FAQs
Is “Merlin Mann” your real name?
Definitely. I’m named after my late father and grandfather.
Is 43 Folders your job?
It’s one very enjoyable part of my job. Here’s a rundown of the basic gerunds in my work life:
- writing - In addition to writing for and maintaining 43 Folders (and a few other sites of my own), I write features, columns, reviews, and assorted short pieces for magazines like Make, Macworld, and WIRED.
- podcasting & new media - I appear on several popular podcasts including The Merlin Show and Mac Break Weekly, as well as occasionally doing various kinds of independent reporting, broadcasting, and production (n.b.: I am not particularly a journalist).
- speaking - Often, I’m invited to speak to companies, conferences, and organizations about personal productivity and “life hacks,” among other topics.
- coaching - Although I’m not currently accepting new clients, I occasionally do coach people who are looking for help with improving their productivity and work set-up.
- advising - 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.
So, 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 and primary contributor for 43folders.com”
- two-line - “Merlin Mann is the creator and primary contributor for 43folders.com, a family of websites about personal productivity, ‘life hacks,’ and simple ways to make your life a little better. He does what he does on a Mac in the western third of San Francisco.”
- longer - Here you go
May I call you a “consultant?”
I wish you would not.
But aren’t you a “productivity guru?”
No. I’m just a disorganized man with a website. 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 it sent back like an overcooked steak.
Seriously, please don’t send me this stuff; 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 [Leo | Amber | Roderick | some other person I’m 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 I send you?
It’s nothing personal, I promise. These days, I get more email than a person could answer in two lifetimes (although I do try to read it all).
Will you be dropping the “f-bomb” that much when you speak with my group?
Absolutely not. Unless you specifically request it. In which case it is complimentary, of course.
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.
I also played in an unnamed heavy metal band for exactly one afternoon in 1985. We were execrable.
Didn’t you go to New College in 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.
