's like elevator buttons. This week, Dan and Merlin talk a lot about komodo dragons. Also, homework sucks, seed codes rule, and @Movesapp drools. How do we get so scared about thing...

https://www.backtowork.limo/338

TOPIC: How do you know when you're legitimately overwhelmed? This episode, your hosts catch up on Florida, schedule and sleep consistency, ladders vs. walls, travel mania, and the fraught lands...

https://www.backtowork.limo/337

TOPIC: Keep your hand away from the giant's mouth! This week, Dan and Merlin look back on summer and forward to the new school year. Also, some excellent ad hoc Business Analysis about the past...

https://www.backtowork.limo/336

TOPIC: Start treating yourself like a dummy today. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about iOS 11, the trade-offs of running betas, and waking up to how we're using devices differently. Merlin has...

https://www.backtowork.limo/335

TOPIC: Mapping Your Focus and Motivation This week, Dan talks about a cool new addition to his Fireside.fm service, and Merlin interviews him about how he likes to choose, plan, and evolve the...

https://www.backtowork.limo/334

TOPIC: Help! My bosses are doing a really dumb thing! This week, Dan and Merlin help a listener and his youngster get started with Spider-Man. Also, hey, support your Local Comic Shop ! Liste...

https://www.backtowork.limo/333

TOPIC: Making the spice flow. This week, Dan and Merlin dive into the thriving ecosystem of Florida's ad hoc roofing and lawn care professionals. Merlin gets The Boeing Contract, and Dan leaves...

https://www.backtowork.limo/332

TOPIC: Time Tetris in Difficult Mode This week, Dan and Merlin do a VERY deep dive on one listener's question about life with an excruciating shared Google Calendar. Merlin, unsurprisingly, has...

https://www.backtowork.limo/331

TOPIC: Drawing effective water. In this week's tight and bright episode, Dan and Merlin do dome followup on food bars and CBD oil, then discuss how to get better at letting people just enjoy wh...

https://www.backtowork.limo/330

TOPIC: Thirty cable boxes. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about beloved late night talk shows, Planet of the Apes, and the future of TV. Dan introduces his new thought technology about "Protofo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/329

TOPIC: Asterisks and Question Marks. This week, Dan and Merlin cover corgis (and other pets), asking for lettuce wraps, high-floor sandwiches, bread in a tube, John Wick (no spoilers), and the ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/328

TOPIC: She was only 15 years old! This week kicks off with some thoughts on yesterday's WWDC Keynote and some potentially promising signs for Apple's future. Dan declares YouTube videos from ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/327

TOPIC: "The results have been increbidle." This week, Dan and Merlin opine about various Apple feelings and wondering where the heck things are going. Merlin is sanguine. Merlin is mad at KFC...

https://www.backtowork.limo/326

TOPIC: Again with the motivation. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about what motivates the companies who make set-top boxes vs. the providers of the content for those dinguses. What attracts fan...

https://www.backtowork.limo/325

TOPIC: Odds 'N Sods In this sprawling "odds 'n sods" episode, Dan and Merlin discuss: superheroes, scary movie trailers, (yes, more) egregious package delivery drama, customer service Buddhism,...

https://www.backtowork.limo/324

TOPIC: Lady in a tube. This week, Dan and Merlin unexpectedly end up doing a pretty deep dive on Amazon voice products and the evolving ecosystem around them. Which is way more interesting than...

https://www.backtowork.limo/323

TOPIC: Curiosity before fear. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the experience of Apple stores and repairs, The Handmaid's Tale, Dan's invertebrate-sensing skills, and some follow-up on "loo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/322

TOPIC: Velocity! This week Dan and Merlin talk about lice, Kenny Rogers, strange memory phenomena, an intriguing new oil, and popcorn nugs pricing. A question from Listener Ben leads to sugge...

https://www.backtowork.limo/321

TOPIC: Triangles Everywhere! This week, Dan and Merlin shuck and/or jive about stealing, Publix, airlines, driver’s ed, douchebagerié, Twitter bots, and more. Main topic this week is a que...

https://www.backtowork.limo/320

TOPIC: Oh my GOD, this is TORTURE. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about—amongst other odds and sods— the Mean FedEx Guy, the weird future of gig economies, and Adventure Time. Then, there...

https://www.backtowork.limo/319

After some brief shucky-jivey, the boys resign themselves to discussing the big Apple announcement. They ponder why and how the message was delivered in the way it was as well as what it means. D...

https://www.backtowork.limo/318

After some very important follow-up, and more than a little shucking and jiving, your hosts answer questions from listeners. This is a good one! Links for this episode: Brian Regan - Stand Up...

https://www.backtowork.limo/317

This week, Dan and Merlin have one of their beloved "odds and sods" episodes. Something for everyone in this diverse and bewildering episode. "Same day delivery!" Links for this episode: Baco...

https://www.backtowork.limo/316

TOPIC: "Delivery Attempted." This week, Merlin struggles with his coffee-making options, and Dan recalls his days of fishing lures. USPS deliveries, several TV shows, and Wolverine's disturbing...

https://www.backtowork.limo/315

TOPIC: "Remember this film is supposed to be a comedy." This week: Dan struggles with his progressive lenses, but he really liked the movie, Logan. Merlin's daughter has made four piles, and he...

https://www.backtowork.limo/314

TOPIC: You can't perfect life. This week opens with the carnage of today's Amazon S3 problems and why so much of the internet seems broken. A brief history of outage monitoring is provided and ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/313

TOPIC: You're living in the future! This week, Merlin is in a bit of a tizzy as he tries to make coffee, redo his ads, and change his productivity system at the same time. Todoist and the evolv...

https://www.backtowork.limo/312

TOPIC: Alice hopes to hear from you. This week's episode is packed—literally, packed—with useful tips, tricks, and even a crazy challenge. Psyching yourself into falling asleep, learning ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/311

TOPIC: My place is here—I fight with you! This week, Dan and Merlin cover a meetup announcement, Merlin's Les Mis obsession, Dan's new Hackintosh Method , and the Benjamin Family's slippery ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/310

TOPIC: Celebrating your successful failures. This week, Dan and Merlin kick off with discussion of night bears, the ascendance of Netflix, and some very nice emails from listeners. Merlin also ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/309

TOPIC: Act like you're somebody that you like. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the evolution of voice recognition and touch interfaces and reminisce on the early days of making the turtle ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/308

TOPIC: Youth is the aberration. This week, Dan provides updates on his Hackintosh project, which leads to a discussion of finding reviews and advice with context. The hosts realize, acknowledge...

https://www.backtowork.limo/307

TOPIC: Reframing the conversation with yourself. This week, Merlin talks about his weird mortgage ads and compliments the literally fancy pants he got from the silver underpants people. Suggest...

https://www.backtowork.limo/306

TOPIC: This is a feeling I'm feeling. This week, your hosts look at the announcement of Dish's new Air TV box, along with the rapidly evolving landscape for cord-cutters. Also, fantasies of mon...

https://www.backtowork.limo/305

This is the Best of 2016 Compilation Episode, featuring your favorite moments of the show over the last 12 months. Each clip was suggested and submitted by you, our amazing listeners. Have a gr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/304

TOPIC: Is Tim firing us? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenge of dealing with email that's only kind of from a real person. There's some follow-up on Apple and wishing they'd just...

https://www.backtowork.limo/303

This week, the boys talk about slicing sand, unboxing videos, Overwatch, and some recommended TV viewing. Odds and sods, as you say. Main topic is follow-up re: listener feedback on recent Appl...

https://www.backtowork.limo/302

TOPIC: Vaio Life! This week, Dan and Merlin respond to listener feedback and talk about the tightrope walk of caffeine consumption. Merlin suggests a new AudioDharma talk, which leads to a di...

