Merlin's News & Updates

Merlin at UW-Madison - Limited Seating for DLS Keynote

2010-10-17T22:27:03Z

I’ll be visiting Madison on Tuesday, October 19th as part of the University of Wisconsin’s Distinguished Lecture Series. The big event of the day will be my address at 7:30pm CDT at the Wisconsin Union Theater in the Memorial Union.

Big, partly because it’s definitely an honor to be invited to participate in such an august series (the guest speaker on Thursday night is none other than freakin’ Errol Morris). But, also big because I’ll be launching a new—and heavily reimagined—version of my popular Time & Attention talk (‘08 Macworld Original, ‘08 Google Version, and ‘10 Impro Version). I think it’ll be good.

I’m sharing this here because I’ve been told that there is limited seating available free of charge to the public. Doors open at 7:00 pm for UW students and staff, but all remaining seats will be offered to anyone who’s interested in attending on a first-come/first-served basis, starting at 7:20 (see: Free Ticket Policy).

Apparently parking on campus is a nightmare, so public transit is your best option.

If you make it out on Tuesday night, please grab me and say, “hi.” If you don’t make it, keep an eye peeled for a video of the talk. Like I say, I have high hopes this’ll be a goodie.

[Special thanks to Tom Black and DLS for hosting this event. Very much looking forward to a swell day.]

Merlin @ Webstock 2011: Keynote + Two New Workshops

2010-09-24T17:26:00Z

Wow. Talk about an honor. As was just announced yesterday, I’ve been asked to keynote at the famously awesome Webstock conference in Wellington, NZ. (Registration →)

Sure, that’s all well and good for me and everything, but did I mention the other speakers? I mean, holy crap:

Yeah, I know. No pressure or anything.

Home Page of Webstock 2011

Truth is, I’m also really excited because Tash and Mike have very kindly asked me to host a couple of pre-conference workshops. Which I’ve never done before. But, brother are they ever on two of my favorite topics: futureproofing your passion and saying true things.

Details on my workshops (cribbed from the Webstock site):

Workshop 1:
What’s (Maybe, Kinda, Sorta) Next for You? Steps Toward Futureproofing Your Passion

When: Tuesday 15 February, 9:00-12:30pm
Where: Civic Suite, Wellington Town Hall, 111 Wakefield Street
With: Merlin Mann

Register now! ($375 if attending conference, $495 if not)

Everybody who cares about what they do wants to get better at it, right? But, how do you know if you’re getting better at the right things?

And, perhaps as importantly, if you crave the independence and agency of working on your own stuff for real money, what sort of modest, baby steps might help you start walking in the best direction for now?

In this half-day workshop, we’ll unpack some of the real (and perceived) barriers to both gaining expertise and achieving independence (and, yeah—you better believe they’re related).

Through a lively mix of seminar, discussion, and focused exercises, we’ll work to discover (and potentially start moving) any block to discovering the thing for which we’re most willing to work our asses off.

Recommended for:

fed-up cube-dwellers
belly-aching malcontents
unruly trouble-makers
nervous geniuses
anyone with the fire to make something great

Workshop 2:
Killing your Sailboats: Managing Innovation by Saying True Things

When: Wednesday 16 February, 1:30pm-5:00pm
Where: Civic Suite, Wellington Town Hall, 111 Wakefield Street
With: Merlin Mann

Register now! ($375 if attending conference, $495 if not)

There’s a shameful open secret inside many companies that nobody likes talking about. It’s the “third rail” of office culture and it unnecessarily electrocutes the spirit of great teams every day:

Truth be told? Managers often say untrue things.

We’re not talking about lies or deceptions in the usual sense; we’re talking about the much more nuanced problem of saying one thing, then doing (or rewarding) something entirely different.

It’s the culture that demands nothing but unadulterated success, while claiming to foster innovation.
It’s the manager who’s a broken record about the need to “define your job,” while demanding you check email all day and tell him when you’re going to lunch.
It’s the C-Level who bellows about employees’ poor productivity and lack of focus as he updates Facebook from his CrackBerry.

In this half-day workshop, we’ll talk about the institutional gulf between what we say is important and what we do to prove, fund, and defend it.

If you’d like your organization to foster an environment in which no one ever needs permission to be awesome–and if you have the stomach for the unconventional cure–you may find this interactive workshop to be far more useful than simply mounting another motivational poster of a sailboat.

Recommended for:

anyone who manages anything
rapidly-growing tech companies
reluctant fibbers
insufferably honest nerds
people who loathe corporate BS

Like I said, registration is open, so do get in while you can.

