How We Work 2016: Melanie Pinola’s Equipment and Performance Tips
Every week, we share shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips from our favorite experts. This week we take a look behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Melanie Pinola and this is how I work.
I still stick with my answers for 2012 , 2013 , 2014 and 2015 , whatever the cost, but now I am older and wiser … and also more attuned in my own way. So here’s what’s new: mostly gadgets.
Location: Long Island, New York. Current Job: Writer for Hire One word that best describes how you work: by fluke Current mobile device: Phones: Samsung Galaxy Note 5, iPhone 5. Tablets: iPad Air 2, Nexus 7 Current computer: Microsoft Surface Book. Mac Mini (Late 2014), Asus Chromebooks, and other older laptops as backups.
What apps, software or tools can’t you live without? Why?
In terms of applications, not much has changed since the last time I did it . I still use Pocket with Evernote to save all the articles I’m interested in, and OneNote for brainstorming . I leave TweetDeck running in a separate window so I can feel like I’m kind of catching up with everything that’s going on in the world. And I finally ditched Bitdefender’s pesky Avast for my antivirus solution. (And we just updated our app catalog for that , hooray!)
The ultimate test of what’s really good for you on your computer or phone is getting a new one, and last year I replaced my Windows and Mac computers, my smartphone and iPad. I also have a new Dell monitor. (It was a big year for me in terms of gadgets! And expensive! But I could get a tax refund, at least for the first time in a long time.)
Apps I lost without installing right away: 1Password, Dropbox, Photoshop, Quicken, and Microsoft Office. And expansion of Chrome, for which I am infinitely grateful to: the Lazarus , OneTab , of The Great Suspender and Grammarly . They have hoarded my bacon too many times to count.
How is your workplace arranged?
In previous versions of this post, you’ve seen my DIY main desk a few times, so this time I’ll show you another desk in my office, the one with the Mac mini:
Pretty boring, right? Sometimes I sit here in the morning to meditate and write (on paper), but most of the time I only use this table for Mac-oriented tasks. Yes, it’s Aerogarden on the table that is bubbling loudly (I’m still getting used to it). They are sprouting grasses right now, but I hope that one day there will be flowers blooming there that I will not kill .
The best thing about this workspace is its proximity to the window. I live across the street from the school, so it is sometimes interesting to look out the window at the parents and children who rush by. One day I saw my mom and her teenage daughter let their dog poop on my front lawn and leave. I knocked on the window and yelled at them like crazy, and the girl cleaned it up. Such funny things. Get off my lawn.
What’s your best time-saver or life hack?
Say “no. I am by nature non-conflict , so saying” no “is the most difficult for me. Only recently I realized how this one word can save your mind. I do not need to agree with everything, and to make time in my life for really important things, I don’t need to say more often. No – participate in a baked goods sale if I don’t want to bake – no – work for free , not go out when I’m dead tired. Say no sparingly, but always ask what the fuck should i do this?
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
My brain, Google Calendar, pen and paper. If something is important enough, but I can forget it, I write it down in the calendar. If I want to outline my week, I write down the projects I need to work on on a weekly calendar. I’ve found that to-do apps give me a false sense of being organized and productive: I jot down tasks and feel fairly accomplished after doing so that I forget to check them out with the to-do list app. Or I get tired arranging my affairs. So for the rest, I rely on my brain. It mostly still works.
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
My favorite gadgets are kitchen gadgets. Aside from the Bonavita coffee maker and Hamilton Beach electric kettle , I’ve been digging my waffle iron lately (we’ll post a little about the weird things you can make with it soon) and the rice cooker, which is also a very versatile gadget . I could live without them, but where is the fun in that?
What are some of the things you do best in everyday life? What’s your secret?
This question is funny to me because I’ve already done four of these posts and try to vary my answers a little each time. But that would mean I’m better at five different things than everyone else, which is funny because I’m not even better at one than everyone else. I will say that I am proud of my ability to research a damn important topic. I was once called the Research Monkey.
What do you listen to while you work?
Airguard. Sometimes playlists with video game music on YouTube.
What are you reading now?
Neil Gaiman’s Trigger Warning , his latest gripping short story collection, Mark Strand’s Collected Poems , and Mary Oliver’s superbly written Poetry Handbook . It seems to me that I could write poetry and fiction again, if only I could read them again. It seems to me that now I do not have time to engage in novel (although perhaps I should re-read the “Feast of Crows” and “A Feast for Crows” , because during the last season of “Game of Thrones” I kept thinking: “And It Happened ? “).
How do you replenish?
I don’t go to bed very, very late, so I can do whatever I want while everyone is asleep. However, now this is just a recharge, because the next day I suffer from sleep delay.
What is your sleep pattern?
See above. I feel like the world is conspiring against those of us on Team Night Owl. Last week I took my first non-travel vacation in a long time while my daughter was on her winter vacation. We stayed awake most nights after 2 a.m. and slept until noon. That was awesome. Now, back to sleep deprivation.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
Robert Caro, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
While my previous answers are still the “best” I’ve ever gotten, I’ll add one to the list: do what you love and do it often. This is from the Holsti Manifesto , as you probably already know. Likewise: havefun, it’s later than you think . There are too many hobbies and activities that I enjoy that I have not supported over the years, such as attending poetry readings and plays. I work harder to find and plan these activities because they bring me joy. I recently took my daughter to Broadway to see The Lion King, which was fantastic , by the way.
What else would you like to add that might be of interest to readers and fans?
I really feel sorry for everyone who follows me on Instagram or Flipboard, because I almost never share anything (or anything worthwhile, at least). I would say that I will try to post more interesting stuff, but I don’t want to make promises that I cannot keep. Anyway, thanks for reading!