https://www.backtowork.limo/301

TOPIC: Kipple and Boomboxes This week Dan and Merlin start by talking about purging junk and answering listener feedback about kids and phones and teachers dealing with email. Main topic this...

https://www.backtowork.limo/300

TOPIC: Your "backstage" vs. their "onstage" This week, Merlin shares some useful thoughts (via Patrick Rothfuss ) on being careful about how we compare ourselves to others. The hosts also sha...

https://www.backtowork.limo/299

This week, Dan and Merlin do another of their beloved Odds 'n Sods episodes, with tons of great recommendations for movies, TV, apps, services, and nighttime medical appliances. Links for this ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/298

This week, Dan and Merlin are a little out of sorts, so, after some chat and followup, they talk about some of the things that make them happy. Plus, awesome Mac key commands. Links for this ep...

https://www.backtowork.limo/297

TOPIC: Leaving Dropbox Vegas Merlin survives a sleepover, and Dan has a concern about Dropbox. Links for this episode: Microsoft OneDrive iCloud - iCloud Drive - Apple Google Drive - Clou...

https://www.backtowork.limo/296

Dan's still a little under the weather What home automation is good at right now (and what it mostly isn't) Updates on Hiya and call-blocking apps not working so much Merlin is getting pretty go...

https://www.backtowork.limo/295

TOPIC: How to pester people responsibly. Dan's a little under the weather. Maybe kids should be in balls. Who knows? "Wrap a hot towel around your head ." Westworld. It's definitely a thing. Foll...

https://www.backtowork.limo/294

TOPIC: The Minimum Viable Waste of Time. Some awesome odds and sods, a great new Markdown editor for OS X, and a main topic on dealing with those aggressive email follow-up people. Dan's Concer...

https://www.backtowork.limo/293

TOPIC: A Surfeit of Merlin Mannsplaining. This week, Dan and Merlin produce an undisputed instaclassic odds and sods episode. When technology makes you feel crazy. Are retweets endorsements? Un...

https://www.backtowork.limo/292

TOPIC: The Unreliable Narrator of You This week, Dan and Merlin talk about weather, compost, small changes, plus some Sling TV followup. The main topic involves Merlin helping Dan sanely ente...

https://www.backtowork.limo/291

TOPIC: Nobody's favorite thing. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about update failures, magic, and attention. Their ongoing dive into the fractured and frustrating world of the modern cord-cutt...

https://www.backtowork.limo/290

TOPIC: Every week (and every time you think of it) This week, Dan and Merlin start by talking about some of the great updates iOS 10—alongside the usual strident advice about backing up befor...

https://www.backtowork.limo/289

TOPIC: Find My Mac. Please. With Apple's big iPhone event coming tomorrow, Dan and Merlin discuss what makes this particular day such a black box in Apple's history. This is likely to be the la...

https://www.backtowork.limo/288

TOPIC: Frantic SM 10 Pieces This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the problem with wraps, the problem with notebooks, and the problem with Amazon reviews. Links for this episode: Apple Is Work...

https://www.backtowork.limo/287

TOPIC: Hey, try this. This week, Dan and Merlin have a shortie, so they talk about stuff they're loving right now and make some recommendations on gadgets, music, movies, and more. Also, the ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/286

TOPIC: Kids don't need VCR Plus+. This week, Dan and Merlin continue their series on updates. The topic this week is all about media consumption—in particular, the massive changes to how th...

https://www.backtowork.limo/285

This week, Dan and Merlin open with an unintentionally deep dive on how Merlin has been tricking out his house with home automation stuff. The main topic this week returns to the theme of updat...

https://www.backtowork.limo/284

This week, Dan and Merlin continue their series on updates, talking about the evolution of electronic task management in their lives. Hint: simplify, simplify. Links for this episode: Ungainly ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/283

TOPIC: Orinoco Flow This week, Dan and Merlin continue their series on updates, focusing on the difference between the days before and after ubiquitous wifi. Also, lots of fun odds and sods o...

https://www.backtowork.limo/282

TOPIC: Way of the future. This week, Dan and Merlin continue their discussion on updates to their systems and their productivity worlds. In particular: how have new technologies and critical ma...

https://www.backtowork.limo/281

TOPIC: Updates on Productivity and a modern Kobayashi Maru Scenario This week, Dan and Merlin start a new series on updates. Which sounds really boring, but it isn't, we swear. This time out,...

https://www.backtowork.limo/280

TOPIC: …and, then what happens? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the unexpected cognitive benefits of ritual, repetition, and thinking through the fascinating question: "…and, then what...

https://www.backtowork.limo/279

TOPIC: People, amirite? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the complexities of communicating with each other. And, brother, is it ever complicated. Links for this episode: Blood Meridian Au...

https://www.backtowork.limo/278

TOPIC: Varieties of pain. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Dan's progress on building fireside.io and its imminent beta release. Lots of fascinating details on why he's made it and who it m...

https://www.backtowork.limo/277

TOPIC: Merlin's never sent his heartbeat. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about some of this week's WWDC announcements, the past and future of Apple, and that awkward feeling of wondering whethe...

https://www.backtowork.limo/276

TOPIC: Fill one bag. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about our relationship with the stuff in our lives and how overwhelming it can be. Solutions are offered—throw out that old cinnamon! Lin...

https://www.backtowork.limo/275

TOPIC: Disruptions in Service This week, Dan and Merlin talk about that ineffable but growing feeling of disconnection from the collections we used to treasure. Music, Photos, Movies, Books—a...

https://www.backtowork.limo/274

TOPIC: True or false dilemmas? This week, things kick off with a discussion of how to be helpful. Especially at your kid's school, but really just in general. This leads to a rumination on "roo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/273

TOPIC: Such small hands. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Dan's acquisition of an iPhone SE and how much he's loving it. This leads to some ruminative discussion about how we pick devices b...

https://www.backtowork.limo/272

TOPIC: Grow what? Grow HOW? This week, Dan and Merlin have a surprisingly passionate discussion about growth. Companies gotta "grow," right? But…what the hell does that really even mean? ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/271

TOPIC: Opinion at Scale. This week kicks off with a confession that Dan and Merlin are increasingly less interested in coverage of Apple's finances and the related Kremlinology and blind guessi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/270

TOPIC: Finding stories and insights hiding in your data. This week, Dan and Merlin dive deep into the new world of personal tracking. Dan has a new FitBit, and Merlin has a surprisingly complic...

https://www.backtowork.limo/269

TOPIC: Putting an Overt Stake in the Ground. This week, Dan and Merlin end up talking about the surprising stuff a Fitbit can do for you. Dan even buys one. Also, some discussion of pope hats...

https://www.backtowork.limo/268

TOPIC: But, alas. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Smile's updated announcement about TextExpander and the ugly problem of blind internet rage. Also, lots of talk about ponderous 80s movi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/267

TOPIC: Wow, times change. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenges and opportunities of subscription-based payment models. When do they work (or not) and how quickly does autopay fat...

https://www.backtowork.limo/266

TOPIC: Welcome to Costco. I love you. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about breakfast sandwiches, the pain and suffering of dealing with Apple IDs, managing kids and their iOS devices, Merlin's ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/265

TOPIC: Serving the super-motivated super-fan. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about: a modest request from Merlin some interesting new options for viewing OTA broadcast television on Apple TV th...

https://www.backtowork.limo/264

TOPIC: No one cares about your demo anymore. This week Dan & Merlin talk about realizing when life isn't all about you and getting better at learning how to say "thank you." Also, lots of gre...

https://www.backtowork.limo/263

TOPIC: Staying out of Technology Detention This week, Dan and Merlin do another giant-size grabbag episode that covers a lot of ground, including: movies, kids, and ratings, oh my! better text ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/262

TOPIC: That's Not How the Future Works. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about evolving technology culture, the weird landscape of semi-smart devices, and why Merlin does and kinda doesn't do Get...

