I’m Virginia K. Smith, Managing Editor at Lifehacker, and This Is How I Work
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 Virginia K. Smith, and that’s how I work.
Location: New York. Current workplace: Managing Editor, Lifehacker. Current mobile device: iPhone 7. Current computer: Macbook Pro in the office; 2014 Macbook Pro at home One word that best describes your job: sort
First of all, tell us a little about your past and how you got where you are now.
Well, if we go back to the past, my experience is in classical music. I grew up as a serious classical violinist and kind of assumed that I would be doing this professionally for a long time. As an adult, I realized that this kind of learning really unexpectedly prepares you for working in the world, including collaborating with others, accepting constructive criticism, working under tremendous pressure … the list goes on. Be that as it may, I have always enjoyed writing, storytelling and lighting, but I was so focused on music that it took me a long time to figure out what this potential career path was.
I got into journalism when a friend hired me as an editor for a school newspaper in college. I was a freshman and I had little to do and it seemed like a fun way to make a little extra money to spend. I liked it, and eventually I became editor-in-chief and also took up other publications on campus. After college, I moved to New York and started working, and one thing pretty much entailed another. My first real editorial job was as a trainee (and later assistant editor) at the Daily Beast, and working on the Cheat Sheet was, in all honesty, the best training possible in learning internet speed and figuring out how to parse, package, and turn things around very quickly. …
I think I was very lucky when I moved from vine to vine in terms of work. But also I was willing to take part in any gig that came my way (I don’t have a specific dream job, and therefore I don’t have a tunnel vision about it), and cover beats that weren’t necessarily an obvious fit. I also took on things like social media jobs and non-editorial positions in magazines when there weren’t enough opportunities to write articles, and always learned a lot from the experience.
So staying open to new or varied options has been a huge help. One of the best decisions I have ever made was to switch from local news and culture blogging to the job of writing articles about New York City real estate, which I knew almost nothing about (and became obsessed with at the time). This job also introduced me to the field of “service journalism” that I love, and that is how I ended up at Lifehacker. If I could afford to give anyone in this area any advice, it’s this: When in doubt, take a concert. Even if it is not an “obvious” stepping stone in your chosen career path, you learn something from every job you do, and that experience accumulates in unexpected and truly valuable ways.
Tell us about a recent work day.
Our morning is often about figuring out what the editing calendar for the day looks like, finding an interesting framework for stories, and sorting things out as needed. I try to set aside the first couple of hours of the day for this.
The rest of the day is spent editing / emailing / working with freelancers, but in practice, many different things come up: editing meetings, video meetings, podcasts, unions, etc. I am still working on a system where I spend more time outside of Slack to dig into longer projects.
What apps, gadgets or tools can’t you live without?
I get up early no matter what, but I also love sunshine (crazy I know), so I bit a bullet last year and bought one of these wake-up lamps and I love it. It’s set to wake me up in the morning to WQXR (Classic NYC Station), and the mix of soft lights and classical music is a really good way to wake up.
I also own one of these Mr. Coffee with a timer, so I have a setting to fire just before my alarm goes off and the coffee smell comes in to help wake me up. A pleasant morning is really important to me if it’s not obvious already.
For the rest, I’m not particularly good at gadgets. I just got Airpods and I love them the most (they were a gift!). To be honest, the gadget I use the most at home is probably my Bose Color SoundLink bluetooth speaker – it also goes with me to the beach, house parties, etc. And every time it makes things better.
In terms of apps, I probably use Instagram, Spotify, Lyft, Slack, Twitter, Pocket Reader , Pedometer ++, and Wunderlist the most , which Lifehacker staff (right!) Told me to start using for various shopping and to-do lists. I also love Live Awake for guided meditations, and I recently re-downloaded Duolingo to brush up on my French before heading out next summer. I want to be an avid paprika user (for keeping track of recipes in which I’m hopelessly disorganized), but I haven’t gotten to that yet.
