Back to Work
By 5by5
To listen to an audio podcast, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to download and subscribe to podcasts.
Podcast Description
Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin on productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more. Hosted by Merlin Mann & Dan Benjamin.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Back to Work 69: Seven Dwarfs of Bad Emotion | TOPIC: Boogers and Expectations Are you making perfect reports when your boss just wants them on time? Are you making crème brûlée when you should be jumping in a trench? Are wangs and boogers causing problems at work? This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about expectations – whether you're willing to or not – and the risks of expectations of partners, bosses, and kids. How can you handle expectations? There aren't a lot of easy answers. As you'd probably expect. | 29 5 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Back to Work 68: The Black Queen is Killing Me | TOPIC: Incentive, Inspiration, and Motivation This week, Dan and Merlin are inspired to talk about the incentive and the motivation to make something. Inspiration is marketed as something you're missing, but it has a short expiration date, and if you're more scared than uninspired then it doesn't matter how many pieces of candy you're offered. And what do you do if selling bottled water cozies affects your intrinsic motivation to make them? Well. It's complicated. As usual. | 21 5 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
Back to Work 67: Ad Hoc Bra | TOPIC: Trying On The Change This week, Dan and Merlin (who might not have mentioned he didn't sleep much) discuss the balance between placing nickel bets versus going all-in—or at least thinking all-in. You might be talking yourself into stasis or change, but if you don't really try it on first, you may find out the techno and combat boots are nothing compared to living under incontinent grackles. | 15 5 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Back to Work 66: Horseradish on My Raccoon | TOPIC: The Pete Campbell Problem Ever notice how you never really "arrive?" Or, have you ever noticed that right when you think you've "arrived," you don't stay arrived for very long—but now have a whole big bunch of new stuff to do? Yeah, us too. This week, Dan and Merlin talk about expectations, the wrong kinds of ambition, and the unquenchable lust for prestige and respect. Good practitioners practice, great leaders lead, and crummy managers just get their fingers all brown from digging around in your chocolate bag. How to see yourself more as your team does—and less as That Guy who deserves more everything. Because there will always be more "everything." | 7 5 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
Back to Work 65: A Light Dusting of Life | 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? | 3 5 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Back to Work 64: Frozen Poster | TOPIC: The Surprising Problems of "Doing What You Love" Merlin has some follow up on Agency: be in control of what you give away and why you charge what you charge, and Dan is interested in what happens when you stop loving what you love when you do it as a job. There are no guarantees, so don't mistake the Federalist Papers for Constitutional Law, and if you miss the signs you shouldn't be sailing, you'll just end up vomiting in your bucket hat. You're not going suddenly arrive and do what you love. You get there through course correction: look back at all the ugly birdhouses and look ahead for the next step toward building a home. | 23 4 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Back to Work 63: Bold with the Scissors | TOPIC: Agency, Independence, and Outing Your Makebelieve "Partners." Dan and Merlin return to the topic of agency. Who's allowed to speak and act on your behalf? And, what happens when you discover people who've unilaterally decided by fiat to speak and act on your behalf? Well. If your work (and your business) matters to you, you tell them to knock it off. How to reclaim your own stuff, set your own terms, and fire all the non-silent non-partners of the lucrative Free Compliment Industry. | 16 4 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Back to Work 62: Cultural Molasses | TOPIC: Karmasucks, No-Sayers, and Black and White Thinking Dan and Merlin consider the karmasucks and black and white thinking that lead to inertia and a culture of derision. Anyone can laugh at an agenda, and it only takes one turd in the punchbowl to ruin the party, so don't ask permission, ask yes or no questions, and keep your judge behind your explorer. | 9 4 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
Back to Work 61: I Handed Him My Luke | Dan and Merlin talk about Dancing Han Solo, going to college in Florida, and developing smarter patterns for Getting Things Diaried. Whether you're calling collect, person-to-person, or station-to-station, it's time to get serious, get realistic, and just get it on the calendar. Send the invite, work those Telephone Thursdays, and make that call E6W ("Every 6 Weeks"). Pick the system that supports your intentions. Then use it. | 2 4 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