https://www.backtowork.limo/261

TOPIC: Grab Bag. This week, Dan and Merlin cover the waterfront. This wide-ranging episode covers lots of listener feedback, corrections of egregious errors, D&D alignment, the danger of guessi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/260

TOPIC: Epistemology and Parenting as Dumpster Fire This week, Dan and Merlin end up talking a lot about what they don't know and how they know they don't know it. The biases, errors, and frames...

https://www.backtowork.limo/259

TOPIC: Feelings, Slide Rules, and The Franklin Test This week Merlin hasn't had enough coffee and may have early-onset toxoplasmosis, so he and Dan respond to great feedback from listeners, mos...

https://www.backtowork.limo/258

TOPIC: Information, Context, and Courage. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the reaction to last week's episode about work and identity and respond to follow-up questions from listeners. ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/257

TOPIC: Coder, Kayaker, Father, Person. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Dan's attempt to vastly rejigger his schedule in the interest of mental and physical health. This leads to a long d...

https://www.backtowork.limo/256

TOPIC: Say something funny. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about entertainment as a career and how difficult it can be to know whether you're suited for it. Plus, discussions of X-Men, San Fr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/255

TOPIC: Budgeting the Primary Secondary Project This week, Dan and Merlin do a deep dive on a very old and very thorny topic: managing time. Thing is: this is not about bookkeeping—it's abou...

https://www.backtowork.limo/254

TOPIC: Elephants all the way down. This week, Dan and Merlin do a deep dive on communication, perception, persuasion, empathy, and understanding, as illustrated by everything from The Force Awa...

https://www.backtowork.limo/253

TOPIC: Something something the things we own. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the way shopping changes how we buy stuff—and how buying is changing what we can actually shop for. Then, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/252

TOPIC: Maybe quit being so "busy." This week, Dan and Merlin drop a lot of science on the miraculous taxonomies of Judaica. Mazel Tov! For the big topic, Merlin launches into an animated jere...

https://www.backtowork.limo/251

TOPIC: Sunrise, Sunset. This week, Dan and Merlin celebrate their 250th episode with an extensive discussion of McDonaldland and its horrific culture and citizenry. The main topic addresses t...

https://www.backtowork.limo/250

TOPIC: Personal Crazy Walls This week, Dan and Merlin start by covering a lot of things that you might actually be thinking of. The meat of the episode focuses on a listener question about de...

https://www.backtowork.limo/249

TOPIC: More Songs About Buildings and Food This week, Dan and Merlin talk about transitions, microwave ovens, air conditioning, and the likelihood of salmonella. Links for this episode: Amazo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/248

TOPIC: A Mark on a Page This week, Dan and Merlin kick off by talking about Dan's recent interview with "Weird Al" and how he's such an interesting harbinger of changing times for media and pla...

https://www.backtowork.limo/247

TOPIC: Medieval or Renaissance? This week, Dan and Merlin start out by helping listeners learn to identify the subtle differences between all things Renaissance and Medieval. The remainder of...

https://www.backtowork.limo/246

TOPIC: First impressions of the new Apple TV This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the triumphs and travails of their first few days with the fourth generation Apple TV. Links for this episode...

https://www.backtowork.limo/245

TOPIC: You are who you choose to be. This week Dan and Merlin talk about making buying decisions, dealing with unsolicited email, preventing stupid from sticking to you, and finding systems tha...

https://www.backtowork.limo/244

TOPIC: It's Business All the Way Down. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about joys and frustrations of contemporary consumer technologies. So great yet so frustrating. So powerful yet so hobbled....

https://www.backtowork.limo/243

TOPIC: Procrastination is a life sentence. This week, after some high-level discussion on the topics of Marvel and media reduxes, Dan and Merlin (maaaaybe) wrap up their initial and very positi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/242

TOPIC: iOS Amazement This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Dan's new iPad Air 2 and continue their discussion of how much iOS 9 on modern devices is already changing how we do our work. Also, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/241

TOPIC: Speed, Reliability, and Expectations This episode, Dan and Merlin talk about this week's massive leaps forward with the pairing of iOS 9 and iPhone 6s. Links for this episode: Siri’s...

https://www.backtowork.limo/240

TOPIC: Block! Block! Body blow! Uppercut! This week, Dan and Merlin talk less about ad-blocking and more about what kind-of feels like (but might not actually be) a point of change for web adve...

https://www.backtowork.limo/239

TOPIC: Knowing what you'll need to know. This week, Dan and Merlin answer a listener question about how the "slow your roll " thought technology can apply to learning new skills. Links for th...

https://www.backtowork.limo/238

TOPIC: Stop that train! This week, Dan and Merlin talk about some ideas for noticing and then battling the surfeits of negative thought that sometimes threaten to overrun us. Also: talk of a ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/237

TOPIC: Practice, practice, practice. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the perilous wonders of practice of all kinds. Links for this episode: How Portability Ruined the Telephone - The Atl...

https://www.backtowork.limo/236

TOPIC: Losing hit points. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the stuff you have to do to stay healthy and well—and the rocky path to realizing when you have to actually "make it a thing." ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/235

TOPIC: Compensatory muscles This week, Dan and Merlin talk about how much emotions can become like physical injuries—and what happens when we try to overcompensate for either. Links for thi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/234

TOPIC: Can I ask you a question? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the complexities of communicating effectively via email. They also begin to sketch out a unified field theory for escalatin...

https://www.backtowork.limo/233

TOPIC: Don't just be the meatbag in the room. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about "the fill-in guy," TV shows they're loving, listener feedback, improving presentations, The Smiths, the evolut...

https://www.backtowork.limo/232

With Merlin on sabbatical (returning next week), Dan is once again joined by John Roderick. They discuss the significance of dreams, sleep paralysis, unexplained phenomenon, alien abductions, a r...

https://www.backtowork.limo/231

With Merlin on sabbatical, Dan is joined by John Roderick to talk about being a candidate, taking care of yourself, managing introversion, trying on ideas without fear, the Thirty Years War, and ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/230

TOPIC: The perils and joys of just getting started. This week's episode is chockablock with awesomeness, from the sublime to the ridiculous. It ends on a very inspiring note. But, en route: Mex...

https://www.backtowork.limo/229

TOPIC: What kind of "perfect" can you tolerate? This week, Dan and Merlin have a big week. A huge week. Opening with a thank you to generous listeners, the boys then proceed to tackle some FU...

https://www.backtowork.limo/228

TOPIC: Learning to shut up and relax. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenges and benefits of getting out of your own head. Links for this episode: Art Museum | San Francisco | In...

https://www.backtowork.limo/227

TOPIC: Hitting and sharing and dietetic lunch. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about having and not having siblings (and what it may or may not actually mean) as well as addressing some of the r...

https://www.backtowork.limo/226

TOPIC: You can't have ALL the phone calls. This week, Dan and Merlin battle Skype to talk about Dan't hissing floor, text editing on iOS, plus more followup on WWDC announcements. Spotlight o...

https://www.backtowork.limo/225

TOPIC: Poundsign Communication This week, Dan and Merlin talk about evolutions in how we do and don't communicate with each other. Links for this episode: Reconcilable Differences #1: We All ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/224

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 l...

https://www.backtowork.limo/223

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 im...

https://www.backtowork.limo/222

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 ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/221

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 Day Girl Talk - Feed the Animal...

https://www.backtowork.limo/220

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 ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/219

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 tal...

https://www.backtowork.limo/218

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 — ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/217

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 a...

https://www.backtowork.limo/216

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 majest...

https://www.backtowork.limo/215

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 ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/214

TOPIC: Thinking Patterns and Thinking Bias This week, Dan and Merlin talk in detail about how our unconscious patterns of thinking can damage our quality of life and hinder our ability to grow....

https://www.backtowork.limo/213

TOPIC: A lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous. This week, Dan and Merlin are all thrown off since they're recording on a Monday. Weird, right? They mostly talk about the respective...

