Merlin is an independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster who’s based in San Francisco.
Merlin created 43 Folders, co-hosts You Look Nice Today, speaks about attention and creative work, and occasionally has things to say on Kung Fu Grippe. He also does other stuff. Questions? Contact Merlin. Thanks.
Merlin Speaks
Bring 43 Folders to your company by inviting Merlin to speak at your next event. It’s fast and painless to book Merlin — just contact us with details about what you need. »
Paternity Leave
I’m on a paternity leave through the beginning of 2008, and I will not be responding to any emails or calls I receive during that time.
Apologies in advance if you try to contact me and don’t hear back. I may occasionally check email, but there’s no way I’d even attempt to “catch up,” so, you know: fair warning. You’re way better off to contact me in 2008, if you still need to.
Finding what you need
There’s a bunch of links below that I hope can help answer any questions you have or that might assist you in finding Merlin-related information that you seek. Please exhaust these resources (especially Google — which ultimately knows all!). Answers are out there, I assure you.
Hiring Merlin for 2008
If you need to contact me about working together or about hiring me to speak to your organization, please go ahead and send an email, and I will try to get back to you when I can (but, your patience is greatly appreciated). Hint: Right now, I’m booking for March of 2008 and beyond.
Inteviews & Media Stuff
Regrettably, I won’t be able to accept any new work or to consider requests for interviews or podcast appearances until at least February of 2008. If you’re still interested after then, definitely ping me. But later. Not now. Please.
G’bye, for now.
Thanks a million for your patience and understanding while I use this time to focus on my awesome family. I can’t even tell you how exciting this is for us.
yr pal, /m
43f Help
43f Site Problems? http://www.43folders.com/forum/get-site-help
43f Bug to Report? http://www.43folders.com/forum/bug-smash
Find Stuff on 43 Folders? http://www.43folders.com/search/google
To Suggest a Link? http://www.43folders.com/about/suggest
Merlin Stuff
Working with Merlin http://www.merlinmann.com/working
Merlin’s Bio http://www.merlinmann.com/bio
Merlin’s FAQs http://www.merlinmann.com/faqs
Merlin’s Wikipedia Entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_Mann
Google http://www.google.com
Merlin’s Websites
MerlinMann.com http://www.merlinmann.com
43 Folders http://www.43folders.com
5ives http://www.5ives.com
Kung Fu Grippe http://www.kungfugrippe.com
Contact Form
Important: Please remember that Merlin’s on paternity leave until January of 2008 and won’t be responding to emails sent while he’s away. Thanks!
About
Merlin is the creator of 43 Folders, The Merlin Show, and 5ives. There’s a more detailed bio available and a list of frequently asked questions if you’re interested. If you’re inclined, you can send Merlin a nice email.
Status
Merlin Speaks
Merlin Mann is a sought-after speaker and presenter who’s received rave reviews for delivering his energetic productivity talks at companies like Apple, Google, Yahoo!, Adobe, and Xerox PARC, as well as appearing at a variety of technology conferences, including Macworld San Francisco, South By Southwest, the Mac OS X Conference, and O’Reilly’s Emerging Technology Conference.
If you’d like for Merlin to speak to your company or organization, please contact us.
Current Talks
These are three current talks that Merlin is presenting; additional topics and custom content available upon request.
Inbox Zero: The Sane Solution for High-Volume Email
This energetic, highly targeted presentation will orient attendants to the attitudes, tools, and behaviors that are critical to surviving in the age of high-volume, ubiquitous email.
Merlin Mann of 43Folders.com will show you:
- 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
- Meet your new best friend: the delete key
- How to run an “email dash”
- 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.
Note: videos and slides may not reflect the latest iteration of this presentation; it is now more awesome.
Video: Inbox Zero (Google, July, 2007)
Sample Slides (2007)
Inbox Zero: Action-Based Email
Who Moved My Brain?: Revaluing Time & 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 more healthy, respectful, and productive work environment.
Note: slides may not reflect the latest iteration of this presentation; it is now more awesome.
Sample Slides (August, 2008)
Talks Coming Soon
Hold the Cheese: Building a Smart Blog for a Smart Audience
Today, there’s no shortage of free advice on how to build a popular and financially successful blog — new tip sites seem to pop up every day, pointing the way towards fast money and easy traffic. But how do you know which advice is right for you and for the kind and quality of audience that you hope to attract? The truth is that one size very much does not fit all. So what really works?
Merlin Mann, creator of sites like 43folders.com presents a simple formula for growing a smart, organic audience through high-quality content and a strong, dependable voice. He looks at case studies of popular independent bloggers who have succeeded in building a following without sacrificing their unique message and brand.
You’ll also learn which short-win shortcuts do more harm than good, as well as hearing the blogosphere’s most boringly dependable trick for achieving success in a crowded, competitive space.
Contact us about inviting Merlin to your event »
FAQs
Is “Merlin Mann” your real name?
Definitely. I’m named after my late father and grandfather.
So, what’s 43 Folders about anyway?
