How I Work

Format inspired by Lifehacker’s interview article series: How I Work

Location: San Diego, CA

Current Gig: Digital Marketer/Project Manager at Digital Storytellers, Inc.

One word that best describes how you work: Resourcefully

Current mobile device: I have had my Samsung Galaxy S3 for over 2 years now and waiting for the Nexus 6 to come out on Verizon…even if it takes years. Come on Verizon.

Current computer:
Custom built PC

Intel i5 3570K CPU
16 GB RAM
GeForce 9800 GTX+ (outdated, I know)
Samsung Evo 128 GB SSD
WD Blue 1 TB HDD
Dual Monitor setup
Harmon Kardon Soundsticks

And I also use a Toshiba Chromebook 2 and I love it.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?
Let’s see, I’ll start with my Android apps. Apps I use everyday are Google Keep, Flipboard, Pocket, Bleacher Report, Facebook, Instagram and Tick Tick (a to-do app).
For my PC, besides the ordinary boring software programs, I like Skitch, WinDirStart, Evernote, Ninite, Sony Vegas, Camtasia, Audacity and a million different cloud storage clients.

What’s your workspace like?
Well, at work I have a dual monitor setup in an office that I share with my boss, but I haven’t really personalized the space. Just some snacks and water on the left and work notes on my right.
At home, my bedroom is my office. I have a big Ikea desk that I added a shelf to where I put my monitors and speakers. I love how it adds so much space so that I can put stuff under the shelf. I’m a huge, HUGE fan of organizing supplies so I have a bunch of paper organizers and other small organizers under the shelf.
On the floor, I have a ton of cables which I try to manage, my Harmon Kardon subwoofer and an Ottoman where I keep a bunch of my tech stuff, like batteries, extra cables, cameras, etc.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
Tick Tick. I used to use Astrid, which I loved, but it got shut down a couple of years ago. Since then, I literally downloaded every to-do app to try to find a worthy replacement. I found Any.Do to be useless. Wunderlist was feature-rich, but for some reason, I couldn’t work with those ugly round bars they use for each task. Todoist was probably the closest thing to perfect, except their Premium features are free in every other app, so no thanks.
I ended up finding Tick Tick soon after they launched and have been using it since. The structure is basically the same as Astrid, so it was familiar, the features were there and easy to use. I will say that I don’t love the UI, a design overhaul is long overdue, but it’s not too horrible right now.
I also use Google Keep for smaller and less important tasks. For example, I’ll have grocery or shopping lists there that I can share with my girlfriend. If I want quick location reminders I can set that up (Tick Tick has location reminders too). I also keep a checklist of Google searches that I want to search when I get to a computer. Keep is useful, but I don’t see it as a complete solution for your to-dos.

What’s your best time-saving shortcut/life hack?
So for this hack, you can use any note taking app that has good search functionality like Evernote, but I use Google Keep. What I do is I create “Where is my” notes that dictate the location of a hard to find item or an item that I rarely use, but when I need it, I can’t find it. So for example, I’ll create a “Where is my Pressy?” note. Pressy is a small button from Kickstarter that you can plug into your phone’s headphone jack and program it to complete commands upon button presses. It’s very small and I have stopped using it, so I put it in a shot cup on my book shelf and indicate that location in the Keep note.
Now whenever you want to find something, you can just search in Keep for your item and easily find where it is.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?
I really like my Limefuel 15,000mAh external battery pack. It has 2 USB ports (new model has 4) and comes with a cable that convert from micro USB to an iPhone port. It also has an LED flashlight which has been pretty useful. It’s perfect for camping, though I rarely go, and great for saving your phone’s battery when you’re out and about. Only con is that it is pretty heavy, but other than that, solid gadget that has saved me countless times. You can buy it on Amazon here.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
Adding articles and videos to Pocket. I spend at least 20 minutes every day combing through my Flipboard feed and saving all the interesting articles to read later. I think I enjoy reading the titles and saving them to read later more than I enjoy actually reading them, because most of the saved articles never get touched.

What do you listen to while you work?
In the office, I work with a lot of video and audio, so I can’t listen to music or I’m writing an email campaign, so I can’t be distracted. I do sometimes listen to music if I’m doing mind-numbing tasks like formatting data.
The type of music I listen to while I work though isn’t work-specific. It’s just whatever is in my Spotify playlists, usually rock, pop, house and the occasional classical track.

What are you currently reading?
I’ve started a couple of books a while ago that I still need to finish. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which has really helped introduce me to the rich mindset, Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money by Kevin O’Leary and Shark Tank’s How to Jump Start Your Business.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
I think in college, I was definitely an extrovert, but now I am more introverted. I definitely value alone time when I can recharge.

What’s your sleep routine like?
I am a night owl, but would give anything to be a morning person.

Fill in the blank: I’d love to see _________ answer these same questions.
Elon Musk, Mark Cuban, Marques Brownlee, Jessica Chobot.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Everyone you meet in life is either a blessing or a lesson. Probably not the exact quote but I like my version of it better. It makes you really appreciate the people in your life that are a blessing and helps you deal with the people that are a lesson.
There are going to be people in your life who are hard to deal with and annoying as hell. But instead of always trying to avoid them and run away from the problem, treat them as a lesson to yourself and learn how to deal with their personality, because you are bound to be confronted by this problem in your lifetime again.