https://www.backtowork.limo/212

TOPIC: The weather is not the sky. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about discovering the challenges that help you to thrive—and grow. Links for this episode: Email overload: Building my own ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/211

TOPIC: Less of an Island. This week Dan and Merlin talk about time, negotiations, and what we want (and don't want) from our email apps. Links for this episode: Eudora (email client) - Wikipe...

https://www.backtowork.limo/210

TOPIC: Throwing Stars and Managers This week, Dan and Merlin talk about working in a beehive and discuss whether they played D&D properly. Links for this episode: Brain Games (National Geogra...

https://www.backtowork.limo/209

TOPIC: Illness, Late Night TV, AI in the home, and Talking Baby Dolls This week, Merlin battles the flu to talk with Dan about late night television, binge watching, talking baby dolls, and the...

https://www.backtowork.limo/208

TOPIC: Scoping the Minimally-Viable Me This week, Dan and Merlin catch up on illness, Marvel comics, and what-have-you, but end up talking a lot about who we really are—who "I" actually am. M...

https://www.backtowork.limo/207

TOPIC: Work as Practice This week Dan and Merlin chew on some of the numerous eternal imponderables of creative work—with a special focus on "work as practice." Links for this episode: Cott...

https://www.backtowork.limo/206

With Merlin on sabbatical, Dan is joined by John Roderick to discuss his recent visit to Africa, the military, corporate friends, strategic thinking, the Internet, digital books and albums, echoe...

https://www.backtowork.limo/205

TOPIC: "I am NOT talking about bartending." A kind of two-parter this week. First up, a meditation on invasive thoughts, how they can take over our lives, and how we can maybe learn to deal w...

https://www.backtowork.limo/204

TOPIC: The things you did or didn't say. This week, Dan and Merlin sympathize with their pal Marco 's recently becoming "way too popular for a day ." What happens when something we said or wr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/203

TOPIC: The Life You Actually Want. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about organization, multitasking and new year's resolutions. Links for this episode: Amazon.com: ARRIS / Motorola SB6121 SURF...

https://www.backtowork.limo/202

TOPIC: The Opacity of the Stack In this depressing holiday episode, Dan and Merlin talk about how tenuous our modern infrastructures feel. How great it is when everything in the stack "just wor...

https://www.backtowork.limo/201

TOPIC: He'll only do three of these. This week, Dan and Merlin mark their 200th episode by responding to listener feedback and talking about Led Zeppelin and lunch tables. Links for this epis...

https://www.backtowork.limo/200

TOPIC: When You Love a Voice. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about podcasts they're loving right now. And, yeah, Merlin rants a little about overthinking and fetishizing podcast production. L...

https://www.backtowork.limo/199

TOPIC: Time to reboot. This week, Dan and Merlin respond to a note from Listener Tim on how to stay busy and active during his garden leave . The Boys encourage him to experiment with the perso...

https://www.backtowork.limo/198

TOPIC: Mail Bag. This week, Dan & Merlin respond to listener email and toots. Specifically, dealing with passive-aggressive team members, bulbous "CC:" lines, and what constitutes "stability." ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/197

TOPIC: Hakuna Matata. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about home pest control, misleading beef jerky, and becoming a more conservative electronics consumer. Links for this episode: 'Sync Solve...

https://www.backtowork.limo/196

TOPIC: Working alone together. This week, Dan and Merlin look at the many ways workplaces have changed over the years, and how they can be great or not so great. Links for this episode: Ungai...

https://www.backtowork.limo/195

TOPIC: What gets us on the moon? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about varieties of clowns, rogue walruses, bloody elevator buttons, taking risks, and catching footballs. Links for this episod...

https://www.backtowork.limo/194

TOPIC: You Are That Little Dot. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about notifications, beeps, bloops, flashes, and all the stuff we have zero control over. There's about a million ways people can ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/193

TOPIC: Reinforcement, Aikido, and Fear This week, Dan and Merlin try to tackle positive versus negative reinforcement. Links for this episode: Ad-free time! | Blocking ads, unblocking Netflix...

https://www.backtowork.limo/192

TOPIC: People, amirite? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about neighbors, dogs, Macs, MLB.tv, and flavors of reinforcement. Links for this episode: Support Dan Benjamin creating Podcasts and vi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/191

TOPIC: The Ultimate Existential Investor This week, Dan and Merlin vent about Apple as only its superfans really can. What happens when things…don't…just work? Links for this episode: Thr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/190

TOPIC: Starting the stuff we haven't started. This week—after some entertaining random talk and a handful of hardware and software recommendations—Dan and Merlin dive back into a familiar e...

https://www.backtowork.limo/189

TOPIC: Media, Rarely Well Done This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the modern consumer media landscape and how we seem to be changing almost as fast as the technology. Almost. Links for this...

https://www.backtowork.limo/188

TOPIC: Knowing What You'll Need to Know This week, Dan and Merlin talk about a recent presentation Merlin gave on expertise and curiosity. They also pour out a 40 for Macworld Magazine. Links...

https://www.backtowork.limo/187

TOPIC: Grab bag. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about—what? Well. They talk about privilege, empathy, bikes, bass players, Merlin's new mic, more bathroom signs, and a controversial anecdote ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/186

TOPIC: The Durable Impossibility of Email. This week, Dan and Merlin return to an evergreen topic: the impossibility of email. Chaotic, paradoxical, debilitating, frustrating, buoyant, and oc...

https://www.backtowork.limo/185

TOPIC: Is there anything else you want to tell me? This week, Dan and Merlin discuss what bathrooms can teach us about learning, expertise, and empathy. Links for this episode: Rules of the R...

https://www.backtowork.limo/184

TOPIC: Wait, what'd I DO?!? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about anger, misunderstandings, and trying to do the right thing. How bewildering (and emotional) it can be to feel misunderstood—as...

https://www.backtowork.limo/183

TOPIC: Thinking, Thinking, Thinking. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the inextricable links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. They also take some time to fondly remember Robin Will...

https://www.backtowork.limo/182

While Merlin takes a short sabbatical, Dan is joined by special guest David Sparks to talk about presentations, making your thing, balancing acts, iBooks author, paying for your kids' school with...

https://www.backtowork.limo/181

TOPIC: Stupid can't stick to me. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the distinction between being against something vs. not having an opinion about it vs. just choosing not to let the world s...

https://www.backtowork.limo/180

TOPIC: A Personal History of Personal Publishing This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the constantly-changing landscape of online publishing. How we got from home pages to blogs to social media...

https://www.backtowork.limo/179

TOPIC: Yes. Yes. This week, Dan and Merlin follow-up on their recent 5by5 at the Movies episode about Glengarry Glen Ross, talking more about sales culture, media consumption, how our personal...

https://www.backtowork.limo/178

TOPIC: Motivation This week, Dan and Merlin talk about their upcoming 5by5 at the Movies episode on Glengarry Glen Ross , which segues naturally into a discussion of the many aspects of motivat...

https://www.backtowork.limo/177

TOPIC: (Not) Solving People Problems With Technology. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenge of finding business workflows that…actually work. And, what happens if you try to fix ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/176

TOPIC: "Creativity" where you din't expect it. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about PIXAR, creativity, and FoldingText before finally succumbing to the treachery of Skype. Links for this epis...

https://www.backtowork.limo/175

TOPIC: Dan & Merlin in Fancy San Francisco This week, Dan and Merlin visit across a table in a darkened room to talk about WWDC, San Francisco's lesser-known features, and how to spend less tim...

https://www.backtowork.limo/174

TOPIC: Culture is what we DO. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about processing a hotel room and leading by example. Links for this episode: John Dickerson - How to Process a Hotel Room HOWTO...

https://www.backtowork.limo/173

TOPIC: How to undig a river. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about an email message from a listener who's having trouble getting away from his inbox long enough to do what he needs to, introduci...