Back to Work 60: Living Inside an Unfinished Thing | Dan and Merlin consider how to rethink your work as a platform. It's not just a job, or just a career, or (God forbid) just a brand--it's about deciding when you need to take your time and attention pro. How the stuff you've made and done can be leveraged into the next things you'd like to make and do; how to find the orthogonal angles and unexpected branches; how to learn what you need to learn; and how to take your work so seriously that you'll dare a quick dip in the douche pool. | 26 3 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
11 |
Back to Work 59: Brains All the Way Down | This week, Dan and Merlin tackle the problem of changing cultures at work. It's not a snapshot, it's not a kitchen table, and it may actually have surprisingly little to do with you. Which is complicated. | 19 3 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
12 |
Back to Work 58: Girl with the QR Tattoo | TOPIC: Changing Inputs Dan turns Merlin's technical difficulties into a discussion of discovering and paying attention to things that have a high ROI. It's not about who you think you are, or the latest and loudest thing. You'll miss something even if you follow 1000 blogs, so remember who you really are. La pregunta: ¿Que hacer? | 12 3 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
13 |
Back to Work 57: Start with Anger, End with a Sign | Merlin and Dan talk about successful lawn care secrets and getting angry over dog poop, paper towels, duck crossings, and the Dark Side. No one ever saw the error of their ways because they saw a note from Management. Instead of counting piles and grabbing coals, maybe act a little more like Mr. Rogers. | 5 3 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
14 |
Back to Work 56: One Giant Beholder Dinosaur | TOPIC: The Cost of Clutter Merlin and Dan talk about your attachment to old coffee cups, Captain America glasses, and Grandma's underwear cabinet—all the physical (and emotional) clutter that keeps you from making the things you love and having the life you want. The Kipple. See: it's not a red snapper problem, it's an emotional problem. So, quit being scared of your fridge, or your inbox, or your todo list. Just suck it up, buy some contractor bags, and never organize another thing that's not worth keeping. | 28 2 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
15 |
Back to Work 55: The Pickles Never Touch | TOPIC: Agency, Dignity, and Why We Work. This week Dan and Merlin ponder why there's so much variability in the quality of our work. Whether we're making code, scrubbing toilets, or stinking up the Arby's, what explains our individual drive to do something better? | 21 2 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
16 |
Back to Work 54: Freemium Mason | TOPIC: Grit and Care and Sacrifice Merlin and Dan talk about returning to paleo, the nature of wieners and discouragement, crown vic habits and anxiety addiction. You won't beat it without a cocktail of grit and care with just the right amount of sacrifice. | 16 2 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
17 |
Back to Work 53: The Wages of Security | TOPIC: Work Environments and 10x More In the most average episode ever, Merlin and Dan talk physical and digital work environments so you can get going in the right direction and don't have to spend all day on it. And, when do you know you don't want 10 times more of something and what do you do about it? There's no guarantee of security, even if you show up sober, so start acting like an entrepreneur and choose what you want 10 times more of. | 7 2 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
18 |
Back to Work 52: Walk the Coastline, Bitches | TOPIC: The Hidden Cost is the True Cost Merlin is back from MacWorldPipeiWorld to talk with Dan about the True Cost of iceberg lettuce, an anchor tenant, 20 minutes of your time, and how much of your life you're going to eat sand. You don't have a TARDIS to make it back to pick up your kid or make it to Built to Spill so walk the coastline. | 31 1 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
19 |
Back to Work 51: Living Inside the Nonsense | TOPIC: Slipping on Dates, Sliding on Days Merlin and Dan talk about managing projects, scheduling calls, and being home when you scheduled a party. It SEEMS SO SIMPLE but then Jeannie has to go to Guam and slipping is your SOP. The way out of this quagmire is to admit you can't get out of it. You can't change a culture of slipping with a poster or a fairy princess. You have to fix the slides if you want to fix the slips. | 24 1 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
20 |
Back to Work 50: The Pork Soup Paradox | TOPIC: What to do if you fear a layoff. | 17 1 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
21 |
Back to Work 49: The Field of Completion | -- | 10 1 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
22 |
Back to Work 48: An Abrupt Existential Jerk | TOPIC: How habits get made. Dan and Merlin are back for 2012 to discuss how habits are like little hairs or inertia or homeostasis or something. How we build habits, how they get built for us, and what we can learn about habits from making our daily coffee. | 3 1 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
23 |
Back to Work 47: Utter Failure & Hotel Steak | TOPIC: Resolving to skip the New Year's resolutions. | 27 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
24 |