43Folders.com is a website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work. [more »]
But, isn’t 43 Folders just a “site about ‘Getting Things Done?’”
No, it is not. No more than The Seventh Seal is a buddy movie about hanging out at the beach.
I’m an ardent admirer of David Allen and an occasional evangelist for his excellent work — which work has been unbelievably useful and inspiring to me. Reading the GTD book was nothing short of a revelation to me, and with all due deference and credit, the early success of 43 Folders stemmed largely from my detailed commentary and implementation tips on topics like GTD. No question, I’m grateful to the man on multiple levels.
But, to call 43 Folders, “a site about Getting Things Done” does almost as much of a disservice to my hard work as it does to David’s. And, frankly, how ever complimentary the remark is intended to be, it’s a millstone that I’d prefer not to carry any more.
So, is 43 Folders your job, or what?
It’s one very enjoyable part of my job. Here’s a rundown of the basic gerunds in my work life:
- writing & blogging - In addition to writing for and maintaining 43 Folders (and a few other sites of my own), I occasionally write features, columns, reviews, and assorted short pieces for magazines like Make, Macworld, and WIRED.
- podcasting, broadcasting & new media - I appear on several popular podcasts and radio shows including You Look Nice Today, and CBC’s Spark, as well as occasionally doing various kinds of independent reporting, broadcasting, and production. (n.b.: I don’t necessarily consider myself a journalist)
- speaking & presentations - Often, I’m invited to speak to companies, conferences, and organizations about personal productivity and “life hacks,” among other topics.
- coaching & consulting - Although I’m not actively seeking new client work, I occasionally work with companies and individuals who are looking for help with improving their productivity and work set-up.
- advising & board-sitting - Finally, I advise for and consult with a (small and increasingly select) circle of friends and colleagues to help them improve their websites, products, and internal processes.
I do lots of different jobs I guess, but 43 Folders is near the center of them all. So, sure. Yeah, it’s my job.
Okay, but how do I tell people what you do?
I suppose you can just say that I’m an “independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster.” That’s what I tell people, anyhow. But if you’re looking for something more canonical (since it does seem to come up a lot), here you go:
- one-line - “Merlin Mann is the creator of 43folders.com.”
- three-line - “Merlin Mann is an independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster. He’s best known as the creator of and primary contributor for 43folders.com, his website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work. Merlin does most of what he does on a Mac in the western third of San Francisco.”
- longer - Here you go
So, should I call you a “consultant?”
You absolutely should not.
But aren’t you a “well-known productivity guru?”
No, I am not. I’m just a distractible man with some websites. I am the guru of nothing.
Are you going to [Burning Man | SxSW | some party in SOMA | some conference | other]?
Never. Probably not. We’ll see. Maybe. I doubt it.
May I send you invitations for “LinkedIn,” “Plaxo,” “JerkStore,” or some other annoying business networking site?
Only if you want them sent back like an overcooked steak. Seriously, please don’t send me this kind of crap; I’m not a baseball card.
Do you have a MySpace page?
Only if it’s waiting for me on some kind of ironic eyeball-searing machine in hell.
Could you forward my email to [someone you know whom I am basically stalking]? Or, better still, could you just send me their personal email address?
No. That’s not going to happen. And, for the record, it’s a creepy thing to ask. Seek counseling.
Why don’t you respond to my awesome email messages?
It’s nothing personal. But, in addition to getting way more email than I can ever respond to, I’ve decided to use the time I used to spend on email to make things that are awesome. I think that’s more important than email.
If you contact me about work-related stuff, like my speaking engagements, my assistant will be happy to get you whatever you need to decide whether you’d like to hire me. She’s smarter and nicer than me, anyway, so believe me, you’re way better off. Thanks for understanding.
Why do you hate PR people so much?
I don’t hate anyone. And I have a lot of friends in some form of public relations. They seem nice. Also, people I work with and who represent me use PR to promote my stuff (usually without my input, unfortunately). But.
What I despise is an industry in which smart people who should know better are encouraged to abuse the deliberate openness of the internet for the selfish agendas of their paying clients. These are frequently professional interruptors, shoveling white-collar spam.
And, if the folks who have chosen that line of work can’t understand the poison in bothering people programmatically, then they have bigger problems than can be addressed in a pithy internet FAQ.
Wow. Will you be dropping the “f-bomb” or the “s-word” that many times when you speak with my group?
Absolutely not. Unless you specifically request it. In which case it is complimentary, of course.
Will you be wearing pants when you speak with my group?
Yes. Owing to requests from numerous clients, pants in some form or fashion are now standard equipment for all of my public talks.
N.B.: In the event that my work with your company will not demand an onsite visit, please inquire about substantial discounts to the extant “trouser tax.”
What’s up with that weird username you use sometimes? Does “hotdogsladies” mean something dirty?
No, it does not. The name is based on a line in my favorite novel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning, A Confederacy of Dunces, written by the late John Kennedy Toole. It comes from the scene in which Ignatius is attempting to vend hot dogs at a fancy ladies’ party.