As for me? I’m sitting here trying to figure out what the hell I can do to follow frickin’ Scott McCloud.

But my spirits are high; I’m planning my workshops and alternating between listening to The Clean and Split Enz.

This is going to be seriously great. Hope I’ll see you in New Zealand.

Source: Webstock 2011: we are live, baby! (http://www.webstock.org.nz/blog/2010/webstock-2011-were-launched-baby/)
Related: Webstock 2011 (http://www.webstock.org.nz/)

Merlin Presents 3 Free Talks at Rutgers University

2010-03-12T16:37:32Z

Merlin Mann speaks at Rutgers University

My pal (and one of my favorite YLNT fans), Don Schaffner, has kindly invited me to visit Rutgers University later this month. I’ll be doing three sessions aimed at a wide range of interests and roles, and am especially looking forward to Don’s promised tour of landmarks from Bruce Springsteen songs.

Definitely wanted to mention this to anyone who lives in the area, because all three talks are free and open to the public. Note that visitor parking at Rutgers University can be a challenge. Please plan ahead and visit the parking website so you don’t get a ticket.

From the Rutgers site, here’s the agenda:

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 2:00 PM he Merlin be talking on “Future-proofing your passion: The job you never knew you wanted”. This talk will discuss strategies for how to find out how to find the job you want, rather than the job you’re scared you have to take (or that your parents want you to take). This talk will be at the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue Campus in Room 411 ABC.

On the same day, Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 7:00 PM he will be talking on “Inbox Zero”. This energetic, targeted presentation will focus on the attitudes, tools, and behaviors that are critical to surviving in the age of high-volume, ubiquitous email. Topics include; Why your old email habits can’t work today; Why “catching up” with email is a myth; The five and (only five) things you can do about any email message; Strategies for processing email faster and quickly converting messages into action; Using filters and rules to automate repetitive work and; How and when to turn email off (and for how long). While starting from a context of how and why email has gotten out of control in most of our lives, the focus of this session is very practical, with an emphasis on tips, tricks, and handy “hacks” for getting email under control — ultimately for reclaiming your time and attention from the email black hole. This talk will be at the Busch Campus Center on the Busch Campus in Multipurpose Room B.

Finally, on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 2:00 PM he will be talking on “Managing Time and Attention”. Time and attention are a knowledge worker’s most precious and irreplaceable natural resources. And, yet, most of us find our lives riddled with attention leaks that sap hours from every week. What can we do to understand where those leaks are coming from? And how we can start to command greater respect for time and attention — as well as ensuring that we respect that of our colleagues? In this talk, Merlin Mann demonstrates how digital technology and cultural changes have upset the balance of scarcity and plenty in the lives of wired knowledge workers. You’ll learn why it’s critically important to set and honor boundaries that protect your time as well as how to develop new skills to guard against unwanted or unproductive drains on your already-overwhelmed attention. This provocative and engaging presentation applies refreshing, high-level thinking to the problem of how to renegotiate and reclaim the attention you’ve ceded to others, as well as fostering discussion on the changes your team can start making today to improve work culture and create a healthier, respectful, and productive work environment. This talk will be at the Cook Student Center, on the Cook Campus in Multipurpose Room C.

Many thanks to Don and his team. Really looking forward to this visit.

Merlin to Keynote at WebVisions 2010 in Portland

2010-03-06T16:03:09Z

Link: WebVisions | Sessions | Now-what?

This should be a fun talk I’ll be premiering at WebVisions on Friday, May 21st. It’s about what we’re creating with all the tools at our disposal, and I’m calling it, “Now What? Bold Ideas and Insane Possibilities.”

What did we do before APIs, jQuery, XML, application frameworks, and open source blogging tools? Well. The truth is we did quite a lot.
But, even as our wrenches and pipes have matured and even transformed, it’s more worthwhile than ever to ask ourselves what we’re producing with all of that massive horsepower.
Has our creative output kept up with our technological innovation? Are we driving a legitimate revolution in how the world sees, thinks, collaborates, and builds together? Or are we mostly iterating a more sophisticated method for telling millions of people about our sandwich?
Who knows. Maybe it’s a little of both.
The answer, of course is as complicated as the people who build, use, and benefit from these tools, but complexity beyond his depth has certainly never stopped Merlin Mann from having a lot of opinions.
In 1994, Merlin edited a text file, pulled it up in the command-line Lynx browser, and his life hasn’t been the same since. This year, he brings his passion for unique creative voices to WebVisions.
Through one of his typically hand-wavey rambles, he’ll help celebrate the anniversary of WebVisions by holding up some metaphorical before and after photos, designed to illuminate the best and worst of a world in which the possibilities for creative and technical expression seem without limit. And also in which sandwich communication technologies have grown to a level of maturity no one could have predicted in 1994.
At the heart of it, Merlin will challenge the audience (as well as THEIR audiences and himself) to raise the bar for both performance and expectation – encouraging us to make more with what we have, and to make better of whatever it is we do.
And, if you ask nicely, he might even show you his Lynx browser.