https://www.backtowork.limo/172

TOPIC: It's like wallets and backpacks. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about H.R. Giger, Dan's latest Android experiment, more on app privacy, and why we need both wallets, backpacks, and suitc...

https://www.backtowork.limo/171

Merlin and Dan talk about Marked, Drafts, MLKSHK shutting down, App.net, routers, Hong King Phoey, poisoned meatballs, and more. Links for this episode: Hansure - Product Details HansureTM is ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/170

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about comiXology and the future of online digital purchases. Links for this episode: Wonder Woman (2009) (V) A modern man's trespass of the island of the Amaz...

https://www.backtowork.limo/169

TOPIC: Standing up to Attention Bullies. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the world's impossible expectations regarding each of our own time, attention, and access. What happens when we t...

https://www.backtowork.limo/168

TOPIC: Ubi Sunt, LCS? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the uneasy future of local comic shops—especially in light of Amazon's announced acquisition of comiXology. Links for this episode...

https://www.backtowork.limo/167

TOPIC: The future we can't know. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about how quickly technology is evolving, how janky that evolution can be, and how terrible we all are at forecasting what will c...

https://www.backtowork.limo/166

TOPIC: Words mean things. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the blight of buzzwords, jargon, and douchespeak writ large. Links for this episode: Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totali...

https://www.backtowork.limo/165

TOPIC: Curiosity & Creativity This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about expertise and how it relates to the ineffable qualities of curiosity and creativity. Can curiosity be inspired or taught?...

https://www.backtowork.limo/164

TOPIC: LEGO and Expertise This week, Dan and Merlin talk about LEGO and what becoming a Master Builder can teach us about expertise. Also: tooth fairies, binder clips, and the pedagogical war...

https://www.backtowork.limo/163

TOPIC: ““Experiencing Issues”” with Customer Service This week, Dan and Merlin analyze what's really going wrong when we get bad customer service. Spoiler: The brand is only as sound as...

https://www.backtowork.limo/162

TOPIC: Time, Sleep, and Aspirations This week, Dan and Merlin talk about impossible trade-offs and the benefits of remembering this is actually your life. Links for this episode: More Reflect...

https://www.backtowork.limo/161

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about shaving, lights, and Dan's amazing new superpower. Links for this episode: 5by5 | CMD+Space #85: Being a Geek, with John Siracusa This week Myke is joined ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/160

Merlin and Dan talk about Library Elf, app launchers like Quicksilver and Alfred, Stanley Kubrick, pushing people to create greatness, not knowing what you like until you see it, the typefaces of...

https://www.backtowork.limo/159

TOPIC: Why We Have Doors. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about internet nostalgia, hacking vs. whacking, and why we have doors for a reason. Links for this episode: FAQ Friday - What have you...

https://www.backtowork.limo/158

TOPIC: The Spreadsheet of You This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about sleep and how self-quantization can goose your mindfulness. Links for this episode: Build a Website — Squarespace ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/157

TOPIC: Better Sleep Habits This week, Dan and Merlin do a deep dive on building better sleep habits with a focus on the paradoxes and planning of daily activities that can make all the differen...

https://www.backtowork.limo/156

TOPIC: Isolation and Identity This week, Dan and Merlin talk about civility, identity, Florida, and how you can't unsee Idiocracy. Links for this episode: The Living Wiccan, Curse Removal & R...

https://www.backtowork.limo/155

TOPIC: The Attention Stack This week, Dan and Merlin talk about—what?—maybe the attention stack. How what we pay attention to (and, yes spend our time on) can't help but affect how we see, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/154

TOPIC: The thoughts we think. And think. And think. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about anxiety, compulsive thoughts, and how to at least crack an air hole in a big problem. Way of the futur...

https://www.backtowork.limo/153

TOPIC: CONSISTENCY, CHANGE, AND COUNTING-DOWN This week, Dan and Merlin return to the evergreen topic of new year's resolutions. Remember: in the main, you are what you've already done a lot. ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/152

TOPIC: Christmas and Control This week, Dan and Merlin meander through holiday matters, including the Winter Warlock-like impotence of having your electric meter blow up on Christmas Eve Eve. ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/151

TOPIC: Enough. This week, Dan and Merlin meander around the meaning of, "enough," pondering the deep existential pit we dig for ourselves and maybe how to get out of it. Merry Christmas. Get ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/150

TOPIC: Criticism and Its Discontents This week, Dan and Merlin talk about criticism, people who don't like you, and how much to let each have anything to do with the work you produce. Links f...

https://www.backtowork.limo/149

TOPIC: Gooseneck Options This week, with Dan re-sick and Merlin full of beans, the boys do a deep dive on hand washing, purpose-built bathroom activity gadgets, and the benefits of arming our c...

https://www.backtowork.limo/148

TOPIC: Perfectionism and Procrastination This week, Dan and Merlin talk about why the classic meanings of perfectionism mostly miss the mark; it's less about being scared to finish and more abo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/147

TOPIC: Going Mobile-er. This week, Dan and Merlin are very sick, so they talk about being sick. Then, they talk about what it would take to move to using just an iPad Air on the road. Links f...

https://www.backtowork.limo/146

TOPIC: Grab bag This week, Dan takes a minute to sit down with Merlin to talk about bathroom GIFs, Marvel movies, private school ejection, and a new interview with Merlin that is very very lon...

https://www.backtowork.limo/145

TOPIC: Perception and Perspective. In their second ever live, face-to-face episode, Dan and Merlin talk about goats, noise gate, and taking a step back for a better view of where you are. Lin...

https://www.backtowork.limo/144

TOPIC: Preparation This week, Dan and Merlin talk about preparation. Links for this episode: Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock Over 30 million stock photos, illu...

https://www.backtowork.limo/143

TOPIC: Traveling Like a Gentleman. This week, Dan and Merlin revisit the travails of air travel. How to prepare, how to survive--and how to be a better and more mindful person along the way. ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/142

TOPIC: Learning the Wheres and Whens of Productivity This week, Dan and Merlin talk about learning from how you work to improve your basic productivity infrastructure, with specific attention t...

https://www.backtowork.limo/141

TOPIC: Special Guest, Matt Alexander This week, Merlin is joined by Bionic co-host, Matt Alexander . They discuss ““technology ecosystems,”” life as a self-described trans-atlantic, te...

https://www.backtowork.limo/140

TOPIC: Grab Bag, plus Tasks vs. Calendar Items This week Dan and Merlin administer an epic grab bag episode, chockablock with new app, book, podcast, and music suggestions. Also, a return to ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/139

TOPIC: Informal Background Self-Quantization This week Dan & Merlin discuss the merits of self-quantization. Which is fancy way of saying, "Merlin got a new Fitbit." Why is anecdotal self-rep...

https://www.backtowork.limo/138

TOPIC: Etiquette, Intros, and Endorsements This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the surprisingly complicated topic of EMAIL INTRODUCTIONS. Who emails whom? Who gets cc'd and for how long? How...

https://www.backtowork.limo/137

TOPIC: Fear of Your Own TODO List This week, Dan and Merlin cover a topic suggested by listener, @jeff_nordstedt : not wanting to look at your todo list. From capture to completion, there are...

https://www.backtowork.limo/136

TOPIC: Joss Whedon GTD; Meeting Redux This week, Dan and Merlin talk about getting specific with your productivity and why every meeting needs an agenda. Now, take a drink. Links for this e...

https://www.backtowork.limo/135

TOPIC: Talk Shows, Baseball, and Inboxes. This week, Dan and Merlin cover a range of topics related to expertise, experience, professional repetition, and management, culminating in a tour of M...

https://www.backtowork.limo/134

TOPIC: How many keys do you really need? This week, Dan and Merlin return to the question, "What do you want ten times more of?" and weigh the risks and benefits of increasing the amount of com...