Back to Work 46: Not Counting the Mezzanine | Topic: The Meta-Distractions of "Minimalism" This week, Merlin and Dan get all "Zen" about bias and minimalism. Your background won't get any blacker, so stop burning cycles arguing on the internet or worrying about what other people think or how minimal you are. It's not about the bird skeletons, lion skins or barefoot girls. Unless that's what works. Just make sure it _really_ works. | 20 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
25 |
Back to Work 45: Finagling the Tree Bag | Topic: The Narcissism of Small Differences | 13 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
26 |
Back to Work 44: Circuitous Bridge of My Own Design | Topic: Moving from dumb nouns to awesome verbs. | 7 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
27 |
Back to Work 43: I Return Null | Topic: Asking questions in order to find better questions | 30 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
28 |
Back to Work 42: Coconut Headphones | This week Dan and Merlin talk about asking good questions instead of massaging your real problem until it fits the comforting solution you found on the cover of a magazine. | 22 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
29 |
Back to Work 41: Carpal Tunnel Diem | Dan and Merlin talk more about why we get stuck and how might re-think getting "unstuck." Looking at process over product, remembering how you got here, and getting clear about what you're really trying to make. Merlin also has some updates and tips for your iTunes Matching and your Google searching. | 15 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
30 |
Back to Work 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 can help a lot more than the options. | 8 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
31 |
Back to Work 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-Really-Loud Guy. It's also about accepting all the things they just can't stand about you. Also covered: the inescapability of Italian disco, maintaining an unassailable lawn, confronting skinny ladies in heels, negotiating D-minus hip-hop, and finding the will to spelunk all the way down the personal productivity stack.� | 1 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
32 |
Back to Work 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 guy, and moving closer to the metal with our Showbot hero.) | 25 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
33 |
Back to Work 37: It's Never Not Everywhere | This week, Merlin loves and hates iCloud while loving and REALLY loving Dropbox. He and Dan observe angry corn, discuss emailing files to yourself, wonder what to do with an ugly photo, and explore Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle. | 18 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
34 |
Back to Work 36: Writing on the Wind | Merlin Mann talks with Dan Benjamin about his dogged obsession with the flexibility of index cards—for propping up tables, giving very small cuts, and getting babies hygienically removed. Then, there is much talk of graphing your focal length against your time and attention. | 11 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
35 |
Back to Work 35: Why My Pants Were On Fire | How to handle job interviews. Merlin and Dan can't solve the problem of interviews being dumb, but Merlin will tell you what is wrong with you, how long you'll have to wait for your resume to get you a job, how Larry Wall interviews for a Perl job, and whether or not the answer is always Yes, like they were just telling Stephen (yes, Hawking). | 27 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
36 |
Back to Work 34: Rectangular Door Conspiracy | 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. | 20 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
37 |
Back to Work 33: The Hypocrite You Can Live With | Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin have a totally natural emotional reaction to the unreasonable demands they place on themselves after reading The Spongebob Report. Maybe they wouldn't have offended non-ex-Marines if they had just taken some time and consulted their Manager of Expectations. | 13 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
38 |
Back to Work 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.' | 6 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
39 |
Back to Work 31: You Can Polish AC/DC All Day Long | With Dan on sabbatical, Merlin is joined by John Roderick of The Long Winters to talk about life as a bull in a china closet, craving real-world constraints, making better records, and being banned for life from Interpol's corn chip bowl. | 30 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
40 |
Back to Work 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." | 23 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
41 |
Back to Work 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. | 16 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
42 |
Back to Work 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. | 9 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
43 |
Back to Work 27: Danny, Hold the License Plate | Merlin and Dan discuss the shameful state of film school, the realities of Ape Law, Merlin's rock opera, and the subliminal downside of Spongebob's big promotion. | 2 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
44 |
Back to Work 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 you've got to find your position of strength. Protect ya neck! | 29 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
45 |
