Episode 65: A Light Dusting of Life

FromBack to Work

Start listening View podcast show

Episode 65: A Light Dusting of Life

FromBack to Work

ratings:

Length:

91 minutes

Released:

May 3, 2012

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

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 are simply unavoidable? Which ones are addictive? Which ones can be tolerated? And, yes, which kinds of stresses can be vanquished by firing your boss?

Released:

May 3, 2012

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

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

Skip carousel

7: Vocational Wheel: 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 of seriousness, and some first steps for breaking out of the voc by Back to Work
82 min listen
10: At Last the 'Inspiration' Show by Back to Work
82 min listen
3: The Second Arrow: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. by Back to Work
71 min listen
13: The Kid's Great: Dan and Merlin talk about "Cranking" - Merlin's latest post at 43folders.com. by Back to Work
90 min listen
1: Alligator in the Bathroom: 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 Shadow of the Mouse to San Francisco, and eventually get to some p by Back to Work
89 min listen
17: Brick Building Full of Lies: 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 stakeholders, and getting tasks out of your dreamcatcher. by Back to Work
86 min listen
9: Out of Scope!: 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 your hands instead of thinking. by Back to Work
71 min listen
24: The Daddy for your Destiny: 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 and retire on your angry bird so either do your research, g by Back to Work
93 min listen
21: Assistant TO the Regional Monkey: 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—going a little easier on yourself. Also, how almost everythi by Back to Work
62 min listen
6: Expectational Debt: 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 instead just more tips. by Back to Work
64 min listen
11: Johnny Heuristic: Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about evolution, investing in roulette, taking smarter chances and futureproofing your passion. by Back to Work
79 min listen
5: Chigger Bites on the Bus Driver: 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 honest about your expertise before looking for independence, and t by Back to Work
80 min listen
47: Utter Failure & Hotel Steak: TOPIC: Resolving to skip the New Year's resolutions. by Back to Work
64 min listen
29: I Download FLAC: With Dan on sabbatical, TV's Rob Corddry talks with Merlin about Getting Things Done, writing, fear, and finding success as a blood-soaked clown. by Back to Work
83 min listen
8: Little Velvet Hands: 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 table. Dan burns velvet hands, Merlin's Mom gives the guy with th by Back to Work
73 min listen
4: Failing with Style: 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, procrastination (eventually), and giving yourself permission to by Back to Work
63 min listen
2: Picture of a Boat: 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 problem at the right level, why you can’t find the innovation but by Back to Work
69 min listen
19: Corner Casey Kasem: 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 someone's bathroom is about Humanity. Also, Dan effs with Merli by Back to Work
83 min listen
12: Chewie's Medal is Not Canonical: 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 fixing your metadata. by Back to Work
65 min listen
14: Velocity of Disappointment: 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 you can be scared of something interesting. by Back to Work
68 min listen
16: Bracing for the Blow: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin aren't afraid of lawyers, dentists, negative feelings, or of not being afraid of something. by Back to Work
72 min listen
18: Forking the Question: 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 too much crap in your five-pound bag. by Back to Work
85 min listen
15: Marionette of my own Design: 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. by Back to Work
60 min listen
50: The Pork Soup Paradox: TOPIC: What to do if you fear a layoff. by Back to Work
84 min listen
23: Failure is ALWAYS an Option: 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 you should commit to narrowing scope and deciding what succes by Back to Work
78 min listen
30: I'm Not Working in an Abattoir: With Dan on sabbatical, Merlin is joined by Jonathan Coulton to talk about traveling, horn sections, and Jonathan’s new album, "Artificial Heart." by Back to Work
61 min listen
26: Spaghetti Guy Hits Close to Home: 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 anything to make you love him, enthusiasm is irreplaceable, and by Back to Work
93 min listen
45: Finagling the Tree Bag: Topic: The Narcissism of Small Differences by Back to Work
70 min listen
40: Dirty South Is Off the Menu: 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" with a creative project—how, sometimes, the constraints c by Back to Work
100 min listen
28: One Little Red Egg: 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 Dad has to go pro. by Back to Work
86 min listen

