I’m Revision Path Host Maurice Cherry, and This Is How I Work
Maurice Cherry pays in advance. The designer runs several projects for black authors on the web, including designers, developers, bloggers and podcasters. His design podcast Revision Path , which recently released its 250th episode, has received awards from the AIGA and Creative Market Awards. He told us about his workflow, the lessons he received from the guests, and all of his favorite equipment, from professional microphones to 4-in-1 multi-pen.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia. Current Place of Work: Communication Strategy Specialist in Design at Fog Creek Software ; founder and creative director of Lunch ; and Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Host of Mobile Device Revision Path Current: OnePlus 6, iPad Pro Current PC: Lenovo Yoga 920 (work laptop); HP Omen 870 with two 23-inch Dell monitors (home PC) and HP Pavilion 15 (personal laptop). I also have an old iPad mini attached to my desk. One word that best describes how you work: focus
First of all, tell us a little about your past and how you got where you are now.
I’m from the far South – Selma, Alabama, to be precise – and I moved to Atlanta when I was 18 to attend Morehouse College . From there I got my bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2003, then I worked around town for several companies (AT&T, WebMD, etc.) before getting my master’s degree in telecommunications management in 2008. Later that year I started Lunch, then I started Revision Path in 2013, and at the end of 2017 I joined the Fog Creek team.
What apps, gadgets or tools can’t you live without?
My notebook Hobonichi Techo Weeks is , Thunderbird (a feature to send later ), Google services (Drive, Docs, Spreadsheets, and Calendar), Enpass , Dropbox, Inoreader , PhraseExpress , a good pair of wireless headphones (currently I have the Sony WH1000XM2 ), the stack stickers and my multi-pen Pilot Hi-Tec C Coleto 4-in-1.
How is your workplace arranged?
Since I work remotely, I can set it up wherever there is an internet connection. Sometimes this is a local coffee shop or a place to work together. Most of my days I work from home, I have two monitors for my home PC, and I connect my work laptop to one of the screens when needed. I have a Nighthawk Pro X mechanical keyboard in my home PC and use a Logitech MX Ergo wireless trackball mouse with Logitech FLOW software, so I can use it on both computers as a multi-monitor setup. There’s also a Rod PSA1 boom arm and an Audio-Technica AT2020 studio microphone attached to a table for easy sound recording for videos and podcasts.
When I am in the New York office, I have little space in the booths. But since our company is mainly composed of telecommuters, we have quite a few office space for everyone working directly from headquarters, including many different work areas based on different working styles.
What have you learned from podcast guests about effective design?
It is very important to ask the right questions. I think any design is effective if it serves the right purpose, but I’ve found that sometimes customers and companies don’t understand what that purpose is. As a designer, you should ask as many questions as possible to clear up any ambiguity so you can get to the bottom of the problem. I think this makes the design process better for everyone involved.
What’s your best shortcut or life hack (no matter how small or niche)?
Planning and time shifting; this is the only way to be aware of everything. I am planning podcast releases several weeks in advance. I plan social media quarterly. I even shift my emails in time, so if I am late replying to emails, I can shift them in time to send them later in the afternoon when I sleep. Time is a construct, so hack it and make it work for you.
Also, there is my now page . Thanks to Derek Sievers for this fantastic idea. People always ask what I’m working on and I just point them out. Saves tons of time replying to random emails.
How do you keep track of what you need to do?
Google Calendar and Thunderbird. If it is not in my calendar or in my mailboxes, then it is not for me. I have a decent memory, but I use a modified google spreadsheet as a CRM for every person I contacted to find out the revision path.
How to recharge or relax?
Music and writing. Constantly.
What’s your favorite side project?
Right now I’m working on a graphic novel concept that I’ve been working on for years. I always wanted to do this, but I always put it off when another job came along. Now that I have more time, I finally get the idea out of my head and put it in my notebook so I can start writing it. It was really fun to revisit, update and flesh out these characters and stories.
What are you reading now or what do you recommend?
I’m always reading something, whether it’s an article in the Pocket queue or something from my bookshelf. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks and podcasts while working, so the recommendations are not easy for me. I’ve just finished David Sedaris’s latest book, Calypso, and I’m in the middle of Darnell L. Moore’s No Ashes on Fire: The Coming of an Era of Blacks and Free in America .
Who else would you like to see to answer these questions?
Beyonce. But if she is not available, Anil Dash .
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Karma is real, but it is not always your job to serve it.