Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts.
This week, were going behind the scenes at Lifehacker.
Im Melanie Pinola, and this is how I work.
So heres whats new-ish: Mostly gadgets.
Not much has changed, apps-wise, sincethe last time I did this.
Im still usingPocket with Evernoteto save every article of interest andOneNote for brainstorming.
And I finally ditchedannoying Avastfor Bitdefender for my anti-virus solution.
(And we justupdated our App Directory for it, yay!)
I got a new Dell monitor too.
(It was a big year gadget-wise for me!
But I might get a tax refund at least for the first time in ages.)
And Chrome extensions Im eternally grateful for:Lazarus,OneTab,The Great Suspender, andGrammarly.
Theyve saved my bacon too many times to count.
Whats your workspace setup like?
Yes, thats anAerogardenon the desk, which bubbles loudly (Im still getting used to it).
Right now its sprouting herbs, but I hope to one day have flowers blooming there thatI wont kill.
The best thing about this workspace is its proximity to the window.
Fun stuff like that.
Get off my lawn.
Whats your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
Imnon-confrontational by nature, so saying no is the hardest thing for me to do.
Its only recently that I realized how this one word can stash your sanity.
Use no sparingly, but always ask,Why the f*** would I do that?
Whats your favorite to-do list manager?
My brain, Google Calendar, and pen and paper.
If somethings important enough to do but I might forget it, I put it on the calendar.
Or I tire myself out organizing my to-dos.
So for everything else, I rely on my brain.
It still works, mostly.
Besides your phone and computer, what gadget cant you live without and why?
My favorite gadgets are kitchen gadgets.
I could live without them, but wheres the fun in that?
What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
I will say that Im proud of my ability to research the heck out of a topic.
Back in the day, they used to call me Research Monkey.
What do you listen to while you work?
Sometimes, video game music playlists on YouTube.
What are you currently reading?
That happened?).
How do you recharge?
I stay up very, very late so I can do whatever I want while everyone is asleep.
However, this is only recharging at the moment, because I suffer from mysleep procrastinationthe next day.
Whats your sleep routine like?
I feel like the world is conspiring against those of us on Team Night Owl.
Last week I took my first non-travel vacation in a long time while my daughter had winter break.
We stayed up most nights past 2 a.m. and slept til noon.
Now its back to not getting enough sleep.
Fill in the blank: Id love to see _________ answer these same questions.
Robert Caro, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Similarly:Enjoy yourself, its later than you think.
I recently took my daughter to see the Lion King on Broadway and it wasfantastic, by the way.
Is there anything else youd like to add that might be interesting to readers and fans?
Anyway, thanks for reading!
Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask?