More Episodes from Back to Work

Skip carousel

Episode 644: A Tony Bennett Hair Hat: It hurts every time. by Back to Work
61 min listen
Episode 643: The Price of Lies: 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." by Back to Work
89 min listen
Episode 642: A Better Roll of Toilet Paper: 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. by Back to Work
103 min listen
Episode 640: Bob's Big Mess: A classic odds n' sods episode. Plus, Merlin has thoughts about memory and ecosystems, and Dan is considering jetting through an eclipse. by Back to Work
80 min listen
Episode 641: Germans in the Wild: Travel is not always about traveling, but it is definitely always about your life. by Back to Work
77 min listen
Episode 639: The Commodore's Club: 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. by Back to Work
76 min listen
Episode 638: A New Kind of Bullet: A classic odds n' sods episode. by Back to Work
134 min listen
Episode 637: The Minimally Viable Log Cabin Channel: A deep dive on being busy versus being time-constrained. by Back to Work
95 min listen
Episode 636: Honoring My Pivot Table: Dan is navigating the landscape of task management apps, and, shockingly, Merlin has some thoughts. by Back to Work
81 min listen
Episode 635: Buffet de Canard: Dan and Merlin kick off the new year with a wide-ranging look at how tools and motivations evolve with how we work. by Back to Work
80 min listen
Episode 634: Nominally Future-Resistant: A fairly epic episode covering health tracking and self-quantization. Remember: data doesn't have to hurt. by Back to Work
81 min listen
Episode 633: A Self-Aware Old Man: Your hosts talk about how we perceive the world and the challenge of mindfully updating our perceptions. by Back to Work
58 min listen
Episode 632: Big Strong Beef Boy: Dan and Merlin are excited about technologies that have found a place in their lives. What a blessed season of thanks! by Back to Work
83 min listen
Episode 631: Little Bit of Dirty Grey: Merlin has more on generative AI, and Dan has a sweet new watch. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 630: Monchichabowsky: On AI and curiosity. by Back to Work
75 min listen
Episode 629: Benjamin Franklin's Disease: And and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion. by Back to Work
51 min listen
Episode 628: Beating Yourself Up at Scale: Talk of eyes, intentionalities, and HDMI. by Back to Work
58 min listen
Episode 627: Unscheduled Dirt Event: Merlin claims he's not going to do any work for this one, and Dan has some advice for travelers. by Back to Work
67 min listen
Episode 626: Chekhov's Lightsaber: 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. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 625: Chapters of Madness: Dan and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion. by Back to Work
45 min listen
Episode 624: Rectangle Time: Dan and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion about technology, and Merlin lays the groundwork for several spirited rants. by Back to Work
54 min listen
Episode 623: My Terrible Adhesion: Over the course of this classic Odds n' Sods episode, it becomes clear that all Merlin cares about is babies and 3D printing. by Back to Work
61 min listen
Episode 622: A Gentleman's Malt Liquor: Dan returns from a nice trip, and Merlin has been printing lizards. by Back to Work
74 min listen
Episode 621: Hairy Legs and the Whole Nine: 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. by Back to Work
70 min listen
Episode 620: Happy to be a Chair: With Merlin on the mend, your hosts discuss actors named Hurt, comic books, and old Macs. by Back to Work
58 min listen
Episode 619: A Beautiful Jam-Up: 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 Project. by Back to Work
75 min listen
Episode 618: The Living Room Test: Dan sets up his little office, your hosts talk about the new Apple dingus, and Merlin highlights some strong OS updates. by Back to Work
67 min listen
Episode 617: Trailer for the Future: Dan needs your help with a flooring dilemma, and your hosts share some thoughts on WWDC announcements. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 616: Archipelagos of Functionality: Dan dives deep on his Sonos setup, and Merlin explores official state things. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 615: An Attractive Nuisance by Back to Work
76 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Amanda Enayati: From Iranian Refugee to Serenity Expert: How to Manage Stress Positively by The School of Greatness Hall of Fame
57 min listen
79: Mayor Pro Tem of Hoboville: TOPIC: Adapting to the Danger Room of Life by Back to Work
84 min listen
5 Ways to Manage a Stress-Induced Creative Slump by Copyblogger FM: Content Marketing, Copywriting, Freelance Writing, and Social Media Marketing
18 min listen
When you lose your mentor - The biggest problem in the relationship - Control and Responsibility: 1. What do you do when you lose your mentor? Here's a trick you may think is a little out there. 2. What is the biggest problem in your relationship? Cheating or worse? To heal, you may have to work on something else first 3. You can only control you. by The Overwhelmed Brain
66 min listen
How to Take Yourself to New Heights: Stress! It is a taboo word in society, always with an air of negativity surrounding it. But is stress really all that bad? Darren tells a story that illustrates the true nature of stress and shares some advice for better understanding and managing the... by DarrenDaily On-Demand
6 min listen
5 Steps to Stop Letting People Stress You Out: People are stressful! Agree or disagree? I’m assuming 99% of you AGREE! But let’s be real, we can’t escape people, so we need to learn how to stop letting them stress us out. And that’s why in this episode of Embrace Your Real, I share... by Embrace Your Real
