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. Hosted by David Sparks and Mike Schmitz.
219 episodes transcribedEvery independent worker will agree that being organized is important. But should you adopt an organizational system? How can these systems help you,...
Agile Tortoise's Greg Pierce discusses what he's learned in a decade as an independent developer and consultant.
Not all clients are good clients. If you don't manage the herd, you could lose the farm. This is why it's important to consider the right time, and ri...
Jason and David discuss their home-office set-ups and the challenges they face when working in a house they share with other people. When do you lock...
You can't earn a living as a Free Agent if you don't get paid. In this episode we discuss why the sign of a true professional is ensuring that they're...
A new year brings accounting and tax challenges for independent workers, so we asked accountant and financial advisor Andrew Carroll to join us. Andre...
Being good at what you do isn't enough. You also need customers, clients, or whatever else you need to pay for shoes. That may mean you have to do a l...
Very recently David's Mac Power Users co-host, Katie Floyd, left her law firm and went out on her own. We ask Katie about making the move, her workspa...
One of the best things an independent worker can do is invest in both belts and suspenders. We discuss cultivating and managing multiple income stream...
We discuss planning and taking vacations as an independent worker. How do you set client expectations? How do you set boundaries with the people you'r...
In a wide-ranging episode, David and Jason answer your letters and tweets.
Email can be a vital communication mechanism, but it can also be a black hole of lost productivity. David and Jason discuss managing email and setting...
So you've decided to leave the nest. What can you do to prepare while you're still working for the man? What's the right way to give notice, and prepa...
PlayStation veteran Shahid Kamal Ahmad left Sony to become an independent game developer. We discuss why he left and how he schedules his workday in h...
Clients: Getting them (by marketing yourself), keeping them, and the dangers and rewards of taking them with you from your previous job.
Deciding where to get your work done can be a difficult challenge for an independent worker. Can you work out of the house? Does renting office space...
Myke Hurley, co-founder of Relay FM, discusses transitioning from his bank job to a full-time podcaster, including the inherent contradictions in work...
Just because you're independent doesn't mean you don't need a schedule. This episode is about building (and breaking) routines.
In our very first episode, David and Jason discuss narrowing scope and taking on too much work.
