Best Interviews of 2019 on How I Work
This year in How I Work magazine, we interviewed scientists, comedians, politicians, activists, reporters, entrepreneurs, engineers, executives, authors and artists to learn about their careers and work habits. These are our favorites.
Richard Garriott, aka Lord British
All around me are research and technology memorabilia, from my still working Apple] [to the seat of the Soyuz spacecraft as I rode into space.
Phoebe Judge, host of “Outlaw” and “This is Love”
I don’t do pre-interviews very often because if someone has already spoken to me, they might think they don’t need to go into all the details because they will be repeated.
Behavioral Economist Benjamin Ho
I just need a screen and keyboard. I worked on Wall Street in the days when using a mouse was a sign of weakness.
I am a Mackenzie Brown cybersecurity consultant and this is how I work
I work from home when not on the road. My cats can’t talk about water coolers.
I am Jad Abumrad, founder and co-host of Radiolab , and this is how I work
I’ve amassed tons of guitar pedals over the years. I find this to be a very fun (and tactile) way to control sound.
We are the founders of hard times and this is how we work
We once published an article entitled “Fun Dating Ideas You Will Never Get Because Dating Guys In The Group.” This group came to town and we booked their concert and they were furious. They turned our boyfriend off live, they were very low key, and in the end one of us had to say, “Guys, what’s going on, why are you assholes?” They said, “Well, this article just came out and all of our girlfriends shared it in a group chat right before we went on tour. And now they are all mad at us. “
I am Sirita Wright, a cannabis entrepreneur and this is how I work.
I use folders and clipboards to keep my projects separate, file folders for financial and personal files, and stacks of coloring books, including one unauthorized Drake book.
I’m Janet Varney and this is how I work
When you’re acting, producing and writing it’s very stressful, but the ridiculous feeling of being high is coping with it. It’s probably like motherhood – I didn’t have any children! – but I think that this feeling of insomnia is associated with many miracles. Your body and your brain are saying: “We will continue to do this, this is important, I will give you reasons to experience euphoria, as well as incredible fatigue!”
I’m Will Shortz, crossword editor for the New York Times, and this is how I work.
I have my own table tennis club, Westchester Table Tennis Center, which I play every day after work. Table tennis serves me the same purpose as crosswords to others: when I play a match, I completely focus on the game and forget about everything else in the world.
I’m meteorologist Jim Cantor and this is how I work
When I report in the field, I keep the public informed during severe storms and weather events by talking about each update as a game by game, a kind of sports broadcaster that shares updates during a baseball game.
I am the writer Sarah Pinsker and this is how I work
I am absolutely and totally paranoid about drinking on more than one surface with my computer. I was writing at my coffee shop last winter and someone dumped all of her iced coffee into my computer. Fry completely. Obviously, even if you can dry it out, the acid in the coffee just eats away at everything.
I am the former President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, and this is how I work
Estonia at that time was completely ruined. I myself went to the embassy, we had a 10-year-old ambassador’s Mercedes limousine. Sometimes I went to a reception and the valet would say, “Where is the ambassador?” and I said, “I am the ambassador!”
I’m the comedian Demi Adejuigbe and this is how I work
When I need to work on something that will take a long time to process or render, I do it on a cheap table in my living room that is dressed like it’s built entirely of cardboard.
I am Anil Dash and this is how I work
BMG Records was one of the big players at the time, and their office was right in Times Square, overlooking the plaza. They asked questions. I asked what are you doing with Napster? He said what is Napster?
That’s all for this year! To learn more about how I work, look in the archives . Come back in January for more interviews with famous, productive people.