14 min listen
089: Ask David — Anxiety Triggers, Weaning off Anti-Depressants: David and Fabrice answer five intriguing questions submitted by listeners: Joshua: How can I cope with panic attacks during job interviews? Dan: I feel traumatized by criticisms from my boss at work. what can I do? Susan: How fast can you taper off... by Feeling Good Podcast | TEAM-CBT - The New Mood Therapy
34 min listen
#74: Our 5 Favorite Ways To Prevent Stress And Anxiety: Be honest with yourself for a second...how stressed are you? Does stress affect your work, life, relationships, and/or business? What about anxiety? Do you have a constant cloud of anxious emotion following you throughout your day? If so, there are... by 6 Figure Creative
63 min listen
Ultramarathon Mindset with Matt Pedersen by The Elevate Media Podcast
47 min listen
107: Pull Out Your Dingus: TOPIC: Compression by Back to Work
83 min listen
Make Your Bed: Admiral McRaven's ten simple rules for life start with Make Your Bed and mark that first task off your list. Chapter One: Start Your Day with a Task Completed What does attention to detail say about you as a leader? by Sports Medicine Broadcast
49 min listen
MOFO Mission #10: Don’t Be A Dick! (Breather Episode with Brad) by The B.rad Podcast
34 min listen
DE-STRESS FAST & FEEL BETTER NOW! + Guided Meditation! Davidji | Health | Motivation | Spirituality | Self-Help | Inspire: Davidji, Mindfulness Trainer to the Military & Former Deepak Chopra Center Dean on Instant Stress Reduction + Guided Meditation! Inspiration | Motivation | Spiritual | Spirituality | Inspirational | Motivational | Self-Improvement | Self-Help | Inspire by Inspire Nation Show with Michael Sandler
69 min listen
Facing Your Inner Critic: How to Combat Imposter Syndrome with Dr. Tara Halliday by It Starts With Attraction
42 min listen
Depression: On this episode of The 10 Ninety Podcast Mason and Ryan talk about things that probably should be left to qualified professionals. We talk about top 10 states that struggle with suicide and depression and discuss whether there's a difference... by the10ninety
69 min listen
HOW TO DE-STRESS FAST & FEEL BETTER NOW! + Guided Meditation! Davidji | Health | Fitness | Inspiration | Self-Help | Inspire: Davidji, Mindfulness Trainer to the Military & Former Deepak Chopra Center Dean on Instant Stress Reduction + Guided Meditation! Inspiration | Motivation | Career | Spiritual | Spirituality | Inspirational | Motivational | Self-Improvement | Self-Help | I by Inspire Nation Show with Michael Sandler
68 min listen
EP #949: The Power of Positivity by "Health Power"
10 min listen
Letting Go of The Banana: Why Attachment to Outcome Is Keeping You Stuck by Last 8% Morning
24 min listen
An Overactive Mind Achieving Balance; Daniel Hess: Daniel Hess is a Writer/Filmmaker born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. After losing his best friend/cousin to Cystic Fibrosis when he was 10, Daniel began his first foray into writing and poetry. As he grew up and at the behest of his close friend in ... by Mindfulness Mode
29 min listen
LA 080: Leading Difficult People by Joy@Work Podcast
21 min listen
What is a Beautiful Constraint? by CFO Bookshelf
46 min listen
Irritable Male Syndrome, Andropause, and Reclaiming Your Manhood by Tom Nikkola | VIGOR Training
22 min listen
HOW TO FIND PEACE WITH THE GRIZZLIES OF YOUR MIND!!! CJ Liu & Michael Sandler: CJ Liu and Michael Sandler on How to Snuggle Up With Fear & Come Out the Other Side! You'll learn how to lean into your worry & anxiety and find peace and freedom from your concerns!!! by Inspire Nation Show with Michael Sandler
62 min listen
201[Self Help] Success is simple once you understand this 1 thing | From the book "Perfect Day Formula" by Craig Ballantyne: Success can be really simple, if you understand this 1 thing about success. Until you understand this 1 success principle, success will always elude you. Get my List of 10 Best books in different areas at : by 2000 Books for Ambitious Entrepreneurs - Author Interviews and Book Summaries
4 min listen
82. How to market when you have trauma with Karen C.L. Anderson by I Am Your Korean Mom
45 min listen
Emily Moon (my wife) on Kids and their Fitness and Nutrition along with Listener Questions: Emily Moon on the Betterhumanology Podcast by Better Human Business
45 min listen
When PLAYING SAFE Means LIVING SMALL w/ Andrew Bentley: When you constantly live in your adaptive self so that you don't have to risk being rejected, you might be safer -- but you might also be limiting yourself big time. Today, we had the honor of interviewing our mentor and coach, Andrew Bentley. In this ... by Dear Young Married Couple
62 min listen
[Bonus Episode] Your Brain is Always Listening with Dr. Daniel Amen: Have you ever wondered what your brain chooses to pay attention to and why? In today’s episode, JJ interviews Double Board Certified Psychiatrist, Founder of Amen Clinics, and 12x New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Daniel Amen, about the inner... by Well Beyond 40
34 min listen
14. What do you do when it all goes wrong?: Iain Macintosh is here to understand your pain with you by The Football Manager Show by The Athletic
43 min listen
AMA: 1 Answer to Solve 1,000s of Problems: Do YOU have some destructive behaviors, some poor choices you want to stop, and some negative self-talk you want to stop? ONE answer will solve 1000s of your problems. Darren shares that one answer in this episode. Are you ready for this? You might... by DarrenDaily On-Demand
7 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Episode 65: A Light Dusting of Life

Episode 65: A Light Dusting of Life

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Back to Work

Related podcast episodes