Source: WebVisions: Bold Ideas and Insane Possibilities (http://www.webvisionsevent.com/sessions/now-what/?redir=L3NjaGVkdWxlLw==)

Welcome back to MerlinMann.com

2010-02-22T17:37:35Z

At last. Softly launching over the last week or so, the website you’re now visiting (whether by person or by RSS proxy) is the pretty new home for me and "Better" and "Right Now" and Phone Guy. To start.

Returning presently to the newly consolidated empire (yes, with updates): 5ives, Inbox Zero, The Merlin Show1, and possibly a couple other mothballed or forgotten gems. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

For now, here's are a couple feeds you might want to watch:

MM News & Updates [ RSS ] - News such as this. Meta stuff. Announcements, updates and what have you. The usual "Yay, me" stuff.
MM Media [ RSS ] - This one’s more interesting. While this section is very much still taking shape, I see this as a place to curate a kind of "Best of Merlin" — someplace where I can highlight some of the videos, audio, interviews (both with and by me), and sundry writings that I’m proudest to have worked on.1 Also, for what it's worth, here's a few personal favorites, as well as some of the stuff that's been most popular amongst you guys.

Friends, I am perfectly drunk on overdue consolidation. And, I’m also drunk on a typeface (below) called, Calluna. Any drunker and I’d marry that little bastard.

Yes, friends, yes. Yes, I have finally redone my site. Yes, I am happy. Yes, I love Squarespace. Yes, I love TypeKit. Yes, America. Yes, life.

And, a huge YES to never again bursting into tears upon hearing the phrase, "Thesis Hooks."

Finally, YES, thank you all very much for your patience, attention, and interest. I'm grateful that you've hung with me. Amen and onward.

Yes, Jesse Thorn obsessives: the multi-year-old "Lost Episodes" with America’s Radio Sweetheart will be the first thing to go up. Ideally, while my favorite overachiever is still in his twenties. ↩
I’ve really needed a place to put this stuff forever. So says my disoriented family, anyhow. ↩

Merlin Sightings: August, 2008

2008-08-06T09:11:15Z

Here’s the latest stuff Merlin’s been up to, as well as upcoming places you can check him out.

Merlin’s Upcoming Stuff

Start. A Conference for Entrepreneurs. Tomorrow, my pals, Jeff and Bryan are putting on an amazing conference for people who are thinking of doing a startup. It’s very close to sold out, but there’s still time to see me, Mena, Ev, and many more folks talk about how to sensibly take your idea to the web. Register while you still can (it’s cheap). Who knows? You might even get to see something special.

IzeaFest. In September, I’ll be in Orlando, Florida to talk about how to build a smart blog for smart people without resorting to tricks and games. And, no: I will not be holding up AdSense checks for “Cash Proof.”

For more information about inviting me to speak at your company or event, drop a line.

Merlin: Recently and Elsewhere

Guestblogging: Blogging at Maximum Fun. For the next couple weeks, me and the other You Look Nice Today “talent” will be guest-blogging over at Jesse’s site; Jesse has apparently fooled a woman into marrying him. (Congrats, J&T)

Appearance: iPhone DevCamp. Participated in a fun panel with Dom, Mike, and Brian, talking about what we want from iPhone apps, what patterns to replicate, and which pitfalls to avoid. As ever, much love for Remote.

Interview: Real estate information overload | Inman News. Really enjoyed this interview with Glenn in advance of my talk at the Inman Connect conference a couple weeks back. How can you tell a good interviewer? You talk a lot about things you didn’t realize you were thinking about.

Interview: ”Technology in the Arts” podcast. Was interviewed by a very nice man called Brad about productivity, “branding,” and why editing helps everything not to suck.