How is your workplace arranged?
Quite simple and by no means “intentional.” Just a laptop, a monitor, all sorts of junk (tiny plant, energy drinks that were sent to us as a promotion, onion day calendar) and my favorite mug warmer Mr. … Coffee). I can work anywhere as long as I have a working laptop, so I don’t really think about the rest of the setup.
What’s your best shortcut or life hack?
Managing expectations. I’m not sure if this can be considered a shortcut or a life hack, but I am absolutely convinced that this is the key to life both personally and professionally. Letting people know what you want from them and what they can reasonably expect from you will magically make things a lot easier in life.
Who are the people who help you achieve results, and how do you rely on them?
My trusted friend Slackbot really keeps me posted . (I always use Slackbot to send me reminders for messages I want to reply to when I have more time, important dates, links, etc.)
And the GMG Union (and, accordingly, the Writers Guild of the American East)! Job security – and a union agreement that provides reasonable compensation and the conditions for performing specified work – are essential to the quality of work, quality of life and overall peace of mind. I am very grateful or proud to work for a union company.
Plus, I rely most on Melissa (our editor in chief) and Alice (our deputy editor)! I constantly manage them, get information from them about ideas or strategies … it really covers the whole spectrum. Also, maybe it goes without saying, but everything I do depends a lot on our writers and our video team. I could plan and schedule things until my face turned blue, but if everyone on the staff weren’t shrewd, thoughtful, and superhumanly productive, it wouldn’t matter much. It’s hard to imagine doing this job with a team that is less attuned and less communicative than ours.
Also, before that, I mostly worked in ultra small companies, and I am so pleased to have a social team, art department, analyst team and other people at GMG who help create our stories to achieve the same success as possible. I’m really lucky to have them all the time.
How do you keep track of what you need to do?
Nothing fancy. I have a google document called “To Do” in which I list … what I need to do. (I have a separate version for personal items, such as the final transition to a driving license in New York.) There are a few items at the top that appear every day (they are in bold, then I take them out of bold when ready ). Plus, the aforementioned Slackbot reminders and even periodic Google Calendar reminders. This is not a system that another person could probably look into and figure out, but it works for me.
How to recharge or relax?
During my workday, I sneak into one of the phone rooms in the office to meditate for a few minutes, or just go outside to take a walk around the block. I also try to be more careful about staying away from the Internet outside of business hours.
What’s your favorite side project?
I don’t really have any side projects, damn it! I stopped feeling bad about this. Living well is a side project of mine.
What are you reading now or what do you recommend?
Just started Michelle McNamara’s book I’ll Leave in the Dark (for a book club, no less!). I often find real crime a little sinister or lustful, but it’s so deliberate and totally addictive. I can’t say enough good things about this. Also, my new coffee table book is Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Etiquette Book, 50th Anniversary Edition , which I received as a birthday present and absolutely adore it. It’s an 800-page tome on etiquette with soothing things to do, like a checklist for the perfect guest bathroom.
Also, you didn’t ask about it, but I have TV recommendations! I recently started watching Are You the One , an MTV dating reality show that is many years better than the Bachelor / Bachelorette franchise. I need more people to talk about this masterpiece of the show. Please start watching this. I also really enjoy the new season of Insecure , I am VERY excited about the new season of American Vandal and returned to Washington Week in Review when I need a rundown of current events that will not spike my blood pressure.
Who else would you like to see to answer these questions?
Chief editors of other GMG sites! And everyone on our executive editorial team.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
One day when I lamented that I was “wasting” a lot of time in college before I really found my foothold and started pursuing my interests, my professor told me, “If it took you so long to get to that place, where you are now time was not wasted. ” I think about it all the time and often repeat it to my friends. I try to enjoy the process, and not be offended by it.
What problem are you still trying to solve?
I am still trying to get rid of the multitasking myth. It’s a lie! So, I think a lot about figuring out how to do a single task in a job that requires constant interruption.