https://www.backtowork.limo/133

TOPIC: Fraud vs. Failure This week, Dan and Merlin dive into what makes us feel like frauds and what makes us feel like failures. Links for this episode: Build a Website — Squarespace Ba...

https://www.backtowork.limo/132

TOPIC: Power, Yelling, and Airport Kung Fu This week, Dan and Merlin continue their discussion of power and how it does or doesn't work. Do real leaders actually talk like the douchebags, ser...

https://www.backtowork.limo/131

TOPIC: Delays This week, Dan and Merlin talk about delays, agency, power, and why yelling at people about your problems rarely helps anyone. Links for this episode: Yad - Wikipedia, the free ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/130

TOPIC: Lists This week, Dan and Merlin talk about 3½ kinds of lists that can change your game. Merlin knows a lot about Productivity. Links for this episode: Interstate (typeface) - Wikipe...

https://www.backtowork.limo/129

TOPIC: Time Awareness & Scope Wormholes This week, Dan and Merlin talk about why we (and Frank) are terrible at estimating time, as well as what we can do to get better at it. Links for this ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/128

TOPIC: Employers, Bosses, Leaders, and Managers This week—in what may easily turn into a multi-episode arc—Dan and Merlin talk about bosses. Whether we're looking at it from up or down, m...

https://www.backtowork.limo/127

TOPIC: How many Saturdays do you get? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about time. Its scarcity, its passing, its tyranny, and its possibilities. Links for this episode: Drafts - Agile Tortois...

https://www.backtowork.limo/126

TOPIC: There are Only Two Prices: Free and What It Costs This week, Dan and Merlin return to the classic lineup and some classic topics, including knowing your value, learning what to charge, a...

https://www.backtowork.limo/125

TOPIC: The Chinese Symbol for 'Pants' Inside of The Chinese Symbol for 'Jury Duty.' This week, Dan's away, so Merlin goes solo, taking a break from jury duty to talk about the opportunities tha...

https://www.backtowork.limo/124

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. ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/123

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: Shutterstock Stock Photo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/122

TOPIC: Dan's Recent Bathroom Incident, et al. This week, Dan and Merlin exhale. DON'T search for secret doors. Links for this episode: TextExpander Touch 2 by Smile TextExpander Touch: Type...

https://www.backtowork.limo/121

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...

https://www.backtowork.limo/120

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, wh...

https://www.backtowork.limo/119

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...

https://www.backtowork.limo/118

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 d...

https://www.backtowork.limo/117

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...

https://www.backtowork.limo/116

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 ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/115

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 ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/114

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 , in...

https://www.backtowork.limo/113

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 ti...

https://www.backtowork.limo/112

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 ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/111

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-...

https://www.backtowork.limo/110

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 marteenie...

https://www.backtowork.limo/109

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? So...

https://www.backtowork.limo/108

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...

https://www.backtowork.limo/107

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, Phot...

https://www.backtowork.limo/106

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 recomme...

https://www.backtowork.limo/105

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 iTu...

https://www.backtowork.limo/104

TOPIC: Modern Media Management: iTunes Match This week Dan and Merlin begin a 3-part series on Modern Media Management: handling your iTunes Library, iOS Devices, and iTunes Match without makin...

https://www.backtowork.limo/103

TOPIC: Creative Costumes vs. Pushing Out Product This week Dan and Merlin talk about how the legends and mythologies around creative people and beautiful losers can become such a destructive Ma...

https://www.backtowork.limo/102

TOPIC: Those New Years When We're Not Actually Resolved. This week, Merlin and Dan step back from resolutions and shooting yourself in the face with a wrist rocket to talk about what you're act...

https://www.backtowork.limo/101

TOPIC: Yes. The caller is there. This week, in celebration of their hundredth episode, Dan and Merlin do the first call-in episode of Back to Work. A bevy of the beloved jackals and nerds ask...

https://www.backtowork.limo/100

TOPIC: Troubleshooting for Saner GTD This week, Dan and Merlin wrap up their epic summer crossover series on David Allen's book Getting Things Done, focusing on the trouble spots, hang-ups, and...

https://www.backtowork.limo/99

TOPIC: Working Getting Things Done to stay current, complete, and creative. This week, Dan and Merlin continue their discussion of David Allen's Getting Things Done system. Learning how to l...

https://www.backtowork.limo/98

TOPIC: Using GTD to sanely and intelligently decide what to do, and when, and where. This week, Dan and Merlin continue their discussion of David Allen's Getting Things Done system. Hopping ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/97

TOPIC: A Better System for Dealing with Life's "Stuff" This week, Dan and Merlin continue their discussion of David Allen's book, Getting Things Done . Links for this episode: Fractal Impleme...

https://www.backtowork.limo/96

TOPIC: Intro to David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” This week, Dan and Merlin start a long-overdue three-part storyline on David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done. How do you unwad t...

https://www.backtowork.limo/95

TOPIC: How to be a proper list-maker This week, Dan and Merlin discuss the pros and cons of lighting your environment properly, how we fall into bad list making habits and how to solve these is...

https://www.backtowork.limo/94

TOPIC: Florida, Education, and Peaking This week, Dan and Merlin continue their purging personal odyssey through the state of Florida. Isolation, education, and a parting admonition not to thro...

https://www.backtowork.limo/93

TOPIC: Florida. Hinted at since Episode 1 —and repeatedly threatened nearly every week since—here, at last: THE FLORIDA EPISODE. The heat, the driving, the isolation, the driving, the whi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/92

TOPIC: The tech you want, and the tech you can live with. On our second Last Show Ever™, Merlin and Dan talk about parenting, Gatsby hats, note taking and sharing, the Techno-Organic virus, a...

https://www.backtowork.limo/91

TOPIC: Sleep and How to Get It This week, Dan and Merlin talk about sleep—why we need it, why most of us don't get enough of it, and why we all strain to find a million excuses for perpetuall...

https://www.backtowork.limo/90

TOPIC: Programming Your Kid's Danger Room. This week, Dan and Merlin discuss the parenthood racket: the advice and expectations, the doubt and the fear, the assessment, the concentric circles, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/89

TOPIC: Finding Grit. This week, Dan and Merlin return to a popular topic from last week : grit. Why is it we stick with some things but totally abandon so many others? Why'd Merlin give up on...

https://www.backtowork.limo/88

TOPIC: Grit, Confidence, and Intuition. This week, Dan and Merlin begin a conversation on what researchers and educators are learning about why students of all ages do or don't succeed. Yes, it...

https://www.backtowork.limo/87

TOPIC: Anxious about the Change This week Merlin updates Dan about his schedule changes. They're going to come, but it's probably the anxiety, not the change, that is the problem. Take heart, i...

https://www.backtowork.limo/86

TOPIC: One Operational Paper Towel; One Safety Paper Towel. This week, Dan and Merlin discuss how to use a public restroom. There's some other stuff, too. But, yeah. Mostly Dan and Merlin dis...

https://www.backtowork.limo/85

TOPIC: Superpowers, Madness, and the Pursuit of Interesting Problems Dan and Merlin talk about the superpowers you have and can't control as well as the demons and drivers that our heroes have ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/84

TOPIC: Obsessions, Compulsions, Obsessions, and Compulsions. Also, Obsessions—and Compulsions. This week, Dan and Merlin lick the doorknob five times, tap their heads with their shoes, and po...

https://www.backtowork.limo/83

TOPIC: Capture, Contracts, and Mapping the Territory. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about keeping an honest calendar and ensuring you regularly review your "contracts" with yourself. Chock-a...

https://www.backtowork.limo/82

TOPIC: HONESTY AND SOCIOPATHY GO TO WORK Merlin and Dan talk about the cultural divide between you and your work. Coping with work is a little like being a sociopath so you better make sure you...

https://www.backtowork.limo/81

TOPIC: Kicking and Screaming Merlin has been dragged kicking and screaming into at least two things this week. Sometimes, that works out, and sometimes it doesn't. But, how many of those things...