Player

Merlin’s Ongoing Projects

Podcast: You Look Nice Today. We’re off on walkabout until the end of the month or so, but it’s a great time to catch up on recent episodes. Also the perfect time to go all the way back and start where it all began: Episode 2.
And, remember: You Look Nice Today is not safe for anything. Not even as a floor wax.

Blog: Kung Fu Grippe. My favorite recent posts on my personal blog were about MLM videos, the Flip Video camera, My Neighbor Totoro, a fertility monitor, Twyla Tharp’s advice on creativity, and a test of Modomi, featuring The Long Winters.

Photos: Flickr. People recently enjoyed images of a business offer for YLNT, a banjo, the Dwight Schrute my daughter broke, and a delightful short film that my daughter directed.

Toots: Twitter. People seemed to like Toots about books, the internet, speakerphones, and my new catchphrase. Then there’s my new nemesis, fakemerlinmann.

Thank you for bravely suffering my pimp. See you next month.

Crossposted from 43f

New Podcast: "You Look Nice Today"

2008-04-07T19:30:34Z

You Look Nice Today is an audio-based Journal of Emotional Hygiene, staffed by lonelysandwich, scottsimpson, and hotdogsladies.

[about the show]

Videos: Merlin Presenting & Interviewing (and Pitching)

2008-03-16T20:10:14Z

Folks who are kind enough to ask me to speak at their company or event often enjoy showing their colleagues videos of my stuff to prep them for the visit.

To make this a bit easier — as well as to introduce you to my speaking work, if we’ve never met — I’ve put together a few of my favorite videos of stuff I’ve been involved with. This includes my two most popular talks (“Inbox Zero” and my “Time & Attention” talk) as well as interviews from The Merlin Show, plus a recent, more light-hearted event from South by Southwest.

Drop a line today if you’d like to chat about me coming to speak with your group. There’s still time to book for Summer and beyond, so let’s talk.

1. ”Inbox Zero” Google Tech Talk

58 minute presentation at Google’s Mountain View campus; July 23, 2007 (original post)

It’s amazing to me that this little fellow has now been watched 213,000 times (I hope that’s counting partial views, otherwise that’s over 23 person-years of viewing time. yikes.)

I really like how this turned out, and it’s been very cool to hear how many people this has turned on to the idea of doing something more responsible with their email.

Share this video…

2. Macworld “Time and Attention” Talk

70-minute slideshow with live audio; Macworld 2008; January 14, 2008 (original post)

This talk premiered to an enthusiastic SRO crowd at Macworld San Francisco 2008 in January of this year. The talk is evolving quickly and it’s since been re-titled “Who Keeps Moving My Brain?: Revaluing Time & Attention“.

This is a more high-level discussion of attention issues than Inbox Zero, and it’s turning out to be an excellent presentation for a more general audience.

N.B.: The first slide is white; the video is fine, I promise.

Share this video…

3. IDEO “Know How” Talk

1-hour conversation at IDEO’s Palo Alto campus; September 9, 2007 (original post)

Sure, I was high on the Theraflu, but this gave me the chance to talk about the idea that’s most got my attention right now: “How do we deal with the lack of scarcity in our electronic world?“

Many thanks to my pals at bOING bOING for putting this on lots of people’s radar screens. Much appreciated.

Share this video…

4. Merlin Show Interview: Jonathan Coulton

10-minute interview with internet troubadour, Jonathan Coulton original post

I conducted this interview with the wonderful Jonathan Coulton right around the time I found out I was going to become a father. Have to say that, given my mood at the time, I found what he had to say inspirational.

Share this video…

5. Merlin Show Interview: Jeffrey Veen

16-minute interview with Google’s Jeff Veen original post

Jeff’s been a swell pal and great guy to work with (I managed projects for him back in the day). In this particular instance, Jeff’s insight into how to move aside the BS and get to the kernel of things is not to be missed.

Share this video…

6. SxSW, Worst Website Ever: “FlockdUp”

6-minute pitch for a fictional social networking site

Oh, what the heck. Let’s throw this one in for fun. It’s a 6-minute mini-presentation I delivered as part of a South by Southwest panel called “Worst Website Ever,” in which seven teams were invited to pitch their fictional idea for the worst web startup of all time — to a real-life VC.

Roo Reynolds was kind enough to capture my “award-winning” pitch with a hand-held camera. This was a lot of fun to do, and the audience reaction was swell.

Share this video…

Merlin's on the way back, Speaking in '08

2007-12-24T12:10:27Z

Greetings of the Season, my friends.