I highly recommend that you read the book for yourself; it’s extremely funny.
Do I look nice today?
Yes. Yes, you do.
Do you sometimes talk into your wallet like it’s a mobile phone?
Yes. Yes, I do.
Is 5ives supposed to be funny?
Sometimes. Ideally. Yes.
Didn’t you used to play in a band in Tallahassee?
You bet I did. Although I’m best known for playing in “Bacon Ray” (1994-1999), I was also in “Parachute Pants” (1997-1999) and “Three-piece Spicy Whitemeat” (1993), as well as playing solo shows under my own name since I started college in the mid-80s.
Also, as described in this played in an unnamed heavy metal band for exactly one afternoon in 1985. We were execrable.
When you lived in Tallahassee, didn’t you also used to dress up as a gorilla and call out Bingo numbers?
Yes. For several years in the late 90s, it was my honor to be one of the people who portrayed “Jungo,” the Bingo number-calling gorilla.
Most Sunday evenings, Jungo — presented as an escapee from a regional conservation park who aspired to become a Las Vegas insult comic — would appear at a club called Waterworks, alongside the bar’s owner Don Quarrello. Bar patrons were treated to several rounds of bingo, playing for modest prizes such as free food and drinks.
At the end of the evening, Jungo would customarily take suggestions from the audience to create an improvised rap song full of abuse and gorilla-based braggadocio.
Didn’t you go to New College in Sarasota, Florida?
Yep. Started in 1986 and graduated in 1990. Had a great time, too. Afterward, I had the honor to serve for a couple years on the boards of both the New College Foundation and the NC Alumnae/i Association.
How did a homunculus like you end up with such an adorable family?
I have absolutely no idea.
Didn’t answer your question? Drop Merlin a nice email.
Featured Work
These are posts from a special 43 Folders series looking at the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way.
Also includes links to all of our most popular articles on the subject of email.
Contact Merlin
Please note: This next page is a personal contact form and should not be used for press releases, product announcements, or to suggest a link. Merlin never requests or accepts promotional materials, so please don’t send ‘em, okay? Thanks. You rule.
Anyway, if you want to drop a note, say hello, ask a question, or inquire about hiring Merlin for speaking or consulting work, fire away.
Contact Merlin » (via 43 Folders)
Merlin’s Stuff
These are some of the locations that comprise Merlin’s entropic web empire.
- 43 Folders
- Merlin writes about making work you can be proud of - You Look Nice Today (iTunes) - Merlin contributes to a Journal of Emotional Hygiene
- Kung Fu Grippe - Merlin posts to a weblog (or, “blog”)
- Twitter - Merlin keeps it to 140 characters
- 5ives - Merlin makes lists of five things
- 30 Seconds with Phone Guy (iTunes) - Merlin talks into his wallet
- Flickr - Merlin snaps photos
- Vimeo - Merlin shoots videos.
- The Merlin Show (iTunes) - Merlin chats at 30 theoretically productive frames per second (on hiatus)
Working
Merlin writes, consults, and speaks on many of the topics discussed on his site, 43 Folders.
Bio
Merlin Mann is the creator of 43folders.com, a popular American website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.
Merlin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised on Florida’s humid Suncoast. In his senior year of high school, Merlin dropped his 1st period BASIC class so he could strum Major7 chords in the school’s stage band. Somewhere in this is a story that should tell you much of what you need to know about him.
In 1990 — despite turning in a wildly mediocre thesis on the ideological hegemony of television — Merlin was kindly awarded a B.A. from the prestigious New College of Florida.
Past lives have found Merlin toiling as a web developer, project manager, waiter, hardware store remodeler, court room exhibit designer, reluctant telemarketer, and enthusiastic but unprofitable indie rock musician.
Merlin’s writing has been carried in fine periodicals like WIRED, Make, Popular Science, and MacWorld, while 43 Folders has been featured favorably in The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Time, and The Wall Street Journal, to name a few.
43 Folders is currently enjoyed by over 2,500,000 unique (and very good-looking) visitors each year, with an oddly popular RSS feed that apparently gets loaded over 100,000 times every day. There’s just no accounting for taste, is there?
Aside from writing for 43 Folders, Merlin is also the creator of The Merlin Show, 5ives, and 30 Seconds with Phone Guy. But, his favorite thing he’s ever contributed to is a decidedly NSFW program known as, You Look Nice Today.
More recently, Merlin’s become a sought-after speaker and presenter, who’s received rave reviews for delivering his energetic productivity talks at Apple, Google, Yahoo!, Adobe, Xerox PARC, as well as many other esteemed companies and organizations.
Merlin currently does most of what he does in front of a Mac in the western third of San Francisco, California, where the climate is foggy, the pork xiu mai is plentiful, and his gorgeous wife and daughter are within arm’s reach.
Photo of Merlin by Chairman Gruber.
Who’s Merlin?
Merlin is the creator and editor of 43 Folders and 5ives. There’s a more detailed bio available and a list of frequently asked questions if you’re interested.