David Sparks and Mike Schmitz are not nearly as productive as they’d like to be. Join these fellow travelers (and a bunch of special guests) as they share the best ways to get focused, and talk through their successes and failures along the way.

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David Sparks

MacSparky.com

Mike Schmitz

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    #231: Overwhelm, AI, and Life's Balancing Acts

    June 3rd, 2025 · 67 minutes

    In this feedback episode, David & Mike tackle listener questions about their use of AI, reset rituals, quitting books, and a variety of other focus-related topics.

    This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

    • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED.
    • TRMNL: Clarity, at a glance. Get $15 off for 1 week only.
    • Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code FOCUSED with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.

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    Download: MP3 (62.25 MB)

    Links and Show Notes

    On Teachers and the 2025 Productivity Academy | MacSparky
    The Deep Life by Cal Newport
    Deep Work by Cal Newport
    Spiral
    MindNode
    Bookworm podcast
    The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey
    Mark Twain by Ron Chernow
    What I’m Doing Now | MacSparky
    Mike's Steam Deck dock
    8BitDo Ultimate Controller with Charging Dock
    Superhuman
    The Confident Mind by Nate Zinser