Mike Schmitz
In this episode of Focused, Laura Vanderkam joins David & I to talk about challenges and opportunities in working from home. We also break down their ever-evolving shut down routines.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
My sermon sketchnotes from August 16th, 2020. Enjoy!
When I work, I like to listen to music. Most of it is instrumental as I find it easier to focus when listening to music without words. Here’s a list of some of my favorites, with embedded Apple Music players so you can try them for yourself.
An instrumental retro-soul band with a good flow. This is my current favorite, and my go-to album when I really need to write.
A great synth-driven electronic downtempo album. A handful of lyrics with this one, but I love the feel of this one. Another go-to album when I need to write.
Full disclosure: I’ve never listened to the real version of this. But the instrumental version is another great synth-driven electronic album that I’ve listened to hundreds of times and never gets old.
I love Tycho. This is my favorite non-work album and is usually the the thing I go to when the family is hanging out and we just want some background music.
Video game soundtracks make pretty great focus music. And the Monument Valley soundtrack is the best of the best IMHO.
Never really cared for the movie, but the soundtrack has been a regular part of writing rotation for years.
The instrumental indie rock artist that did the majority of the Friday Night Lights soundtrack above has produced a ton of other music. I have yet to find something by Explosions in the Sky that I don’t like. My current favorite is The Wilderness, embedded below.
“Siri, shuffle Utah.” I like everything this electronic duo makes, but they tend to release a bunch of shorter EP-style albums so this is how my office writing sessions have started for quite a while. They released their first full-length album Long Play this year, embedded below.
This one is kinda weird. The album is named after a Soviet submarine that ran aground on Swedish shores, but is pretty positive and airy. Another staple album in my writing rotation for years.
A new instrumental album that I’m digging. Very atmospheric, opens with a sort of angel chorus and keeps a pretty chill vibe throughout.
There’s a bunch of other great stuff out there. Here’s a couple other things to consider:
But ultimately, you just need to find what works for you. So take a look at the stuff I’ve got here, and let me know if there’s anything you think I should add!
In this episode of The Intentional Family, Rachel & I look at why conversation is so important, why technology can actually work against us when trying to communicate effectively, and share strategies for cultivating meaningful conversation with the important people in your life.
My sermon sketchnotes from August 9th, 2020. Enjoy!
In this episode of Bookworm, Joe & I cover another Patrick Lencioni leadership fable. We consider the responsibility of leadership, take a look at the five omissions of reward-centered leaders, and consider why they want to be leaders in the first place.
In this episode of Focused, Jay Miller joins us to talk about balancing many interests, transferring your focus as you switch between them, and what it means to live the multipotentialite lifestyle.
My sermon sketchnotes from August 2nd, 2020. Enjoy!
In this episode of The Intentional Family, Rachel & I talk about our approach to managing screen time. This is something we get asked about all the time, and it was really fun to talk about all the systems we’ve established to encourage intentional technology use.
My sermon sketchnotes from July 26th, 2020. Enjoy!