Question Template: Describe Your Work Habits & Productivity Tools

Every week the Lifehacker website posts interviews with noteworthy people who share insights into their work life. They share their secrets to being productive, as well as information about the tools and software they use. For kicks, I decided to answer the questions myself. You can read my answers here, or even better, click here to read about people who are actually, you know, interesting. Even better than that, answer the questions yourself (listed below) and post them for the world to see!

Location:
Current Gig:
One word that best describes how you work:
Current mobile device:
Current computer:

What app/software/tools can't you live without? Why?

What's your workspace setup like?

What's your best time-saving shortcut/life hack?

What's your favorite to-do list manager?

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without and why?

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?

What do you listen to while you work?

What are you currently reading?

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

What's your sleep routine like?

Fill in the blank: I'd love to see _____________ answer these same questions.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Is there anything else you'd like to add that might be interesting to readers?

How Does Timberwalkers Get His Work Done? [another question no one asked, finally answered]

Every week the Lifehacker website posts interviews with noteworthy people who share insights into their work life. They share their secrets to being productive, as well as information about the tools and software they use. For kicks, I decided to answer the questions myself. You can read my answers below, or even better, click here to read about people who are actually, you know, interesting. Even better than that, click here for a list of the questions and post your own answers!

Location: Henderson, NC
Current Gig: Ag Extension Agent by day. On nights and weekends I raise pine trees, cut/haul/split firewood, take pictures, write random blog posts, and edit vacation videos.
One word that best describes how you work: Anxiously
Current mobile device: iPod Touch, Generation 5
Current computer: On my desk at home I have a base model Lenovo laptop running Windows 8. For personal travel I have a circa 2005 Toshiba laptop running Ubuntu. At work I have a 12" MacBook Pro, which I love, but frankly I'd be happier if it ran Windows.

What app/software/tools can't you live without? Why?
I'm firmly entrenched in the Google-verse. I use the calendar, productivity software (Drive), blogging platform, maps, and Gmail. I like how they are interconnected/integrated. Also GIMP and Paint.Net, which are free but powerful image editing apps for the desktop.

What's your workspace setup like?

Home workstation

At home I have laptop set up on a stand on my uncle's old writing desk. It's connected to a 15" monitor, giving me two screens. Keyboard is Logitech K120, basic but quite nice. Mouse is wireless, a Logitech M310. My Creative Inspire T10 speakers are quite adequate for filling the living room and kitchen with tunes, and JVC Flats headphones are handy when a certain special someone is watching TV (i.e. ALL THE TIME). At work I plug my MacBook into a second monitor, an Apple "Chiclet" style keyboard and wireless Logitech mouse.

What's your best time-saving shortcut/life hack?
Using Google Calendar to organize and keep up with my schedule, since I can access it from any computer, tablet, etc. I can also "share" it with co-workers so they can keep up with where I am.


What's your favorite to-do list manager?
For personal chores and tasks I use Evernote, which, like Google Calendar, I can view from any computer or device. For work I use this very cool notebook with "re-positionable" pages.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without and why?
My tablet (a 1st generation Kindle Fire). Also my chainsaw. And while I could technically live without it, I absolutely adore my Seiko 5 self-winding watch. When the zombie apocalypse comes and you can't charge your phone, I'll be the guy everyone comes to for the exact time.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
Felling trees. I've dropped scores of trees and am finally starting to figure out how to sometimes make them more or less fall where I want them to. It's extremely satisfying when it actually happens.

What do you listen to while you work?
Silence. Or the sound of a chainsaw muffled by ear plugs.

My Toshiba Satellite
& Seiko 5

What are you currently reading?
I have trouble finding books I can stick with, but read lots of articles about current events and technology. I also enjoy reading many of the long essays written by bloggers in the Gawker Media domain (e.g. Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Jalopnik, etc.).

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert, but I can fake extrovert when needed, and actually find it enjoyable for short bursts.

What's your sleep routine like?
Asleep on the couch by 9:30, in bed by 10 or 11, up by 5 or 5:30.

Fill in the blank: I'd love to see _____________ answer these same questions.
Anyone who reads this. Also, Neil Young or Norah Jones.

