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**Back to Work**

Back to Work is an award winning talk show with Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discussing productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 483: You Are Free to Leave Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin take a first look at Apple's recently-announced iOS and iPadOS updates.

Links for this episode:

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Episode 482: Two Pills Only Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

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…; Merlin addresses the complexity of treating mental illness in a way that doesn't upend your body and life; Dan needs some TV show recommendations, but has very strong feelings about talking animals; Merlin wonders aloud if he's ever met @Darth; case close.

Links for this episode:

5by5 | Back to Work #3: The Second Arrow
Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
darth™ (@darth) / Twitter
DSM-5 Criteria for ADHD – ADD Resource Center
ADHD DSM-5® Criteria | Diagnostic Criteria for ADHD
Depression and anxiety spike among black Americans after George Floyd's death - The Washington Post

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Episode 481: Feelings of Mouth Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

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 - Howard Brown Health
"Howard Brown was established on the premise that healthcare in the LGBTQ community should be a readily accessible right, not a luxury – that those who lack the privilege of adequate health coverage or access to competent medical providers should be able to find care in a confidential and supportive environment."
Does Bond’s product placement go too far? - BBC Culture
Maria Bamford’s One-Hour Homemade Christmas Special! on Vimeo
VINTAGE 1967 ARMOUR HOT DOGS COMMERCIAL - KIDS MARCHING & SINGING - YouTube
To Differentiate: High Ceilings and Low Floors |
PredictIt: Search Results

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Episode 480: A Gracious Dyad Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

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; abstracting that new thought technology to tons of different endeavors; why won't they just let me win this video game?; the scissors and Scotch Tape are wherever you left them; the joys of ritual and control; the importance of infrastructure; break the big thing into a bunch of little things; Merlin performs a brief recitation of Back to Work's Greatest Hits; please cut up my food for me please; theme dining nights rule; praise for Daniel Kahneman; it used to be so confusing when TV shows had inside film and outside film.

Links for this episode:

5by5 | Back to Work #479: Use or Avoid
Dan Columbos Merlin with a question about napping, which leads to some surprising insights on our feelings about success and failure.
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Wikipedia
Fawlty Towers - Wikipedia
"Fair is…"
Penny Arcade - News - Dear Diary
So I’ve always worried about things. I also always knew that most of the time there was nothing to worry about. For me it wasn’t even just worrying about something. I understand that everyone worries. The best way I can describe it is "Chain worrying."
5by5 | Back to Work #3: The Second Arrow
Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
Laozi - Wikiquote
A journey of a thousand miles started with a first step.
Rocky & Philadelphia Morning - YouTube
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life: Lamott, Anne: 8601404243813: AmazonSmile: Books
"The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later."
The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution (Ep. 271) - Freakonomics Freakonomics
Starting in the late 1960s, the Israeli psychologists Amos Tversky and Danny Kahneman began to redefine how the human mind actually works. Michael Lewis’s new book The Undoing Project explains how the movement they started — now known as behavioral economics — has had such a profound effect on academia, governments, and society at large.
Think Fast with Daniel Kahneman | Hidden Brain : NPR
We found our own mistakes very funny. What was fun was finding yourself about to say something really stupid.
CaddyShack Cinderella Story - YouTube
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles: Pressfield, Steven, Coyne, Shawn: 8601420220232: Amazon.com: Books
One Zoom to Rule Them All | Reunited Apart LORD OF THE RINGS Edition - YouTube

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Episode 479: Use or Avoid May 26, 2020

Show notes

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 optimized for multiple-event days; Merlin challenges you to remember when exactly eight minutes has gone by; why we'll eventually each discover what the hell happened on our personal Galápagos; the exhaustion of Zoom calls; an omnibus recommendation related to movies; finally, Dan Columbos Merlin with a question about napping, which leads to some surprising insights on our feelings about success and failure.

Links for this episode:

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Episode 478: Morbidly Obese Clemenza May 19, 2020

Show notes

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 Becoming a God in Central Florida; the difficulty of making weird good; I didn't buy it a beer; your mask is not a case for your beard; Dan has follow-up on bikes; Merlin has follow-up on companies and WFH help; thoughts on what we know and don't know about the difficulties of ““reopening””; the benefits and challenges of being a chain-worrying project manager; praise for the Austin Grackles.

