The Way We Work 2016: Christine Wong: Gear and Performance Tips
Every week, we share shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips from our favorite experts. Today is my turn. I’m Christine and this is how I handle it.
Location: Los Angeles. Current talk: I write stuff for the web, mostly here at Two Cents . One word that best describes the way you work: cats. My two cats are incredibly needy and must be by my side ALL THE TIME. I thought cats should be independent. They are doing it wrong. Current mobile device: iPhone 6 Current computer: MacBook Air, iMac
What apps, software or tools can’t you live without? Why?
I use Google Drive to record and organize files, Evernote for archiving, and Feedly to keep up with all my blog readings. I still like Mint for budgeting and Personal Capital for tracking my investments. Still a big fan of Invisible Hand and Honey for finding deals online.
How is your workplace arranged?
I have a nice, tidy work area in my apartment that I never use. Instead, I work on my laptop at the kitchen counter. I have no idea why; that’s where I gravitate. Probably because it’s closer to food.
What’s your best time-saver or life hack?
I am very worried, so I spend a lot of time on things that are beyond my control. A friend advised me to make a list of my worries throughout the day to get them out of my head. This is an amazingly useful trick. Putting these concerns down on paper gives them a sense of tangibility, and then I can put them aside to focus on other things.
Another tip that saved me time is to write my first draft as if no one would read it . It’s scary to start a post knowing that a lot of viewers will pay attention to it, and I freeze if I think about it too much. So I write the first draft in a very simple, almost stream-of-mind format, comfortably knowing that I will edit it later, and the first draft just to be put into words on the page.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
I started to manually write down my daily tasks. Again, a little something about tangibility and crossing things off the list is very nice.
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
Chromecast because TV.
What are some of the things you do best in everyday life? What’s your secret?
I hate to brag, but I really do know how to peel eggs. In fact, I have no secret. I just boil them, break the ends and peel them off. Eggs!
What do you listen to while you work?
Actually I prefer silence, but my neighbor seems to like The Wall, so I have been listening to it a lot lately.
What are you reading now?
I have just begun a new book by Salman Rushdie, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. I hope I don’t read this that long.
How do you replenish?
Impromptu car trips. And the sour patch kids.
What is your sleep pattern?
I am an owl and a lark at the same time. So I try to go to bed early, but I prefer to go to bed late, but I also don’t like to sleep. Basically, I don’t like the idea of sleeping. Unless it’s a nap. Dozing is wonderful.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
Still need to go with Larry David on this one.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I will share the best advice from last year. A good friend of mine (who also happens to be an excellent career counselor) told me, “Taking care of yourself is not a reward.” I actually wrote about it here . This may be an obvious tip to some, but I often put off basic necessities like lunch or even using the toilet, so I can end up writing the “last section.” For a long time I regularly burned out doing such things, so I try to remember her advice every day.