Mike and David dig in on their morning routines. Mike finds himself entering the Free Agent arena like never before and David wants to start year-end planning.

Free Agents 61: The Morning Routine

David Sparks and Mike Schmitz are not nearly as productive as they’d like to be. Join these fellow travelers (and a bunch of special guests) as they share the best ways to get focused, and talk through their successes and failures along the way. Hosted by David Sparks and Mike Schmitz.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

David & Mike read Rapt by Winifred Gallagher and discuss how to protect your attention and cultivate a focused life.
 This episode of Focused is sponsored by: 
Harvard Business Review: The leading destination for smart management thinking. Subscriptions start at just $10/month with code FOCUSED.
Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.
Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. 

Links and Show Notes:  Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. OmniFocus 4 Field Guide (Plus Edition) Rapt by Winifred Gallagher Mike's Notes for Rapt by Winifred Gallagher 30 Lessons for Living by Karl Pillemer The Deep Life by Cal Newport #303: The Problem with Grand Goals Focused #192: Flow State Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Grit by Angela Duckworth Foodnoms Radical Candor by Kim Scott

206: Rapt

David & Mike consider their use of tasks and calendars and share their workflows for how they tie these two essential productivity tools together to get things done.
 This episode of Focused is sponsored by: 
Nom Nom: Healthy, fresh food for dogs formulated by top Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists. Prepped in our kitchens with free delivery to your door. Get 50% off.
Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED.
Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.

Links and Show Notes:  Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Macstock Conference & Expo | A conference for the Mac and iOS communityUse coupon code MIKESCHMITZ to save $30 on your ticket.
 Focused #203: The Little Lies You Tell Yourself, with Jason Snell OmniFocus OmniFocus 4 Field Guide (Plus Edition) | MacSparky Field Guides Obsidian Focused #204: Analog Productivity, with Jeff Sheldon Analog™ | The original to-do system by Ugmonk Obsidian Tasks plugin The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande Checklist Reset plugin Notion Projects plugin Fantastical Periodic Notes plugin How to Do Cal Newport Style Multi-Scale Planning in Obsidian | YouTube Discbound Heirloom Journal (Brown) | Ugmonk Day One Kindle Scribe Custom Book Embosser | Amazon Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter Same as Ever by Morgan Housel

205: Tasks & Calendars

Ugmonk founder Jeff Sheldon is back to talk about designing and building physical products, how our environments shape our ability to focus, and finding joy in the analog.
 This episode of Focused is sponsored by: 
Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.
Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. 
Harvard Business Review: The leading destination for smart management thinking. Subscriptions start at just $10/month with code FOCUSED.
Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.

Guest Starring: Jeff Sheldon
Links and Show Notes:  Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Analog™ | The original to-do system by Ugmonk Gather: Your Desk Simplified | Ugmonk Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal Mike's Fancy Notecards Analog Weekly Kit (Walnut) | Ugmonk Due: The Superfast Reminder App for iPhone & iPad Discbound Heirloom Journal (Brown) | Ugmonk Mike's Obsidian Task Dashboard image How to Do Cal Newport Style Multi-Scale Planning in Obsidian | YouTube Journaling in Obsidian Using Daily Questions | YouTube How to Do a Personal Retreat in Obsidian | YouTube Jeff's Newsletter The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul Aeron Chair | Herman Miller Store Useful Not True | Derek Sivers Every Tool's a Hammer by Adam Savage Super Thinking by Gabriel Weinberg & Lauren McCann The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts

204: Analog Productivity, with Jeff Sheldon

Jason Snell is back to talk about staying focused as an indie and his unique spin on off-site personal retreats. 
 This episode of Focused is sponsored by: 
Nom Nom: Healthy, fresh food for dogs formulated by top Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists. Prepped in our kitchens with free delivery to your door. Get 50% off.
Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED.
Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.

Guest Starring: Jason Snell
Links and Show Notes:  Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. David's Personal Retreat PDF Mike's Personal Retreat in Obsidian video Good to Great by Jim Collins Getaway House | Tiny Cabin Vacation Rentals Runestone text editor Six Colors Upgrade | Relay FM Downstream | Relay FM The Incomparable | Smart, funny pop culture podcasts

203: The Little Lies You Tell Yourself, with Jason Snell

David & Mike consider Cal Newport's philosophy on organizing knowledge work in a sustainable and meaningful manner.
 This episode of Focused is sponsored by: 
Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.
Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.
Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. 

Links and Show Notes:  Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Slow Productivity by Cal Newport Mike's Notes for Slow Productivity by Cal Newport How to Calm Your Mind by Chris Bailey Productivity Field Guide (Plus Edition) Daily Rituals by Mason Currey The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul Focused #146: The Extended Mind, with Annie Murphy Paul The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington David's Newsletter Focused #155: 12 Favorite Problems Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray Avoiding Email: Do the Hard Stuff Instead | MacSparky Ep. 284: Feel-Good Productivity (w/ Ali Abdaal) | The Deep Life by Cal Newport Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal Ghost Town Living by Brent Underwood Ember Mug 2 LifeFocus | Life Planning That’s Simple, Fun, and Effective

Free Agents 61: The Morning Routine

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