What's the best advice you've ever received?
This isn't so much advice, but this is what comes to mind. My Dad showed me by example that you can fix and build things yourself. Following that example has encouraged me to tackle many profoundly satisfying projects (building a shed, end table, countertop, etc.) and saved me thousands of dollars in repair costs. My Mom somehow nurtured my sense of exploration, which has led to many hundreds of exciting adventures, from exploring the woods in the neighborhood, to visiting foreign lands.

Is there anything else you'd like to add that might be interesting to readers?
One of the things that has shaped my life is the realization that big projects are comprised of hundreds or thousands of tiny steps over a long period of time. That has given me the confidence to tackle things that I probably had no business tackling.

Why a cutting-edge hipster like me doesn't have a smartphone

I consider myself fairly tech-savvy. After all I tweet (@pgmckenzie), PLUS I have a blog and a dual-monitor set up on my desk. But I'm still using a feature phone, the kind with a slide-out keyboard (you know, like the Brady Bunch kids used to text their friends while dancing to 8-tracks).

I've thought long and hard about getting a smartphone. I've envied those who have them. I've done extensive comparison shopping. And these days you can pick up a basic Android phone for a c-note and use a pay-as-you-go plan at around $50 per month. Relatively speaking, that's a great deal. And it's patently obvious to everyone that I could afford it, what with all my expensive clothes and designer watches.

My phone and iPod Touch

But instead of using one convenient, modern, sleek device that does calls/texts, internet, photos and GPS, I have four stand-alone gadgets; my aforementioned slider phone, a second-gen iPod touch, a very basic point-and-shoot camera, and a refurb GPS I just bought on eBay for thirty bucks (with free shipping!).

Is it less convenient to have four devices (older ones at that) instead of one? Most definitely. There are times I wish I had my camera with me, but it's at home. My 2006 model GPS has 2006 maps, and the touch screen is small and a bit clunky. As I do more texting, the slider phone is getting tiresome.

But here's what it boils down to. My set up is not great, but in most cases it's good enough. It's also a collection of four amazingly powerful devices that most people could not even contemplate fifteen years ago. They are devices that were cutting-edge and transforming when introduced. And it saves me about $15 bucks a month, compared to the $50 pay-as-you-go plans (and I'll bet many of you are paying much more).

Fifteen bucks may not seem like much, but consider this: $15 per month invested in a retirement account with a return of 4% per year (a very conservative rate) ends up being worth almost $5500 in 20 years. That's a gain of almost $2000.

And of course, there's one huge advantage to not having a smartphone; I don't have to read e-mails when I'm out of the office.

There's also something to be said for getting excited about a "new-to-me" device purchased at 20 or 30 percent of the price when new (again, more to put into that 401-K).

This is not meant to be an indictment against those of you with smartphones. Your needs may differ. Besides, I'm glad you have them so I can ask you to look things up for me when we're out and about and there's no wifi for my iPod Touch. And undoubtedly, one day I will join you (although it will probably be a used iPhone from eBay).

My collection of designer watches.

Insights from a Book by David Allen

This post is about insights I gained from reading Getting Things Done, the Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen.

COLLECT EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE

One of the key suggestions in the book is to create a system (e.g. a notebook or electronic organizer) that collects ALL of your tasks and responsibilities.  If you have EVERYTHING recorded in a place that is easy to review on a regular basis, it frees your mind to stop worrying about them.

That regular review (could be daily, weekly, whatever) helps you prioritize tasks so you know you're working on what you need to be working on at the current moment given current available resources.  For me that review tends to happen whenever I realize I've got a few minutes at my desk between scheduled activities.

Allen also observes that many of us are not good at writing task lists.  A task should be a single specific item.  For example, "Plan staff retreat" is not a task, but rather a project that requires multiple steps.  So in your organizer, you would have a page for the project "Plan staff retreat" that had several tasks underneath, such as "Set up poll to choose lunch menu" and "Call John to see if he can speak on time management".  This also helps reduce stress, as "plan staff retreat" sounds like something onerous that would be tempting to put off.  But "set up lunch poll" can be accomplished in short order, giving you a sense of productivity and getting the project closer to completion.

Of course, that process of "collecting all of your tasks and responsibilities" is on-going, and you need techniques to accomplish that.  Many times we remember we need to do something at a time when we're in no position to do it.  For example, I'll be at home and remember something I need to look for in a file at work.  So I've started keeping a small notepad in my pocket to record those things.  At the end of the day, when I empty my pockets, I check that notepad and transfer those reminders to the appropriate place in my organizer notebook.