Links for this episode:

The Freshman (1990) - IMDb
Bruno Kirby - Biography - IMDb
Carmine Said One Boy - YouTube
Freeway movie review & film summary (1997) | Roger Ebert
"Occasionally an unsuspecting innocent will stumble into a movie like this and send me an anguished postcard, asking how I could possibly give a favorable review to such trash. My stock response is Ebert's Law, which reads: A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it."
Penny Arcade - News - Dear Diary
'So I’ve always worried about things. I also always knew that most of the time there was nothing to worry about. For me it wasn’t even just worrying about something. I understand that everyone worries. The best way I can describe it is "Chain worrying."'
Idiot plot - Wikipedia
'In literary criticism, an idiot plot is "a plot which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot," and where the story would otherwise be over if this were not the case.'

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Episode 477: The Immediacy Filter May 12, 2020

Show notes

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 show?; secrets of the child whisper network; Saturday morning memories; C19 is making a lot of holes and gaps in kids' lives; what even is the deal with colleges?; wisdom from the great Kevin Kelly; it's one thing to know something, but it's another thing to know something; and, finally, beginning to explore how best to level resources and expectations as many of us work from home.

Links for this episode:

Merlin's Twitter poll from Monday
"Poll: as your company prepped for people to WfH, how much interaction did you have to address your specific challenges, get extra resources, and set individual expectations?"
National Remote Work Survey
The Technium: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice
It’s my birthday. I’m 68. I feel like pulling up a rocking chair and dispensing advice to the young ‘uns. Here are 68 pithy bits of unsolicited advice which I offer as my birthday present to all of you.
New Beginnings
After he goes to Jerusalem and sleeps on what is supposedly the very spot where Jesus was crucified, Kevin Kelly has a revelation: that he should live the next six months as if he would die at the end of them.
Modern Problems - Wikipedia
ADVENTURE TIME: DISTANT LANDS Official Teaser Trailer (HD) HBO MAX Series - YouTube
Suspend SAT for UC admissions, Janet Napolitano says - Los Angeles Times
Valley Girl (1983) - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube
Spotify – Valley Girl SOUNDTRACK
Slim Whitman Commercial 1980 - YouTube
Slim Whitman All MY Best 1979 Record Commercial - YouTube
The Best Of Red Sovine TV Commercial - YouTube
Zamfir Master of the Pan Flute Commercial - YouTube
Classic Freedom Rock Commercial 1988 Best Quality on You-Tube!!! - YouTube
I Hanker for a Hunka Cheese - YouTube
Wonderama with Bob McAllister - YouTube
Eight Men Out (1988) - Reference View - IMDb
A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
Coronavirus: CSU to have mainly online classes in fall 2020 - Los Angeles Times

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Episode 476: Paul Williams Sat Alone May 05, 2020

Show notes

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 ambitious crossover is proposed; Cormac McCarthy rules; Phillip W. Battery sure has a lot going on for a busy and attentive new dad; as a main topic, your hosts bounce off a terrific recent episode of Merlin's beloved You're Wrong About; hey, what B2W-ish lessons can be drawn from the response to the Y2K "bug"?; ultimately, it is just so hard to solve one problem without potentially creating five other problems; memories of New Year's Eve, 1999; for once, Dan wasn't concerned at all; more praise for YWA, and a humble apology to Sarah; hey, listen, don't be ashamed to find delight; praise for Slugline 2; a recommendation for a James Franco movie.

Links for this episode:

You're Wrong About
With Michael Hobbes & Sarah Marshall
The Y2K Bug — You're Wrong About — Overcast
You're Wrong About is creating a podcast | Patreon
La La Land: Galileo’s Warning — Cautionary Tales — Overcast
Blood Meridian (Audiobook) by Cormac McCarthy | Audible.com
Is Motorcycle Lane Splitting Legal in Texas? Bike Crash Legal Info
Stranger Danger — You're Wrong About — Overcast
The Satanic Panic — You're Wrong About — Overcast
Konrad Lorenz: Godfather of Animal Imprinting Theory - How Animal Imprinting Works | HowStuffWorks
Slugline
From Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (read by... | kung fu grippe
Brainstorm (1983) - Reference View - IMDb
Researchers develop a system where they can jump into people's minds. But when people involved bring their personal problems into the equation, it becomes dangerous - perhaps deadly.
Brainstorm (1983) [Trailer] - YouTube
Y2K | 2 weeks after Mad and I met; 2 weeks before she moved … | Flickr
y2k | New Year's Eve at Michael's house on McAllister. 10 da… | Flickr
Saturday Night (2008) - YouTube
Behind the Planet of the Apes | Considerable
AmazonSmile: On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft eBook: King, Stephen: Kindle Store
Grimes - We Appreciate Power (Lyric Video) - YouTube
Merlin's thoughts on Phillip W. Battery
After Twitter rant, Elon Musk lists two California homes - SFGate
Folk devil - Wikipedia
5: Chigger Bites on the Bus Driver — Back to Work — Overcast
Basement Jaxx - Rendez Vu ( Official Video ) Remedy - YouTube

