Episode 34: Rectangular Door Conspiracy

FromBack to Work

Start listening View podcast show

Episode 34: Rectangular Door Conspiracy

FromBack to Work

ratings:

Length:

65 minutes

Released:

Sep 20, 2011

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

How to say "no."

Merlin talks with Dan about saying No to toilet paper diamonds, mints on pillows, and things you don't have the wallet for instead of saying Yes to a crate of bananas you don't have enough information about or giving a qualified Yes to planning Christmas parties you don't have any interest in.

Released:

Sep 20, 2011

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

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
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
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
20: Muscle of Failure: Merlin and Dan talk about getting started, putting on your shoes instead of shopping for pedometers, false dilemmas, doing as much work with your hands as you've done in your head, why you should leave some water in the pump, meta-fiddling, and getting be by Back to Work
73 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
10: At Last the 'Inspiration' Show by Back to Work
82 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
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
43: I Return Null: Topic: Asking questions in order to find better questions by Back to Work
59 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
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
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
3: The Second Arrow: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. by Back to Work
71 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
51: Living Inside the Nonsense: TOPIC: Slipping on Dates, Sliding on Days by Back to Work
83 min listen
38: Sorry. You Can't Have a Candle.: On improving presentation culture. Dan and Merlin talk about bombing the deck, advancing the slides, and striving to improve the self-perpetuating bad culture of presentations. Slide?!? (Also, kid germs in the spaghetti, meeting the angry corn gu by Back to Work
79 min listen
32: The Beertruck Scenario: Merlin and Dan talk about Dan's sabbatical, hotdogs, services, triggers, Quicksilver, Launchbar, and why there's no 'I' in 'ordnance.' by Back to Work
87 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
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
39: A Source of Rice with Velocity: On strength and tolerance. Dan and Merlin talk about the many facets of strength, including the complexity of knowing what to be strong about, to whom, and when. It's about way more than nailing the "clean and jerk" or yelling at Sips-His-Coffee-Rea by Back to Work
80 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