YOUR PLANNER/ORGANIZER

Allen's book is about much more than reorganizing your planner.  In fact, he doesn't even specifically address how you SHOULD organize your planner, or whether you should use a hard copy or electronic system.  He leaves that up to the individual.  I decided on a notebook (although I would use an iPad if I had one).  Mine is arranged as follows.  I have three major sections:  projects, notes, and planning.

• The Projects section is where I keep task lists for each project.  The pages are numbered and there is a table of contents in front.  
• Notes is where I can jot down, well, notes, from conversations, meetings, etc. After the meeting or conversation, I review the notes and transfer any tasks to the appropriate page in the Projects section.
• The Planning section is where I keep my Someday/Maybe list (see below), as well as those big picture items like a yearly plan or a list of my major responsibilities.  

I also have some "minor" sections, like a list of phone calls to return and some reference materials.  My calendar is on my iPod, which syncs with my on-line calendar.

WE ALL HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS!

One profound insight for me was the realization that everyone has numerous projects to handle.  For years I've harbored this secret feeling that Extension Agents (and me in particular!) were unique in having so many diverse projects and responsibilities.  Hogwash!  We're all in the same boat, we're all stretched thin.  There was something comforting to me about that realization (although my delusions of self-importance started crumbling and I'm having to do some repair work on the foundation).

Allen's idea of a "someday/maybe" list is a great one.  We all have great project ideas that percolate to the surface at odd times, but we don't always have the resources to execute them.  But they might be things we could tackle in the future.  So they go on the "someday/maybe" list and that also gets reviewed periodically to see if anything is ready to become an active project.

MANAGING THE "IN-BOX"

I have also changed how I perceive and manage my "in-box". Of course, it's impossible to immediately handle everything that arrives in your in-box.  But I find that I can almost ALWAYS make a decision about each item within a couple of minutes.  So if I receive an e-mail or a phone call or a letter or a fax or have a conversation with someone (which are all various forms of "in-boxes") that requires some task from me, I record that task in my planner/organizer.  Even more satisfying is if I can take a minute or two and decide that NO action is required, which means I can discard or file the e-mail or letter.  So it's not that I have to immediately handle everything.  But as much as possible, I try to make a DECISION on WHAT action is required, and either do it or put it on a task list.

EFFECTIVE FILING SYSTEMS

One of the things I've never been particularly good at is developing effective paper filing systems.  Allen's book helped.  If papers arrive that need filing, I have a stack of folders and a sharpie handy (he prefers a label maker).  So I grab a folder, write the contents on the tab, and file it.  Items go into one of the following places:

1. A drawer of "Reference" files (things I may need to refer to occasionally)
2. A drawer of "Records" files (things I need to keep but probably won't need to refer back to)
3. A drawer of "Supplies" (e.g. forms I keep multiple copies of, although these could probably go in "reference" instead)
4. Project files, for those larger projects that require multiple folders.
5. Desktop project files to hold items for current active projects to which I need quick/convenient access.

One of the amazing results of using this technique is that papers don't pile up.  I have a place to put things where I can find them later.  And if something requires an action, a note goes into my planner/organizer.

Of course, implementing these changes required me to first clean up and organize my office.  Kind of a drag, but the result is amazing, and now I'm KEEPING it organized.  Allen's book has great suggestions on how to start.

If these ideas seem intriguing, recognize that I've only scratched the surface of what David Allen covers in his excellent book and I highly recommend it.

My Tech Gear

The writers at the Lifehacker website (which, I might add, is well worth checking out…every few minutes…just in case there’s something new…not that I’m compulsive about it) have each written an article about all the tech gear they use.  Seemed like a cool idea, so here’s my version.

HARDWARE

My home computer is a Dell Dimension 2400 desktop PC running Windows XP.  I bought it in July of 2003, so it’s ancient, but it does everything I ask of it (Pandora, Facebook, e-mail, iTunes, photo management, and the occasional “yard sale” flyer) without complaint.  I have even used it for simple video editing.  I have made several upgrades, including beefing up the memory (now 1.5 GB), DVD burner, and an external 80 GB hard drive (which gives me a total of 120 GB).  Moving all my media files (music, video, photos) to the extra hard drive did wonders for the speed of the machine.  There is a scanner, deskjet printer, and photo printer on my desktop (it would be nice to have an “all in one” but that won’t happen until something breaks).  I found a used small flatscreen monitor on Craigslist for cheap and since I don’t do games or watch movies on it, it’s quite sufficient.  The keyboard is the original Dell, and the mouse is a standard three-button Logitech.  Both have (gasp!) wires.