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Episode 475: ¿Why Not Dos Otros? Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

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 Florida and 1Password; security theater vs. security reality; Dan's new mouse is as quiet as a…what's the word?; Brushing with Hardest Available Toothbrush Considered Harmful; Dan is gently exposing his son to one of the great films. So what?; a couple great pieces on making actual good passwords; recommendations for a Sondheim special and a terrific YouTube guy; extensive advice and suggestions for a listener moving to a Mac; learning almost anything is a lot like learning The Metric System; and, finally, praise for the great Peter N. Lewis.

Links for this episode:

Multiple Level Thinking | Levels Of Thought In Poker
Ep. 378: "Lion, Tiger, Horse, Monkey" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
The Problem: John has rarely driven a car hard and hung it up wet.
Ep. 379: "Garbage Island" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
The Problem: John feels like the world is changing.
Ep. 380: "The Impossible Me" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
The Problem: John is trying not to paddle alone in life.
Password Manager for Families, Businesses, Teams | 1Password
Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration - YouTube
When can Mario retire? | Unraveled - YouTube
brian david gilbert - YouTube
Merlin Mann on Twitter: "You know it's been a sound night's sleep when you wake up at 3:50am thinking, "Huh. It's been a while since I watched Holy Mountain." https://t.co/aVbNYqwTIV" / Twitter
Toward better Master Passwords | 1Password
The strength of a password creation system is not how many letters, digits, and symbols you end up with, but how many ways you could get a different result using the same system.
xkcd: Password Strength
COVID-19 Response - Removing trial limits to help businesses work securely from home | 1Password
Amazon.com: Logitech M330 Silent Plus Wireless Mouse – Enjoy Same Click Feel with 90% Less Click Noise, 2 Year Battery Life, Ergonomic Right-Hand Shape for Computers and Laptops, USB Unifying Receiver, Black: Computers & Accessories
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Book 3 (Audiobook) by J.K. Rowling | Audible.com
Bartender 3 - Organize your menu bar icons on Mac
Mizage - Shush
Daring Fireball: Interarchy Interview: Peter N Lewis and Matthew Drayton
The Holy Mountain (HD Trailer - HD) | ABKCO Films - YouTube
The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play: Fiore, Neil: 8601400338544: AmazonSmile: Books
Work in multiple spaces on Mac - Apple Support
Witch · Many Tricks
The built-in macOS app switcher is great if all you use are one-window applications. But you probably have many windows open in many apps, possibly with many tabs, and navigating them all is a pain. Enter Witch, with which you can switch everything…
uBar - The Dock replacement for the Mac
The Dock replacement for the Mac. Boost your productivity with the most advanced and versatile app and window manager for the Mac.
Moom · Many Tricks
Moom makes window management as easy as clicking a mouse button—or using a keyboard shortcut, if you're one of those types of people.With Moom, you can easily move and zoom windows to half screen, quarter screen, or fill the screen
folivora.ai - Great Tools for your Mac!
BetterTouchTool is a great, feature packed app that allows you to customize various input devices on your Mac.
Keyboard Maestro 9.0.5: Work Faster with Macros for macOS
Whether you are a power user or just getting started, your time is precious. So don’t waste it. You can quickly benefit from Keyboard Maestro. Let Keyboard Maestro help make your Mac life more pleasant and efficient.
Kirsten Dunst Just Couldn’t Let Go of On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Vanity Fair
On Becoming a God: Seasons, Episodes, Cast, Characters - Official Series Site | SHOWTIME
This dark comedy series stars Kirsten Dunst as Krystal Stubbs, a minimum-wage water park employee who lies, schemes and cons her way up the ranks of the cultish, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin in the first place.
Acorn 6 | Full Featured Photo Editor for the Mac
Acorn has everything you need in an image editor.
Pixelmator Photo
A powerful photo editor created exclusively for iPad.
LaunchBar 6
Start with a single keyboard shortcut to accessand control every aspect of your digital life.
TextExpander – Communicate Smarter
Easily insert text snippets in any application from a library of content created by you and your team.
JAY-Z - Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... - YouTube

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Episode 474: The Confidence to Keep Pedaling Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

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 are with comics; further praise for TaskPaper; updates on macOS text editing; Merlin capitulates to Catalina; Dan answers a listener question about coping with chronic back pain; learning how to stop rehearsing frailty by embracing the wonders of momentum.

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