https://www.backtowork.limo/80

TOPIC: Adapting to the Danger Room of Life Dan and Merlin talk about how the protagonist of your story handles change in personal and work environments. How do you respond in the face of chan...

https://www.backtowork.limo/79

TOPIC: Gut Churn, Pointing Arrows, and Recognizing Change This week, Dan and Merlin talk at length about a recent article by Radiolab 's Jad Abumrad , called, "THE TERRORS & OCCASIONAL VIRTUES ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/78

TOPIC: Motivation, Hardware Stores, and Fighting the Last War This week, Dan and Merlin talk about motivation—how it changes, how it doesn't, and how it can be fueled by anxiety and cognitive...

https://www.backtowork.limo/77

TOPICS: BETTER MEAT & WORKING BACKWARDS This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the many strategic and tactical benefits of reverse-engineering your next project. There is also extensive discuss...

https://www.backtowork.limo/76

TOPIC: Feeling Stuck in the Middle This week, Dan and Merlin talk about a topic suggested by listener, @toddsandends : what happens when you're stuck enforcing rules you don't agree with? Whe...

https://www.backtowork.limo/75

TOPIC: How Much Honesty Can We Stand? This week, Dan and Merlin talk about how ridiculously complex "Honesty" can be. Do "Candor," "Transparency," "Frankness," and all those other Capital Lette...

https://www.backtowork.limo/74

TOPIC: Aspects of Letting Go This week, Dan and Merlin talk about two very different viewports into doing what you want to do and being who you want to be. There's the non-fiddly value you ea...

https://www.backtowork.limo/73

TOPIC: CONFIDENCE, COURAGE, AND THE PROBLEM WITH THINKING This week, Dan and Merlin talk about why we may or may not feel confident to do stuff. How do other people seem to get it so easily, an...

https://www.backtowork.limo/72

TOPIC: The Problem with Passive-Aggression. If that's okay with you. This week, Dan and Merlin apologize if they've made you unhappy with an episode about passive-aggressiveness, wussy non-comm...

https://www.backtowork.limo/71

TOPIC: Recalibrating Expectations This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about struggling with expectations. Everybody's expectations. Including yours. Why it's worth recalibrating your own expe...

https://www.backtowork.limo/70

TOPIC: Boogers and Expectations Are you making perfect reports when your boss just wants them on time? Are you making crème brûlée when you should be jumping in a trench? Are wangs and booge...

https://www.backtowork.limo/69

TOPIC: Incentive, Inspiration, and Motivation This week, Dan and Merlin are inspired to talk about the incentive and the motivation to make something. Inspiration is marketed as something you...

https://www.backtowork.limo/68

TOPIC: Trying On The Change This week, Dan and Merlin (who might not have mentioned he didn't sleep much) discuss the balance between placing nickel bets versus going all-in—or at least think...

https://www.backtowork.limo/67

TOPIC: The Pete Campbell Problem Ever notice how you never really "arrive?" Or, have you ever noticed that right when you think you've "arrived," you don't stay arrived for very long—but now ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/66

TOPIC: STRESSING OUT ABOUT STRESS Dan and Merlin talk about what happens when stress meets stress, anxiety feeds anxiety, and 10 guys maybe try to jump you in the woods. Which kinds of stress...

https://www.backtowork.limo/65

TOPIC: The Surprising Problems of "Doing What You Love" Merlin has some follow up on Agency: be in control of what you give away and why you charge what you charge, and Dan is interested in wha...

https://www.backtowork.limo/64

TOPIC: Agency, Independence, and Outing Your Makebelieve "Partners." Dan and Merlin return to the topic of agency. Who's allowed to speak and act on your behalf? And, what happens when you di...

https://www.backtowork.limo/63

TOPIC: Karmasucks, No-Sayers, and Black and White Thinking Dan and Merlin consider the karmasucks and black and white thinking that lead to inertia and a culture of derision. Anyone can laugh...

https://www.backtowork.limo/62

Dan and Merlin talk about Dancing Han Solo, going to college in Florida, and developing smarter patterns for Getting Things Diaried. Whether you're calling collect, person-to-person, or station...

https://www.backtowork.limo/61

Dan and Merlin consider how to rethink your work as a platform. It's not just a job, or just a career, or (God forbid) just a brand--it's about deciding when you need to take your time and attent...

https://www.backtowork.limo/60

This week, Dan and Merlin tackle the problem of changing cultures at work. It's not a snapshot, it's not a kitchen table, and it may actually have surprisingly little to do with you. Which is c...

https://www.backtowork.limo/59

TOPIC: Changing Inputs Dan turns Merlin's technical difficulties into a discussion of discovering and paying attention to things that have a high ROI. It's not about who you think you are, or...

https://www.backtowork.limo/58

Merlin and Dan talk about successful lawn care secrets and getting angry over dog poop, paper towels, duck crossings, and the Dark Side. No one ever saw the error of their ways because they saw...

https://www.backtowork.limo/57

Merlin and Dan talk about your attachment to old coffee cups, Captain America glasses, and Grandma's underwear cabinet—all the physical (and emotional) clutter that keeps you from making the th...

https://www.backtowork.limo/56

This week Dan and Merlin ponder why there's so much variability in the quality of our work.  Whether we're making code, scrubbing toilets, or stinking up the Arby's, what explains our individu...

https://www.backtowork.limo/55

Merlin and Dan talk about returning to paleo, the nature of wieners and discouragement, crown vic habits and anxiety addiction. You won't beat it without a cocktail of grit and care with just t...

https://www.backtowork.limo/54

In the most average episode ever, Merlin and Dan talk physical and digital work environments so you can get going in the right direction and don't have to spend all day on it. And, when do you ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/53

TOPIC: The Hidden Cost is the True Cost Merlin is back from MacWorldPipeiWorld to talk with Dan about the True Cost of iceberg lettuce, an anchor tenant, 20 minutes of your time, and how much o...

https://www.backtowork.limo/52

TOPIC: Slipping on Dates, Sliding on Days Merlin and Dan talk about managing projects, scheduling calls, and being home when you scheduled a party. It SEEMS SO SIMPLE but then Jeannie has to go...

https://www.backtowork.limo/51

TOPIC: What to do if you fear a layoff. Merlin and Dan talk about rumors of layoffs—when the fear gets you, and you start filing in the narrative with a panther, even if you're developing the...

https://www.backtowork.limo/50

John Gruber joins Merlin to talk about blog engines, Lego, bias, credibility, the project triangle, and (duh) Star Wars.  Links for this episode: Project triangle - Wikipedia, the free encyclo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/49

TOPIC: How habits get made.  Dan and Merlin are back for 2012 to discuss how habits are like little hairs or inertia or homeostasis or something. How we build habits, how they get built for us...

https://www.backtowork.limo/48

TOPIC: Resolving to skip the New Year's resolutions. In the last episode of 2011, Merlin and Dan talk about fresh starts and modest changes rather than rehearsing for sucking. You don't need a ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/47

TOPIC: The Meta-Distractions of "Minimalism" This week, Merlin and Dan get all "Zen" about bias and minimalism. Your background won't get any blacker, so stop burning cycles arguing on the inte...

https://www.backtowork.limo/46

TOPIC: The Narcissism of Small Differences This week, Merlin has a quiz for Dan to determine whether Ben Franklin, "The Immigrant Song," or Quantum Mechanics has the most cultural impact--as we...

https://www.backtowork.limo/45

TOPIC: Moving from dumb nouns to awesome verbs. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the problem with Capital Letter Nouns; how real and specific verbs will always trounce Excellence, Effective...

https://www.backtowork.limo/44

TOPIC: Asking questions in order to find better questions This week, Dan and Merlin pick up their discussion of asking better questions and how sometimes the point of asking a question isn't to...