At work I have a Macbook Pro laptop (13”), which I love.  It is sleek and portable and non-intrusive when I set it on the table at a meeting.  It is a wonderful presentation tool, automatically detecting whatever projector I plug it into, and came with its own remote.  I like the operating system just fine, but don’t have a strong preference for it over the Windows XP I use at home.  The touchpad is fantastic, and I have probably only learned a third of its capabilities.  At my desk, I plug in an external monitor which allows me to view some windows on the laptop screen, and other windows on the external monitor, shifting them around at will.  Very cool if you’ve never seen it.  I also plug in an external keyboard, and standard PC mouse.

OPERATING SYSTEM

I have pretty extensively tweaked Windows XP on my home PC.  I have, of course, deleted a bunch of the extraneous “crapware” that came with it.  The desktop is organized exactly to my liking, with nary an unnecessary icon.  I downloaded Powertoys for Windows XP from Microsoft, which gives you additional customization options.  The ClearType Tuning download from Microsoft makes the fonts on your screen more crisp.  I run CCleaner occasionally to delete unnecessary files.  I also used CCleaner to clean up my registry files, but there seems to be some debate as to whether that’s really necessary, and there’s also some risk that you’ll screw things up and have to reinstall your operating system.  Regular defrags, file cleanups, and keeping my hard drives at 50 percent capacity or less seems to keep things running smoothly and with adequate speed.  I am very selective about what goes into the system tray (tiny icons on lower right) and startup folder, and absolutely NOTHING is given “quick launch” privileges.

MOBILE DEVICES

I have a 2^nd generation iPod Touch, which does 75 percent of what your smartphone does, with no monthly fee for a data plan.  I get a little shaky if my iPod is more than a few feet away, and use it for numerous critical functions, including storing contacts, lists (to-dos and shopping), reading news, and scheduling (syncs automatically with Google calendar so co-workers are up-to-date).  I also use it for several entertainment functions, including reading (Kindle app), music (both downloaded and Pandora), and videos.

In the truck, I have a basic MP3 player that I keep loaded with my favorite podcasts (plays through stereo with an FM tuner).  I haven’t figured out a good music solution for the truck, but I’m going to try using a second MP3 player loaded with music only (and different than the music on my iPod).

For work, I use a backpack style laptop bag from Walmart, which I love.  It was cheap, but has held up very well.  It carries my laptop, work camera, phone chargers, memory sticks, and a notebook.  Using a backpack instead of a more conventional bag also helps me maintain my "young and hip" image.

DESKTOP SOFTWARE

Very glad I switched to Google Chrome for web browsing, after a long and happy relationship with Mozilla Firefox.  I vaguely remember a troubled time years ago with some other browser (maybe starts with an E??), but maybe things are better now.

For e-mail we use Thunderbird.  Just discovered you can use it to manage multiple addresses, so I’m switching all my on-line accounts and newsletters (e.g. on-line stores, Clark Howard, etc.) to a different address.  I would probably go whole hog with the Gmail interface, but Kate and I share an address and she is comfortable with Thunderbird.

iTunes is my primary media management tool, and I like it just fine.  The writers on Lifehacker seem enamored of Winamp, which I tried, but it kept crashing which I don’t have time for.  So now I’m using Windows Media Player as a secondary tool to manage my non-Apple MP3 players.  I also have VLC Media Player so I can watch DVDs (although I never do), and DVD Flick to burn DVDs (there’s no built-in for tool for either function in XP).

WHAT’S NEXT?

My next project is to find an inexpensive used laptop or PC that I can connect to the TV.  Between Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, and the network websites, there is a ton of free or cheap programming available.  I will also get a kick out of playing with new hardware (VGA converter, remote) and software (maybe XBMC) to make it all work seamlessly.  And my secret agenda is to wean Kate off of satellite, which would save us a few hundred dollars a year.