I’m Farhad Manju, Technical Columnist for the New York Times, and This Is How I Work
There is something in Farhad. Tech reporters can quickly become jaded and cynical about their work, but Farhad Manju’s clear letters make no sense of an unnecessary joke when he discusses how technology affects our lives. Although, when I talk about Farhad’s work, I’m actually talking about his tweets .
He is a technical columnist for the New York Times, formerly Slate and the Wall Street Journal. Those of us who spend our days inactive online probably know him best from his Twitter feed, where he offers the expected commentary on the daily news, as well as funny direct and serious observations of life. This is a source of admiration . But it’s not about his tweets, but about his real work. We asked Farhad to tell us a little about his workflow and favorite tools that he uses to accomplish his tasks.
Location: Mountain View, California. Current job: Technology columnist for the New York Times. (And the co-host of the Jay and Farhad show.) One word that best describes how you work: Naked Current mobile device: iPhone 6 Plus Current computer: iMac 5k, 13-inch MacBook Retina. (I feel like a cliché.)
What apps, software and tools can’t you live without?
Worker . It is a very good cloud diagramming program that I use for everything: notes, lists, reminders, etc.
Dropvox . This is a really great audio recording app that stores your recordings in Dropbox.
I use Google Voice, which calls, among other things, Skype, to which I can connect a voice recorder for phone calls. I am using Call Recorder for Skype .
Luxe : A great valet parking app that has completely improved the way I move around San Francisco .
Paprika : Cool recipe manager. (I cook a lot.)
Also: Microsoft Word (I’m old).
How is your workplace arranged?
Home office seating / standing table from GeekDesk .
Maybe an interesting story: before I got this iMac, I used a homebrew Windows machine as my main desktop; it had multiple screens ( although I think one screen is better ) and each was attached by the arm. The iMac, of course, has its own stand. But I quickly found that the height of the screen stand needed to be adjusted when I switched my desk from standing to sitting. And I also found that there is no way to detach the built-in stand on the iMac and attach a VESA bracket adapter. Instead, when purchasing an iMac, you need to opt for the VESA version without hand support. This is stupid, right?
After a lot of searching, I found a very cool VESA adapter for iMac that attaches to the built-in stand. It works well! Now my iMac is on my arm and I can easily adjust its height when I switch my desk from standing to sitting.
What’s your best time-saver or life hack?
Nothing, nothing at all. I’m sure I’m doing things that save me time, but I literally spend all my free time tweeting, so I always feel like I’m saving for later. I am constantly distracted and out of focus. I tried to read a lot of Lifehacker, try GTD and all, but then I realized that putting things off for later is probably just my nature and it is probably impossible to suppress it, and even if I could, I would probably , was unhappy.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
Oh, as stated above, Workflowy!
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
All of them! As I wrote earlier, my life is full of gadgets and technology. I never use the manual method when I can waste time and money on the electronic one. I have a toilet bidet! My work contributes to this; I get access to everything new, so I never have to choose, live without some new gadget or something else. But this is also in line with my philosophical views. I am insanely addicted to all kinds of technology, and living without them is living a lesser life. (Does this sound sad? Probably so.)
What tools do you use for writing?
In a word, basically. I’m working on a book that I’m digging on with Scrivener .
Are you always working on something? Or when you finish a project, do you take the time to let your mind wander without worrying about what comes next?
It always works when I am not reading the news. 70 percent of my job is reading the news, 10 percent of thinking and tweeting about it, and then there are actual reports and letters to fill in the rest.
What are some of the things you do best in everyday life?
My guacamole is better than yours, but I won’t tell you my secret.
What do you listen to while you work?
Silence. Even distant conversations ruin me. If the children are at home, I usually cannot work.
What are you reading now?
The creation of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes. Everyone should read this.
What is your sleep routine?
I don’t sleep well. I have two small children and getting up early makes me get up early, but I also never get to sleep early, and sometimes even when I wake up I wake up in the middle of the night. I would probably be better at everything if I slept more, but then I would have wasted a lot of time to read the news.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
Taylor Swift. Felix Salmon. Ira Glass . Terry Gross. John Herrman. John Gruber.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never tweet.
(Sorry, I don’t have anything real here. This is mainly the one who told me to work hard and that life is mostly about luck.)
What else would you like to add that might be of interest to readers and fans?
You should get back to work now.