Episode 570: Toilet Experiments

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 ponder the...

4 Sep 20121h 32min

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-block ...

27 Aug 20121h 26min

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're ta...

20 Aug 20121h 29min

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 do we...

13 Aug 20121h 29min

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 change you ...

6 Aug 20121h 24min

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 of Not K...

30 Juli 20121h 17min

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 dissona...

23 Juli 20121h 25min

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 discussion of ...

16 Juli 20121h 27min