Simplify The Season With This One Tool: It's Christmas time again and so many people tend to live in anxiety about the holidays. What if you don't get it all done? What if someone doesn't like your gift? What if your decorate the house like someone else? What if you have to deal with crazy... by Living and Loving Your Life with Chantel Allen
23 min listen
WT 247: Quality Time with Teenagers: Parenting teenagers means late nights, empty pantry shelves and more than a few tricky situations. Today Karen and Sunny answer your questions about getting quality time with your teen…plus, Karen shares her secrets to having the “cool” hang out... by Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs
28 min listen
58. Neat Method - Tips For Home Organizing: When Danielle decided she wanted to surprise Adam by finally attempting to organize their house, she reached out to Neat Method to help her. but she had some stipulations: the people who came to help had to be fun, non-judgmental, and not ask her to... by Marriage and Martinis
69 min listen
110: Okay, Then.: TOPIC: Stupidity. by Back to Work
103 min listen
Holiday season - clutter free gifts: Christmas and other holiday seasons are a huuuugggeeee contributor to clutter and stress. There's the whole unwanted gifts issue, the wastage, the feelings of guilt and obligation. The whole "giving presents for the sake of it" kind of thing can real... by Be Uncluttered
48 min listen
101: Sprinting Straight Into a Wall: TOPIC: Those New Years When We're Not *Actually* Resolved. by Back to Work
89 min listen
Getting Parenting Right with Sandra Stanley: Sandra Stanley, breaks down everything from the different stages of parenting to what it means to parent while prioritizing the relationship. by Still Coloring with Toni Collier
49 min listen
Giving the Gift of Feedback by Dave's Journal
5 min listen
383: Funding the Unicorn: This week: Dan may or may not be *sanguine*, and Merlin is having another meetup; comics, movie and TV discussion (and recommendations) abound. by Back to Work
76 min listen
68: The Black Queen is Killing Me: TOPIC: Incentive, Inspiration, and Motivation by Back to Work
74 min listen
Did Anyone Tell You: January 2021: I didn't realize until my adult years how often small talk is required of you. Whether it's in the office, on the first day of class, at your kid's baseball game, at the family dinner when your aunt decides to invite her neighbors…small talk is a requi... by No One Told Me
41 min listen
It’s A Window. See It As A Window by The Daily Dad
4 min listen
Better Conversations With Teens And Tweens by Become A Calm Mama
37 min listen
340: Tackling Sensitive Topics with Your Teenager: What topics aren’t sensitive when you’re talking to a teenager! Today Karen is tackling tricky questions, from how to talk about health issues and personality differences to sneaky behavior and dealing with aging parents. As always, Karen doles... by Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs
29 min listen
Episode 235 - A Pubic Inch: There's going to be a part in this episode where Dain gives you an instruction to do something "no matter where you are" and we'd just like to say that in hindsight, it might matter a little bit where you are. Topics include the relationship equival... by F*ck Buddies: A Sex and Dating Advice Podcast
54 min listen
Is This Really Something To Be Proud Of? by The Daily Dad
3 min listen
THE ENIGMA MAN: Despite Bobby (aka the enigma man) feeling “internal” today he’s made the very fatherly decision to join me anyway, and in this episode our big topic is how to communicate with your daughter as an absent father who’s trying to be less… well, absent. Whi... by Whoa, Dad!
57 min listen
8. How to approach holidays in early stage dating: There's nothing quite like the anxiety that comes with trying to figure out where to spend the holidays with your significant other! In this episode, I'm talking about how to have conversations around the holidays, approaching gifts for each other an... by Dating Intentionally
27 min listen
Screen-Free Summer – Part 1 – 475 by Off The Bench with Heidi St. John
20 min listen
Ep. 80: The Upside of Messy Teenagers: Tim Harford, author of Messy and accomplished journalist, economist, and speaker, and I talk about how messiness can play a positive role in your teen’s (and maybe your) life. Turns out you can use messes, randomness, and disorganization to enhance your t by Talking To Teens: Expert Tips for Parenting Teenagers
29 min listen
Patreon Unlock: Q & A: March 2021 Edition: It’s that time again to open up the digital mailbag, and respond to some of your questions, which I absolutely love, love, love. While some of today’s questions offer new twists on previous topics, all of them are, of course, excellent ones... by Oh Crap Parenting with Jamie Glowacki
38 min listen
5 Ways to Spread Joy on Valentine’s Day: This holiday seems reserved for couples without kids, but celebrating love is something everyone can partake in. So whether you celebrate on your own, with friends, a significant other, or kids, here are some ideas to spread joy on Valentine’s Day. by Girlfriends (A Podcast for Catholic Women)
38 min listen
037: Clutter-Free Birthdays by The Decluttered Mom Podcast
22 min listen
098 \\ How to Organize Sentimental Items for a Clutter-Free Home: Are you a sentimental mama who keeps a lot of your child's drawings, handprints, first outfits, handwriting samples, and so on? Don't worry. I'm not going to convince you not to be sentimental and throw all those things away. I am going to help... by THE HABITS & HOME SHOW | Decluttering & Systems for Christian Moms
23 min listen
$098 \\ How to Organize Sentimental Items for a Clutter-Free Home: Are you a sentimental mama who keeps a lot of your child's drawings, handprints, first outfits, handwriting samples, and so on? Don't worry. I'm not going to convince you not to be sentimental and throw all those things away. I am going to help...$
3 Simple Steps to Spend Less Money This Holiday Season for the Busy Overwhelmed Mom: Hey Friend Can you believe it is the fist day of December? What a whirlwind it has been! Did you know that you can keep your Christmas simple and spend less money? I want you to really think about how it makes you feel when you spend too much mone... by Claiming Simplicity | Natural Living, Simplify Life, Cooking from Scratch, Homestead, Gardening
6 min listen
071- Meet the Parents - Wedding planning with the folks: Parents, we wouldn't be here without them (fact) but I'm not going to pretend that everyone's relationships with their parents is perfect. Some people don't have any relationship with their parents, whilst some people consider their parents to be thei... by Bridechilla- Wedding Planning Podcast
39 min listen
531 - 5 Decorating Mistakes That Lead to Clutter: Do you ever look around your house only to discover that it doesn’t look as appealing as you envisioned it would? You might have unintentionally put cute on top of your clutter. Kathi is here today with her friend and decorating diva Deanna Day... by Clutter Free Academy
17 min listen
184. "Don't Wake Me For Sex," and Other Useful Life Tips: Danielle is admittedly horrible when it comes to stuff like thank you notes and RSVPing. Adam has impeccable bathroom etiquette and is much better at giving Danielle gifts than she is for him. In this fun episode, the two of them discuss everything fro... by Marriage and Martinis
65 min listen
r/Choosingbeggars "BUY MY KIDS CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!" by rSlash
19 min listen
Melissa and Elaine - How to cope when siblings are cooped up together TPPP20: How to cope when siblings are cooped up together by The Parent Practice Podcast
32 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Episode 34: Rectangular Door Conspiracy

Episode 34: Rectangular Door Conspiracy

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Back to Work

Related podcast episodes