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Back to Work - Podcast

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.

Society & Culture Careers Creativity Business Technology
Update frequency
every 8 days
Average duration
83 minutes
Episodes
643
Years Active
2011 - 2024
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Episode 203: I Blame the Media.

Episode 203: I Blame the Media.

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 wrote gets…

01:31:13  |   Tue 06 Jan 2015
Episode 202: Choosing is a Radio Button

Episode 202: Choosing is a Radio Button

TOPIC: The Life You Actually Want.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about organization, multitasking and new year's resolutions.

Links for this episode:

01:26:09  |   Tue 30 Dec 2014
Episode 201: Never Enough Bathrooms

Episode 201: Never Enough Bathrooms

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 works"; …

01:08:35  |   Tue 23 Dec 2014
Episode 200: Blitzkriegscheiße

Episode 200: Blitzkriegscheiße

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 episode:

01:12:03  |   Tue 16 Dec 2014
Episode 199: Merlin Mann's Best of 2014

Episode 199: Merlin Mann's Best of 2014

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.

Links f…

01:21:54  |   Tue 09 Dec 2014
Episode 198: Gardening Leave

Episode 198: Gardening Leave

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 personal re…

01:18:43  |   Tue 02 Dec 2014
Episode 197: Way of the Brown Lego

Episode 197: Way of the Brown Lego

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."

Link…

01:42:56  |   Tue 25 Nov 2014
Episode 196: The Circle of Lice

Episode 196: The Circle of Lice

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:

01:48:19  |   Thu 20 Nov 2014
Episode 195: Prima Facie Butter Coffee

Episode 195: Prima Facie Butter Coffee

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:

01:42:12  |   Tue 11 Nov 2014
Episode 194: The Company of a Clown

Episode 194: The Company of a Clown

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 episode:

01:24:30  |   Tue 04 Nov 2014
Episode 193: Disappointment Delivery Mechanism

Episode 193: Disappointment Delivery Mechanism

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 conta…

01:35:56  |   Tue 28 Oct 2014
Episode 192: Party City Trophies

Episode 192: Party City Trophies

TOPIC: Reinforcement, Aikido, and Fear

This week, Dan and Merlin try to tackle positive versus negative reinforcement.

Links for this episode:

01:33:58  |   Tue 21 Oct 2014
Episode 191: Heisenberg Uncertainty Dog

Episode 191: Heisenberg Uncertainty Dog

TOPIC: People, amirite?

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about neighbors, dogs, Macs, MLB.tv, and flavors of reinforcement.

Links for this episode:

01:27:08  |   Tue 14 Oct 2014
Episode 190: C-3PO's Beard

Episode 190: C-3PO's Beard

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:

01:21:35  |   Tue 07 Oct 2014
Episode 189: That's How You Roll When You're a Lobster

Episode 189: That's How You Roll When You're a Lobster

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 evergreen …

01:17:53  |   Tue 30 Sep 2014
Episode 188: The Smell of Snake Anxiety

Episode 188: The Smell of Snake Anxiety

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 episo…

01:48:36  |   Tue 23 Sep 2014
Episode 187: Peeling a Dangerous Onion

Episode 187: Peeling a Dangerous Onion

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 for t…

01:29:53  |   Tue 16 Sep 2014
Episode 186: I Wish John Siracusa Were Here

Episode 186: I Wish John Siracusa Were Here

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 about h…

01:06:27  |   Tue 09 Sep 2014
Episode 185: David Foster Wallace Morning

Episode 185: David Foster Wallace Morning

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 occasion…

01:29:52  |   Tue 02 Sep 2014
Episode 184: Days of Bathrooms Past

Episode 184: Days of Bathrooms Past

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:

01:28:40  |   Tue 26 Aug 2014
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