https://www.backtowork.limo/43

This week Dan and Merlin talk about asking good questions instead of massaging your real problem until it fits the comforting solution you found on the cover of a magazine. Links for this episo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/42

Dan and Merlin talk more about why we get stuck and how might re-think getting "unstuck." Looking at process over product, remembering how you got here, and getting clear about what you're really...

https://www.backtowork.limo/41

Dan and Merlin talk about what it means for Google to change the meaning of "plus," and how it might bolster the production of "stuff and needy." They also consider options for "getting unstuck...

https://www.backtowork.limo/40

On strength and tolerance. Dan and Merlin talk about the many facets of strength, including the complexity of knowing what to be strong about, to whom, and when. It's about way more than nail...

https://www.backtowork.limo/39

On improving presentation culture. Dan and Merlin talk about bombing the deck, advancing the slides, and striving to improve the self-perpetuating bad culture of presentations. Slide?!? (Al...

https://www.backtowork.limo/38

This week, Merlin loves and hates iCloud while loving and REALLY loving Dropbox. He and Dan observe angry corn, discuss emailing files to yourself, wonder what to do with an ugly photo, and explo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/37

Merlin Mann talks with Dan Benjamin about his dogged obsession with the flexibility of index cards—for propping up tables, giving very small cuts, and getting babies hygienically removed. Then,...

https://www.backtowork.limo/36

How to handle job interviews. Merlin and Dan can't solve the problem of interviews being dumb, but Merlin will tell you what is wrong with you, how long you'll have to wait for your resume to g...

https://www.backtowork.limo/35

How to say "no." Merlin talks with Dan about saying No to toilet paper diamonds, mints on pillows, and things you don't have the wallet for instead of saying Yes to a crate of bananas you don't...

https://www.backtowork.limo/34

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin have a totally natural emotional reaction to the unreasonable demands they place on themselves after reading The Spongebob Report. Maybe they wouldn't have offended n...

https://www.backtowork.limo/33

Merlin and Dan talk about Dan's sabbatical, hotdogs, services, triggers, Quicksilver, Launchbar, and why there's no 'I' in 'ordnance.' Sponsored by MailChimp and Smile .

https://www.backtowork.limo/32

With Dan on sabbatical, Merlin is joined by JOHN RODERICK of The Long Winters to talk about life as a bull in a china closet, craving real-world constraints, making better records, and being ba...

https://www.backtowork.limo/31

With Dan on sabbatical, Merlin is joined by JONATHAN COULTON to talk about traveling, horn sections, and Jonathan’s new album, Artificial Heart. Links for this episode: Jonathan Coulton - Hom...

https://www.backtowork.limo/30

With Dan on sabbatical, Merlin is joined by TV’s ROB CORDDRY (Children’s Hospital, The Daily Show, Hot Tub Time Machine) to talk about Getting Things Done, writing, fear, and finding success ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/29

Dan and Merlin talk about kid stuff, including the threat of Hot Wheels® donation, the inevitability of skinned knees, the nefariousness of the hospital gift basket, plus an important way every ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/28

Merlin and Dan discuss the shameful state of film school, the realities of Ape Law, Merlin's rock opera, and the subliminal downside of Spongebob's big promotion. Links for this episode: We Com...

https://www.backtowork.limo/27

This week Wutang Dan and The MZA bring the ruckus to finding a job, selling your Mustang, and putting your house on the market: remember that you can't negotiate with reality, Merlin can't do any...

https://www.backtowork.limo/26

Dan and Merlin talk about nerds getting problems and about using Markdown in BBEdit, Textmate or any text app because you need to find tools that remove friction, not distractions. Links for th...

https://www.backtowork.limo/25

Dan's in a closet, but Merlin has a lot of FU from the last show: good jobs don't get posted on Craigslist and while you may not know what's gonna happen next, you're not just gonna install Xcode...

https://www.backtowork.limo/24

This week, Dan and Merlin determine that even the Chico Marx of notebooks is the right one if you're writing in it, failure is ALWAYS an option: fully committing didn't do Pickett any good, but y...

https://www.backtowork.limo/23

This week, Merlin and Dan share their Pick: The Macintosh Computer. Also, a 17-minute experimental startup sound, catching conflicts, shivving the stagecoach, machine-gunning with SoundMaster, ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/22

Merlin and Dan talk about the problem of permanent zeroes, desiring not to desire, why "hypocrisy" is killing you, stepping back on the path without apologizing, Merlin's new tattoo, and—yeah�...

https://www.backtowork.limo/21

Merlin and Dan talk about getting started, putting on your shoes instead of shopping for pedometers, false dilemmas, doing as much work with your hands as you've done in your head, why you should...

https://www.backtowork.limo/20

Merlin and Dan talk about mindful tool adoption, screwdriver museums, why Vi users may (or may not) be cannibalistic insects—plus debate on whether a home video of a toy horse falling down in s...

https://www.backtowork.limo/19

Merlin and Dan talk about educating "That's Just a Button Guy," practicing more humane pushback, asking better questions, why laundromats don't accept "focus," plus what happens when you put WAY ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/18

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about checking email under the table to catch up on your 27 high priority tasks, a good time to use the word priority, blowing cycles on meeting with Narnia's st...

https://www.backtowork.limo/17

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin aren't afraid of lawyers, dentists, negative feelings, or of not being afraid of something. Sponsored by Rackspace and Shopify .

https://www.backtowork.limo/16

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin are here to discuss the awareness of fear, asking yourself why, and knowing the problem instead of chasing fake confidence, patches, and hacks. Links for this episo...

https://www.backtowork.limo/15

Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about problems that are impossible, problems that are boring, problems that you're scared of, and why you need to differentiate between fear and anxiety so ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/14

Dan and Merlin talk about "Cranking" - Merlin's latest post at 43folders.com. Links for this episode: Cranking | 43 Folders 100% New Zealand Bacon Netflix: Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run: 3...

https://www.backtowork.limo/13

Merlin Mann has some "followup" before he and Dan Benjamin discuss entrusting your agency to others, how to reclaim it, and picking the right balance between expertise and challenge instead of fi...

https://www.backtowork.limo/12

Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about futureproofing your passion by finding your obsession and voice, putting away your buggy whip and evolving, spreading your chips out across safe and r...

https://www.backtowork.limo/11

Dan and Merlin try to remove the airquotes from "inspiration" by talking about what it's great for (shipping better and more interesting stuff), what it's terrible for (getting started). Also cov...

https://www.backtowork.limo/10

Dan and Merlin improvise topics this week and get from Synechode, NY to dopamine, being scared and being safe, believing your thoughts and coloring your dreams, and solving problems by moving you...

https://www.backtowork.limo/9

This week, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin eighty-six their restaurant jobs—emptying grease traps, handling logs of meat, and sharing what they learned by bringing mostly bad food to America's tab...

https://www.backtowork.limo/8

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin relate to Richard–a listener in the middle of a quarter life crisis working jobs he doesn't like–with stories from their pasts, suggestions to combat the cascade ...

https://www.backtowork.limo/7

Merlin Mann is back from Webstock and ready to recap with Dan Benjamin, which leads back to caring first, performance and fear, meditation, hypnotherapy, and why you really need the hard answer i...

https://www.backtowork.limo/6

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about the black art of paying attention to the right things, how lamps are no substitute, that it's hard whether you’re working from home or a cube, being hone...

https://www.backtowork.limo/5

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about trying to change other people, how things really aren’t that bad, balancing fear or being driven by fear, leaving capacity for when you get The Pitch, pr...

https://www.backtowork.limo/4

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Links for this episode: Best of Wikipedia Mindfulness In Plain English Mindfulness in Plain Engl...

https://www.backtowork.limo/3

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin formulate a five-minute warning tactic before discussing the reality of bringing change to your company, some patterns that work for startups, solving the right probl...

https://www.backtowork.limo/2

In 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 Shad...

https://www.backtowork.limo/1