We like Notion (sort of), Daniel hates Basecamp, and John is prototyping board games. Then Daniel lays out his unified field theory of software engineering and pounds the table for collective bargaining.PatreonNotionFrom the Folks Who Brough

29: Ominous death clock

Feb 14th, 2018 37m 35s

In our season finale, we talk about time and attention. Daniel takes John to task about whether or not time exists. We'll be back with Season 4 soon!PatreonThis is water (seriously, watch this whole thing. It's quite good)The Witness (one of

28: Heroic feats of workaholism (with Stephen Hackett)

Jan 24th, 2018 45m 49s

Relay.fm co-founder Stephen Hackett stops in to talk about the perils of finding personal identity in your work, whether or not it's important to "love" what you do, and the weird experience of having an emotional relationship with a corporatio

27: Discipline December pt. 2 (with Caleb Porzio)

Jan 3rd, 2018 49m 31s

This week we recap Discipline December. We talk discipline as a tool, the downside of letting fear motivate your work, and using experiments to diagnose your problems. Then John loses his mind over how much he loves “Holy Hour”.Our tip jar (no

26: Ego depletion

Dec 20th, 2017 31m 52s

We return to form with this old school episode with no guest. John is having a hard time getting things done, and Daniel has ideas for how to help. We discuss working from home, making good check lists, slowing your roll, and taking notes.Link

25: Discipline December (with Caleb Porzio)

Dec 6th, 2017 45m 8s

Daniel is going to be disciplined for (almost) a whole month! This is a very meta episode: protestant work ethic, work habits, budgeting, food, exercise, checklists, tidying up, and more! Follow along with our progress in the link in the show n

24: Many a hustle (with Michael Johnson)

Nov 22nd, 2017 43m 2s

Long time friend Michael Johnson calls in for our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. We talk vlogging, managing multiple side hustles, unifying your life, finding identity, and living life without a calendar.Special Guest: Michael Johnson.Links:Patreon

23: Total depravity (with Nancy French)

Nov 8th, 2017 40m 31s

4-time NYT Best Selling Author Nancy French shares her thoughts on being a Conservative writer in the era of Trump. Nancy recently left the Republican party and faced harassment from the Alt-Right. We also get into the relationship between pop

22: I call it poetry, you call it content (with Aaron Belz)

Oct 25th, 2017 49m 43s

John's cousin Aaron Belz drops by to talk about how businesses use language, the difference between students and young employees, how social media can shape the way people make creative stuff online, baseball, and more!Aaron is a poet and essa

21: Thinking in public (with Mike Rugnetta)

Oct 11th, 2017 50m 29s

Mike Rugnetta drops some knowledge about how to improve internet discourse, maintaining a productive comment section, focusing on the right stuff, why people join internet communities, and what it means for something to "end" on the internet. L

20: Talking about the show on the show

Aug 2nd, 2017 34m 29s

We're about to take a short break! This episode is about where the show has been and where it is going. John sings the praises of incrementalism. Our list of dream guests is getting long.Links:Fits + Starts Listener SurveyBest way for artis

19: Idealogical Purity Ideas (with Brianna Wu)

Jul 19th, 2017 55m 57s

Brianna is running for Congress! She stops by to share her insights about the work of running a campaign, seeking to support people you don't agree with, and why Millennials need to take direct action instead of making symbolic political gestur

18: Eventually it sucks less (with Merlin Mann)

Jul 5th, 2017 59m 49s

Merlin stops by to talk about finding a job that fits you, prototyping your future, and manufacturing care. Then we have a lot of rapid fire questions for him.Special Guest: Merlin Mann.Links:Independent Writer, Speaker, and Broadcaster - M

17: Make the Internet Better (with Anil Dash)

Jun 21st, 2017 59m 6s

Anil Dash (Founder / Writer / Speaker / Blogger / Preeminent force on the Internet) argues for a new definition of "open" on the web. We ask for advice on how to be more inclusive as a non-manager. Daniel has some big ideas about infrastructure

16: Six-month-ago You (with Adam Wathan)

Jun 7th, 2017 31m 1s

Programmer, author, and teacher Adam Wathan stops by to talk about working in public, asking stupid questions, charting a weird career path, and dropping knowledge on your peers.Hit us up on Twitter:Fits and Starts: @fits_and_startsDaniel: @

15: Bottle Episode

May 24th, 2017 36m 27s

We just saw each other in Chicago! John is a friend of Tighten.co. The show is changing. John is afraid that his life is too comfortable. Daniel thinks it's all about leaning into your fear. We think that Donald Trump and Smash Mouth are indica

14: Obvious Questions Without Obvious Answers (with Estelle Caswell)

May 10th, 2017 32m 31s

Along with our guest Estelle Caswell, we discuss Twitter, YouTube comments, and how to handle negative feedback (especially in public). Then we talk about that magical moment when your work becomes less scary to you. Finally, we talk about Kany

13: Motivating an Animal (with Matt Stauffer)

Apr 26th, 2017 57m 28s

Matt enumerates the differences between venture-backed and bootstrapped businesses. We discuss the difference between “useful” and “good” traits. Matt has some advice on how to talk about your strengths without sounding like a jerk, and then Jo

12: Clearing Up Mindspace (with Jake Thomsen)

Apr 12th, 2017 44m 39s

Guest host Jake Thomsen explains the real meaning of great operations / processes. John tries (and fails) to apply economic ideas to his personal life. Daniel blows everyone's mind with some mysticism. And then Jake settles a long-standing deba

11: Everybody's My Boss (with Kelly Walker)

Mar 29th, 2017 40m 21s

We discuss the very gross, but very real idea of personal brands. Kelly and Daniel talk about the exhausting plight of the freelancer. We also discuss turning your passion into your career, and mindfulness practices.Hit us up on Twitter!Fits

10: Strapped to the Mast (with Zay Smallman)

Mar 15th, 2017 52m 17s

Along with our inaugural guest host Zay Smallman, we discuss who should and shouldn't take venture capital money, misadventures in Human Resources, and John takes Zay to task on strategy in the film industry.Zay is a co-founder at Fancy Rhino

9: Expectations You're Not Entitled To

Feb 23rd, 2017 41m 38s

We discus where the show is and where it's headed. John wonders about when the right time is to change careers. Daniel thinks it's important to check your entitlement. Then Daniel has some personal finance tips, and John buys a SodaStream!Hit

8: Maslow's Hierarchy of Goals

Feb 8th, 2017 41m 8s

We talk about growing out of being a slug-like process person. John claims erroneously to be a Californian. What does it take to claim that you've been to a state? John was late to recording this episode because he has disabled all notification

7: Fix Your Pet Bug

Jan 26th, 2017 51m 28s

We talk about personality tests, and how they can guide your career path. Daniel is taken in by 16personalities.com. John wonders how to solve for his many shortcomings, and wonders if Daniel will be promoted to the level of his own incompetenc

6: Too Proud to Touch the Monolith

Jan 11th, 2017 42m 9s

Daniel lays siege to Nevada. John has some existential dread about Apple. We discuss how to know when a project is working, and how to measure success. John has a great scam for Black Friday.Hit us up on Twitter!Fits and Starts - @fits_and_st