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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MacSparky.com

Mike Schmitz

practicalpkm.com

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    #245: Fashionable & Functional, with Patrick Rhone

    December 16th, 2025 · 82 minutes

    Patrick Rhone is back to talk about his love for calendars and why curiosity is essential if you want to become a knower of things.

    Guest Starring: Patrick Rhone

    This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

    • Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code FOCUSED with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.
    • Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.

    Stream this episode

    Download: MP3 (75.94 MB)

    Links and Show Notes

    YouTube video for this episode
    Patrick's website
    Enough by Patrick Rhone
    Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things
    Whoa to Wow
    BusyCal
    Pocket Briefcases | Levenger
    Analog™ | The original to-do system by Ugmonk
    Nanami Seven Seas Tomoe River Notebooks
    GTD Guided Mindsweep
    Patrick's Now page
    The Nathan Barry Show | How To Live a Meaningful Life Using Design Thinking

    The episode Mike mentions where the authors tell us to "stop shoulding ourselves."

    Trello
    ProWritingAid: The Storyteller's Toolkit
    YearCompass
    Excalidraw Obsidian plugin
    Sketch Your Mind
    Derek Sivers
    Hunter Gatherer 21C
    How to Beat ChatGPT by Nicholas Bate
    Daily MEDS by Nicholas Bate
    The Notebook by Roland Allen