Back soon

I’ll be slowly ambling my way back from full-time paternity leave over the next couple or three weeks, which means I’ll be posting a bit more regularly on 43 Folders, returning to regular appearances on MacBreak Weekly and [eek] returning to answering public email again. Keep an eye out soon after the first of next year.

Merlin speaks, ‘08

Link: Merlin Mann: Speaking

Also, as aught-eight dawns, I’m starting to nail down dates and details for speaking gigs over the first half of the year and beyond. So, if you’re interested in having me visit with your company or organization, get in touch.

One month of Eleanor

2007-11-25T09:41:48Z

Life with Eleanor

Paternity leave is humming along delightfully. As I type this, Ellie’s fast asleep in the sling. I can highly recommend all of this.

Anyhow, that’s Eleanor on Friday, a day before her four-week birthday. We still like her a lot.

More Eleanor pix »

Meet Eleanor

2007-10-30T08:23:39Z

Eleanor Flannery Mann

On Saturday afternoon — after much amazing effort from my heroic wife — our very large and healthy new friend, Eleanor, agreed to show up.

Starting my biggest project ever

2007-10-14T13:48:51Z

Paternity Leave

Just wanted to let folks know that my wife, Madeline, and I are expecting our daughter to arrive in our lives very soon. So, when that day gets here (amazingly soon), I’ll be starting a paternity leave that I expect to last until some time in January of next year.

43 Folders featured in TIME Magazine and PC World

2007-06-27T06:59:44Z

Two nice bits of coverage over the last week or so.

PC World named my site, 43 Folders, as one of their “100 Blogs We Love,” noting the site helps people organize their digital and analog lives. I like the way they put that.

Also, last week, TIME Magazine (who previously selected 43f for their “Pick Of The Podcasts”) did a short story on “life hacking” called “Hacking Toward Happiness” that quoted me and mentioned 43 Folders.

Some life-hacking fans get so wrapped up in reading about efficiency that the sites become, ironically, another procrastination crutch. “We don’t need to overwhelm people with useless tips on how to put on a hat faster,” Mann says.

Thanks to TIME’s Jeremy Caplan and to the Editors at PC World for the kind acknowledgment. It’s much appreciated.

New Flash viewer for The Merlin Show

2007-06-05T07:38:01Z

Blip.tv has recently released a Flash player that makes it easy to watch all or any of the episodes of a video podcast from one place. I’ve adapted one for The Merlin Show, and I think it’s pretty danged sharp.

Merlin on Facebook

2007-06-05T07:36:37Z

Facebook | Merlin Mann’s Public profile

I finally succumbed and decided to join Facebook.

MySpace makes my face hurt and Virb doesn’t seem to have the critical mass yet, so I decided to give Facebook a spin, and so far it’s been fun. “Friend” me and I’ll get you back:

In related news, I’m honored to say, there is (quizzically) a Merlin Mann Fan Club on Facebook that’s currently 600 strong. Stop by and make fun of my hair or something.

Merlin's News & Updates

Merlin at UW-Madison - Limited Seating for DLS Keynote

Merlin @ Webstock 2011: Keynote + Two New Workshops

Workshop 1:What’s (Maybe, Kinda, Sorta) Next for You? Steps Toward Futureproofing Your Passion

Workshop 2:Killing your Sailboats: Managing Innovation by Saying True Things

Merlin Presents 3 Free Talks at Rutgers University

Merlin to Keynote at WebVisions 2010 in Portland

Welcome back to MerlinMann.com

Merlin Sightings: August, 2008

Merlin’s Upcoming Stuff

Merlin: Recently and Elsewhere

Merlin’s Ongoing Projects

New Podcast: "You Look Nice Today"

Videos: Merlin Presenting & Interviewing (and Pitching)

1. ”Inbox Zero” Google Tech Talk

2. Macworld “Time and Attention” Talk

3. IDEO “Know How” Talk

4. Merlin Show Interview: Jonathan Coulton

5. Merlin Show Interview: Jeffrey Veen

6. SxSW, Worst Website Ever: “FlockdUp”

Merlin's on the way back, Speaking in '08

Back soon

Merlin speaks, ‘08

One month of Eleanor

Meet Eleanor

Starting my biggest project ever

43 Folders featured in TIME Magazine and PC World

New Flash viewer for The Merlin Show

Merlin on Facebook

Workshop 1:
What’s (Maybe, Kinda, Sorta) Next for You? Steps Toward Futureproofing Your Passion

Workshop 2:
Killing your Sailboats: Managing Innovation by Saying True Things