The Way We Work 2015: Whitson Gordon’s Equipment and Productivity Tips
Every week we ask famous people how they work. We’re taking a look inside this week. Here are the apps, gimmicks, and junk I use to run Lifehacker every day.
Location: San Diego, California. Current Job: Chief Tyrant Lifehacker. One word that best describes how you work: TooManyTabs. Current mobile device: Moto X – original and best. Current Computer: Customized Water Cooled Windows Desktop , MacBook Air. under Windows
I’ve been with Lifehacker for a very long time, so I’ve answered these questions many, many times and demonstrated a lot of equipment – even outside of the How We Work series . Instead of repeating myself, I will try to focus my responses on what has changed over the past year and on new things that I have learned or started using. Check out past years to find out more.
What apps / programs / tools can’t you live without? Why?
I finally switched to Chrome. I hate this. But I hate Firefox a little more, so I’m probably using Chrome now.
Over the past year – in addition to my core products like Evernote and Wunderlist – I’ve started using TeamViewer a lot to control all the computers in my home (from the comfort of my couch). I also finally switched to Crashplan as my primary backup solution. I make backups to both my NAS and Crashplan servers. I shared the subscription with my son-in-law, so each of us pays the same amount as for one computer, but we can back up 10 computers for two. This allows me to back up all the computers I own, including the “less important” ones like a home theater computer. Now, if something goes wrong, I will have a restore backup and it will be fine.
How is your workplace arranged?
In a word: excessively. But I haven’t added that much to that this year. I bought some new Dell IPS monitors (they are amazing) with 1920×1200 resolution for this little extra vertical footprint. I also have an Audioengine D1 that replaced my badly broken FiiO amplifier for a month. Otherwise, everything is about the same as last year .
To be honest, most of my workspace is set up just for fun – big speakers, pretty monitors, bright lights … but I think two important life hacks were used to create it:
- Ergonomics: I try very hard to make sure everything is in the right place for maximum comfort . I spend my entire working day here and then play video games or work on interesting projects for a few hours after work. Better to be comfortable. A chair, a do-it- yourself monitor stand , a mouse and keyboard setup … everything has been carefully thought out in terms of ergonomics.
- Cost: I’m hardly the best bargain hunter in the world, but I take pride in how ridiculous my job is compared to its cost. Never buy anything at full price . I bought used speakers for over half the discount, bought arefurbished Audioengine D1, and bought my new monitors with only Amazon credit card points. Also: sell the shit you don’t use. You will be surprised at the amount of money you can get, even if it is completely broken. (Not to mention, you’ll reduce the clutter!)
You can see full picture albums of my workstation here and my PC here . They are only slightly outdated.
What’s your best time-saving shortcut / life hack?
Last year I talked about meal planning apps and it’s still one of my favorite life hacks I’ve ever implemented. This year, I implemented two other, more subtle tricks that really changed the tone of my day:
- Three tasks you must complete every day to stay happy and productive : Every day, do what you have to do, what you have to do, and what you want to do. What I have to do is my day to day work: editing, meetings and other things that I have to get done on time. Something that “should be done” is something that has no deadline but needs to be done sometime — for example, hire a new writer or some other homework that remains unfulfilled. For me, “I want to do” is to write. I love my job, but I write a lot less than I used to, which can make it a little less fun on some days. Even if I’m overwhelmed with editorial material, I try to find time to write – even if it’s just one or two posts a week. I find that I am much happier, more satisfied, and have more enjoyment out of it.
- Use afternoon rituals to shut off after work : I work from home and I spend a lot of free time at the same computer I work on, making it difficult to “go home” at the end of the day. Lately, I’ve gotten a lot better at coming up with little rituals to mark the changes in the context of my day. When I’m done, I close Twitter, Slack, and Pidgin, and sometimes even turn off my phone notification sounds. I pour myself a small glass of Trader Joe sparkling lemonade, sit down and play video games or work on personal projects. It’s silly, but this little glass of lemonade is my ritual, which means the end of the working day, and that it’s time to relax and get away from work a little. It’s really enjoyable and something to look forward to at the end of the day.
These are far from the only Lifehacker tricks I use every day, but there are two of the most important ones that have stood out to me in particular over the past year.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
I have been using Wunderlist and Google Calendar my entire life. By that I mean that my fiance has been using our shared Wunderlists and Google Calendars all my life.
Most of the time, however, I don’t use Wunderlist for my day to day tasks. Since becoming editor-in-chief, my working day has become much less structured. Most of my work is reactionary — editing people’s drafts, responding to emails, waiting for people to reply to my emails, and so on. Thus, I believe that my daily “to-do list” exists mainly in the form of unread emails and open tabs. Typically, this is a big ban productivity circles, but for me it works (as long as I do not forget to reach the objectives “must do” and “want to do”, and not only for problems that are “required to perform” ). Sometimes you just need to do something, even if your method is contrary to conventional wisdom.
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
Okay, this isn’t really a “gadget”, but I’m in love with my Klean Kanteen insulated water bottle . This is magic. I can take it to the beach where it gets too hot to even touch the bottle and the water inside is still icy. And I have strong feelings about keeping my water cold. So I take it with me wherever I go.
I hate working anywhere other than my home office, so I also have a carefully organized bag for my weeks at the New York office or commuting home to visit my family. I have covered this in detail in this post .
What are some of your best everyday activities? What’s your secret?
I am very good at making silly but accurate analogies. I do not know why. But this is my gift.
What do you listen to while you work?
Stillheavy metal . If I really need to focus on something, I can switch to instrument metal . But I have quite tunnel vision (eared?) And I don’t go astray.
I also became obsessed withelectronic remixes of modern pop songs .
What are you reading now?
I just started getting serious about books again. On days when I feel good, I dig into some life-enhancing documentary book, and I have quite a few on my list thanks to the new Lifehacker review series . Next comes “Obstacle – Path” or “Millionaire Next Door” .
If I’m having a particularly stressful day, I run into comics or maybe a fantasy novel. I just started work on Mist Born by Brandon Sanderson and am really looking forward to it.
What has changed since you started, and what are you doing differently?
I’ve learned a lot over the past few years. I quit working so many 11 hour work days and try to quit at the right time. I say yes to experiments a little more often, which in my opinion has really improved the site – even if sometimes these experiments don’t turn out to be very popular. And I try to become more assertive and ambitious at work.
However, I think the biggest change I’ve made in a while has to do with money. I’ve learned to better plan my money and use things like credit cards and retirement accounts (through reading this great book ). I’m not very close to Mr. Money Usa ‘s frugality level yet, and probably never will – I’m still a bit of a technophile after all – but it’s amazing what a few small changes can do to your savings account over time.
Of course, I still have work to do. I still don’t get along well with internet commenters, and I’m still a bit of a perfectionist about things that don’t matter. After all, no matter how hard you try, you will never be perfect . Don’t let all productivity pornography get you down. As long as you are constantly improving, you have a lot to be proud of.