Another Reason I Adore Podcasts: Focus and Deep Thinking

I realized my reliance on podcasts isn’t just to learn and satiate my constant curiosity. It’s also an opportunity to practice focusing on one thing. This realization came while I was listening to the science behind mediation when I had this epiphany.

A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. When I’m listening to something educational it has my attention. I’m therefore focused and likely happy. Very few tasks, even work, can keep my full attention because unless there is a good balance between challenge and interest so I can enter flow state I like to focus and I like deep thinking.

Most of the podcasts I curate are inspirational or educational. They make me think. That’s the point. Even though some are background to a physical task, it’s the physical task that is enough to enable access to my default mode network.

Some Podcast Recommendations if You’re Interested

All links use the overcast.fm directory and need a login to view the description and episodes. I highly recommend the Overcast app on iOS to get your podcasts.

Product Management

• The Product Experience by Mind the Product

• Inside Intercom Podcast

• The Rework Podcast by Basecamp

Tech

• Accidental Tech Podcast by Casey Liss, Marco Arment, and John Siracusa

• The Talk Show with John Gruber

• Dithering by Ben Thompson and John Gruber

Productivity

• Deep Work: Deep Questions with Cal Newport

• Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday

• Cortex by Myke Hurley and CGP Grey

• Focused by David Sparks and Mike Schmitz

Business and Marketing

• Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin

• Decoder with Nilay Patel

• Planet Money

Entrepreneurship

• How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Thoroughly Considered

Design

• 99% Invisibile by Roman Mars

• Presentable

• What is Wrong with UX by Laura Klein

Cognitive Bias and Neuroscience

• Hidden Brain

• Two Guys on your Head

• Making Sense with Sam Harris

Pens and Stationary

• The Pen Addict by Brad Dowdy and Myke Hurley

Great Storytelling

• Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell

• Serial

• Radiolab

• TED Radio Hour

iPhone Speaker Volume Over Time

One of the small joys of getting a new iPhone is the occasional speaker volume increase. I just upgraded from 11 Pro to 13 Pro (my typical two-year upgrade cycle) and again that extra volume is coming in handy.

It’s never an item on Apple’s spec sheet (unless I’m missing it). Since my upgrade to the iPhone 4S from the 4, I’ve cherished that minor bump in volume to better listen to music and podcasts when headphones weren’t in the cards.

I tried tracking down the actual volumes by model and found only this one test by iClarified during the iPhone 6 era. The progression isn’t completely linear year over year, but Apple’s focus on incremental improvements is evident once again for a minor feature not important enough to make their product announcements.

Simple Gratitude: Flipping pages of a notebook or book

I can do it over, over, over again. Sometimes I flip pages for no reason as a form of fidgeting or to experience more of the sensation.

For notebooks, the crinkle you get from the used pages is a simple joy.

It’s always why I buy/borrow paper books. I prefer the paper book.

And yes, I said borrow. Libraries are still a thing. Most have wonderful digital hold systems where you can reserve a book online and they email you when it’s ready for pickup.