The Way We Work 2015: Dave Greenbaum’s Equipment and Productivity Tips
Every week we ask interesting people how they work. This week we are answering our own questions about how people do it. After all, don’t ask questions that you yourself would be uncomfortable with answering. Now it’s my turn.
- Location: Lawrence, Kansas (Stone Chalk)
- Current position: Owner / Technician at DoctorDave Computer Repair, Weekend Writer at Lifehacker
- One word that best describes how you work: always
- Current mobile device: iPhone 5s in a very large body. People say, “He’s so big.”
- Current computer: At my desk: 13-inch Macbook Pro, Mid 2012, Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo (running Windows 7); Mobile: Mid 2009 Macbook Pro, Asus Chromebook on an elliptical screen: Sony Vaio (Windows 8.1); kitchen: Lenovo Touch Screen (Windows 8.1). Lots of other computers around the house and a collection of old Macs in my basement starting with Mac Plus and PCs starting from DOS 5.0. After all, what if we find a new Windows tip for workgroups?
What apps / programs / tools can’t you live without? Why?
I have many Google accounts, so Mailplane allows me to check them all at once. Throughout my work at Lifehacker Pocket, I keep track of all my articles. While I’m reading, I can submit articles directly to Pocket and bookmark them for Lifehacker. If I don’t write about them right away, I can send them straight to Evernote. Evernote stores my pocket tags so I can easily track article ideas when I’m stuck.
On all my computers and tablets, I sync all of my data to Dropbox and use Parallels Access or Chrome Remote Desktop to remotely access it all. Dropbox syncs my 1Password so I don’t have to worry about remembering my accounts. Backblaze and Crashplan support me in case one of my hard drives fails.
The only tool I couldn’t live without is my Matias Tactile Pro keyboard. This is an old school mechanical keyboard. I’ve always missed my big extended Apple keyboard and that’s the closest thing to it. After more than five years, the keys have not worn out.
How is your workplace arranged?
My main workplace is my home office, but this is usually only at the beginning and end of the day. I am mobile most of the time and I am constantly changing my mobile devices. Thus, I am not very comfortable with any device. One week I’ll pick an Android tablet, another week an iPad, and then I’ll use a Chromebook. It just depends on my mood.
What’s your best time-saving shortcut / life hack?
I believe in the context of your work and popcorn in the workplace . I have one place where I write my presentations every week: the library. I’m not leaving until I’m finished. I am doing all my RSS feeds on an elliptical trainer with SurfShelf . I answer phone calls in my car with a built-in bluetooth audio system in my car. I don’t need to think about what I am doing. I know that if I am in a certain place, I know exactly what I need to work on. I give myself awards in every location. As soon as I answer my emails, I can have a cup of coffee. Each location has a typical challenge and associated reward. My soundtrack, my browser and even my clothes are syncing with what I want to do in this place. I change shirts and shoes to help me figure out what I should be doing. I don’t always follow the rules, but they serve as motivators and reminders.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
My secure system is Apple Reminders. I’ve tried different systems but keep coming back to them all the time. Location-based reminders along with IFTTT integration help me organize my work. I spend a lot of time in the car during my daytime work, so Siri lets me quickly get an idea out of my head and add it to my list. iCloud syncs this across all my Apple devices and the web, and I have several Android apps that I use to see reminders on my Android devices.
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
No doubt my slow cooker . I am the cook in the house, and you can cook almost anything in the multicooker. My wife and I don’t have a regular schedule. If any of us are late for dinner: don’t worry. Hot food is still waiting for us. In fact, this is not a gadget, but my Wusthof Santuko knife. This is the only knife I use in the kitchen. If you have one good knife, you will be surprised how much easier and more enjoyable it is to cook.
What are some of your best everyday activities? What’s your secret?
Problem solving. I don’t always have the answers, but I know the questions to ask to get the answer. It might be the right search engine query, but sometimes it’s just a search for an expert. I’m the person everyone turns to for advice, so I’ve heard it all. The secret is not knowing the answer. You may not know every answer. You just need to know who (or what) to ask.
What do you listen to while you work?
As I said earlier, I believe in context. My work has its own music. You need dubstep for training. Writing and editing requires electronic ambient music without words. Paperwork, accounting and finance need international music. I use Spotify, SoundCloud and Youtube to stream music.
What are you reading now?
In the car, I use Audible to stream from my iPhone. Some say I don’t read this, but I’m listening to Clash of Kings right now. At Home I Read The Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History .
Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
No one. I am a shy ambivert. I like people and I love the energy of being around others, but I am mortally afraid of approaching a stranger in a social setting. Performing in front of thousands of people or in front of national television is no problem. When I walk up to a stranger at a business networking event, I hide. People think I’m an introvert because I avoid social media, but that’s only if I don’t know people. Twice in my life I sat next to a personal hero and was too afraid to introduce myself.
What is your sleep pattern?
Completely screwed up. Always was and always will be. I just accept it as part of my ADHD. My main computer monitor turned off every night at 22:08 on time by the Belkin WeMote . I can turn it on again, but it’s a minor hassle. Then I try to meditate for 10 minutes with free space. I’ll set the alarm through my Lark . Always 6:38. It syncs with my iPad, so I can only turn off the alarm by getting up and entering my office. I tried Jawbone and Fitbit to wake me up in the morning, but it’s too easy to turn them off. If I can’t sleep, I use Pzziz or iSleepEasy with my Sleepphones . I have a strange habit. When I have trouble sleeping, I sleep on the floor, not on the bed. This is a quirk that I developed as a child. Some say I feel safer on the floor. Others told me it was magnetic fields. Whenever I’m nervous or annoyed, I always want to sleep on the floor. I sleep on a traditional Japanese futon. I’ll have a silk sleeping bag on the way. I think hotels should give me a discount as cleaning ladies don’t need to make beds or change sheets when I travel.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
David Allen, no questions asked. How Everything Is Done was one of the most powerful books in my life. Since then I have been in the Inbox Zero fan club. Another influential book for me is Never Eat Alone, so I would like to know how Keith Ferrazzi does all this. Although he’s no longer with us, I’m wondering what apps Dale Carnegie would use today. I’ll add the Doctor, but he’s a fictional character. However, I would like to see how he responds.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never update your TV. This was the advice my first boss after college gave me. There was a tiny TV in my dorm room. It was 7 inches and the job was done. I was in my office, got my first paycheck, and was thrilled to buy a real TV. He asked why and I told him that I now have money. He reminded me that there will always be a big TV. I spent four years in college on this TV, and I was still working. He said don’t give up my college lifestyle just because I make money. He talked about lifestyle inflation , but TV was the perfect way to express that. I never buy the “newest” stuff because my old one worked great. Sure, new things are fun, but avoiding lifestyle inflation saved me a lifetime of debt.
Is there anything else you would like to add that might be of interest to your readers / fans?
Accept randomness. I look at the universe as a Borg. It is a collective entity that, if you allow it, will consume you. He adds your biological and technological uniqueness to serve him. In Star Trek: The Next Generation Best of Both Worlds , while battling the Borgs, Commander Shelby advised:
Data, oscillation of the resonant frequencies of the phaser. Random settings. Keep changing them. Don’t give them time to adapt.
This is not much different from Einstein’s quote about
No problem can be solved at the same level of consciousness that created it.
Do random things. You will become too bored with life, and the collective will swallow you. You won’t be able to know that you have a skill until you try it. It’s not just about trying the ” one scary thing.” It’s about trying something new. Whatever you do, don’t fully adjust to life. You will miss out on all the fun and become a mindless consumer of the biological and technological identity of others.