Back to Work 25: My Food Court of Functionality | Dan and Merlin talk about nerds getting problems and about using Markdown in BBEdit, Textmate or any text app because you need to find tools that remove friction, not distractions. | 22 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
46 |
Back to Work 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, get mercantile and take the leap of faith or you'll be polishing your golden handcuffs. | 12 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
47 |
Back to Work 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 success is. Why? Fact or Fiction: You can start a business on the side. | 5 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
48 |
Back to Work 22: My Baby Likes Aluminum Foil! | This week, Merlin and Dan share their Pick: The Macintosh Computer. Also, a 17-minute experimental startup sound, catching conflicts, shivving the stagecoach, machine-gunning with SoundMaster, the dangers of ResEdit, and the future of recumbent bike baskets. But not Charcoal. Are you KIDDING me? | 28 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
49 |
Back to Work 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 everything is like a glass of water and John Siracusa is literally and uniquely Squidward. | 22 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
50 |
Back to Work 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 better. | 14 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
51 |
Back to Work 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 Merlin's head. Again. | 7 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
52 |
Back to Work 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. | 31 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
53 |
Back to Work 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. | 27 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
54 |
Back to Work 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. | 18 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
55 |
Back to Work 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. | 10 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
56 |
Back to Work 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. | 3 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
57 |
Back to Work 13: The Kid's Great | Dan and Merlin talk about "Cranking" - Merlin's latest post at 43folders.com. | 26 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
58 |
Back to Work 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. | 19 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
59 |
Back to Work 11: Johnny Heuristic | Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about evolution, investing in roulette, taking smarter chances and futureproofing your passion. | 12 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
60 |
Back to Work 10: At Last the 'Inspiration' Show | -- | 29 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
61 |
Back to Work 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. | 22 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
62 |
Back to Work 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 | 15 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
63 |
Back to Work 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 | 8 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
64 |
Back to Work 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. | 1 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
65 |
Back to Work 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 | 15 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
66 |
Back to Work 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 | 8 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
67 |
Back to Work 3: The Second Arrow | Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. | 1 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
68 |
Back to Work 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 | 25 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
69 |
Back to Work 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 | 18 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 69 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Had me thinking hard and laughing harder
Dan and Merlin need no introduction. If you've ever spent $20 on more than 3 ToDo List apps for your phone then you need to listen to this, if you think it'll all be better if you can just *get a moleskin / buy an iPad / move to a city* then you need to listen to this.
Some choice (paraphrased) quotes;
Do you need a system to remind you to play a video game?
If you're child is bleeding do you take a moment to check your priority list to see if you have time to comfort them?
It's about finding things you care about, paying attention to those things and perhaps realising whats less important now with your new priorities. Back To Work truly is about Getting Things Done.
A Slice of Fried Gold
I've enjoyed Dan Benjamin and John Gruber's 'The Talk Show' podcasts for some time now and when I heard that Dan was teaming up with Merlin Mann (I enjoyed his 'You Look Nice Today' podcasts), I had to download it.
These podcasts are not only laugh out loud funny (I love Merlin's way with describing things and relating a story or life lesson) but there are condensed Work-Life-Wisdom too.
Download these podcasts and listen to them to become less of an A-Hole and have a laugh as you realise that it's not all about you; who knows, you could improve as a human being.
Great show!
Entertaining regardless of how directly this stuff relates to your work/interests.
