How I Work

After reading Michael Perry's post on how he works at libraryproject.info I decided to give this format a go and share how I work. Caveat: I mostly work experimentally. I change operating systems, app environments, and the media or modes I work in frequently. I work through exploring  new methods and being distracted by shiny new tools or workflows. While this suits my temperament, it also means I spend a lot of time learning and adopting new systems and a lot less time enjoying the efficiencies of one evolved and perfected routine.

Location: Portland, OR (ish) Live in Tualatin, OR work in Vancouver, WA

Current gig: Systems and Instruction Librarian; Affiliate faculty with Creative Media & Digital Culture

Current mobile device:

Phone: Moto X (1st gen) developer edition running Android 4.4.4

Tablet: iPad 2 (iPad Air 2 on order-thanks Dene!)

Current computer:

Work: Macbook Pro 13” mid 2010 (Replacement 15” MBPro on order-thanks IT department!)

Work: Elderly Acer desktop running Windows 7, primarily used for Outlook/Exchange.

Home: My home/gaming machine has been upgraded piece by piece continually since 2004. It’s currently running Windows 7 and if you’re really curious, ask me in the comments about its specs.

Home: I also have a number of Raspberry Pi, older linux boxes, and early-model tablets laying about just waiting for that perfect project to become useful again. (What I don’t have is time enough to tinker with them.)

One word that best describes how you work: Experimental

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

(These tools work on multiple operating systems and platforms, unless indicated.)

Outlook/Exchange: Work requires me to use the Exchange environment for calendaring and mail. My calendar is the most important tool of my work environment, so despite personal preferences to the contrary I’ve built my workflow in Microsoft’s platforms. Sadly, this means moving from a linux environment back to Windows. Happily, Apple’s mail and calendar apps play nicely w/ Exchange servers so I’m not forced into a complete computing monoculture.

Synology Cloud Station: I work on a number of devices, so all of my files have to be accessible remotely. The most valuable tool I have for this is my home Synology NAS and their Cloudstation app. This allows me to access and edit all of my files from any machine, tablet, or phone, which enables me to work in many places. Thank you Synology!

LastPass: Hands-down, my most frequently used and least-complained-about service. This allows me secure access to passwords, account information, notes, and bookmarks (using their XMarks product) on all my devices.

Notability (iOS): Being able to hand-annotate articles, student essays, and meeting notes on a tablet is the KILLER APP for tablets in higher ed. So the Notability app is paired with a TruGlide fiber-tipped stylus, although I’m eager to try one of the active styli that will work with the new iPad.

Zotero: I can’t imagine doing research without it.

reveal.js: In class, I need visuals in the form of a slide deck. reveal.js allows me to do class lecture slides in a way that doesn’t piss me off like PPT does and is web accessible without a slideshare-like service acting as an intermediary. I don’t mind Keynote, but reveals.js is fun and more useful.           

What’s your workspace like?

I LOVE my standing desk. It makes a ton of difference in my physical comfort and health in the office. Besides that, I need a lot of desk space that I can clear off and use for projects. I also have a big dry-erase board for planning and process-mapping.

My space is messy and paper still gets stuck and collects in messy piles, but most of my workspace is digital now and thanks to Cloud Station, that is clean, orderly and accessible. The physical space, however, is crowded with accumulated cruft that semi-annually is either recycled or jammed into file cabinets.

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Evernote is about cataloging as much as it’s about note taking. I can throw lots of stuff into it, and as long as I tag it promiscuously, I can find it again later. You may notice that I work in a number of partially overlapping tools on a number of computers and devices. Evernote is a way for me to grab or create content where I am and know that I can find it when I need it, whenever and wherever that is. The tipping point for me was realizing that Evernote is a cataloging tool, not a note-taking tool.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

I’ve worked with Remember the Milk for a long time. I appreciate how it is accessible from many platforms and it just seems to work with the way my brain organizes tasks and priorities. That said, I’m currently struggling with some productivity and workflow efficiency issues, so I’m going to follow the lead of a couple of sage colleagues and try HabitRPG for a while. I won’t be cancelling my premium subscription to RTM just yet, though.

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

My Motorola Motoactv watch. I’ve little interest in the current generation of Android Wear devices, but this first generation smart watch does exactly what I need it to. The MotoActv is a GPS tracker and heart rate monitor for exercising. It has just enough battery life to work as a step-counter (Fitbit) and as a good-old-fashioned wrist watch. It pairs with both ANT+ and BLE heart rate sensors and with bluetooth or wired headphones. I don’t need it to extend my phone, but it does what’s it’s designed to do better than any phone app or dedicated GPS watch I’ve tried.

 What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

My superpower is making useful thematic connections between seemingly unconnected things. I’m able to see how items are related and how systems work on similar principles more quickly than other around me.

What are you currently reading?

I just finished Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, a YA coming-of-age-in-a-dystopia novel. I was not immediately engaged by the world-building, but the arc of the novel and character development completely won me over. Now I’m working on two books for two different book clubs. Peter Morefield’s Intertwingled seems to be about the experience of searching the complex swirl of semantic data. Sheri Holman's The Dress Lodger is a Dickensian tale set in a Cholera epidemic that manages to merge incisive social commentary with a warm, beating (visible) heart.

What do you listen to while you work?

I listen to audiobooks A LOT. They make up the bulk of my listening, usually three hours at day. However, when I’m working I need something without recognizable words so I like chillout electronica like Supreme Beings of Leisure, Thievery Corporation, and Air or also Icelandic music like Mum, Sigur Ros, or Jonsi. I recently switched to Spotify, so I’m also exploring as many new directions as I can find. Send me your suggestions! (Please and thank you.)

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

Almost all of the time, I’m an introvert. However, in certain classroom or conference settings I magically transform into someone who loves being the center of attention. At a party or a social event I’m a wallflower, but I’m happily gregarious when asked to moderate a panel or teach a class.

What’s your sleep routine like?

Sleep may be the one things I’m best at. I use a CPAP machine, but I’m asleep by 11 PM most nights and up before six AM most days. I generally get enough sleep, but I really wish I was able to sleep later on weekends and catch up.

 Fill in the blank: I’d love to see ______ answer these same questions.

Becky Yoose and Bohyun Kim

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

When I was a college athlete, I was struggling with burnout. I had sacrificed a lot to my training and repeated injuries were making it hard to keep putting in the hours and the miles with very little to show for my work except another injury. Anyway, I was angry and rebellious. I started smoking cigarettes. My coach gave me a talking to that I've never forgotten. A rough paraphrase of that conversation:

"Of all the vices you can try: drugs, drinking, sex, or smoking; cigarettes have the biggest penalty for the smallest reward. I'm not saying you have to be a saint, but don't be stupid about how you rebel." {imagine a Mark Harmon style headslap here.}

I was a fairly straight-edged kid, but I took those words to heart. Even today I'm easily swayed by my passions and my emotions, but when I remember that advice I'm much more likely to make a considered choice instead of impulsively lashing out at the universe or myself.

 Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The process of articulating how I do my work is a useful tool for refining and evaluating how I do things. I recommend trying this yourself as an interesting and useful mindful-about-work-practices exercise.