So how does Jake and his team seemingly bite off more than they can chew without major missteps?
We spoke with Jake to learn a little about how he works.
What apps, software, or tools cant you live without?
They look legit, but not fancy pants.
Nobody expects anything worthwhile to be written on a hotel note pad, so youre playing with house money.
Whiteboards: As much surface area as possible.
Whats your workspace setup like?
At home, I do my writing in this low-ceilinged, poorly-lit workroom thats connected to my garage.
I cant show you a photo of itits super depressing.
But at the GV office, I do most of my work in this awesome sprint room.
Its basically a conference room with no table and with big whiteboards.
Im okay showing you that.
It makes me appear much cooler.
Whats your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
Whats your favorite to-do list manager?
I use a system called one big thing created by my friend and co-authorJohn Zeratsky.
Besides your phone and computer, what gadget cant you live without and why?
TheTime Timer.This is a beautifully simple timer, originally designed for schoolchildren.
In sprints, I use them to timebox our activities.
When Im writing, I use it for basically the same thing.
It makes the abstract idea of time into something concrete and visibleits invaluable.
Do you find yourself always working on something?
I have so many projects that I want to do.
The next thing is always ready to rockeven before Im finished with the current thing.
What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
Somewhere, theres a guy whos practicing whiteboard diagrams right now, just waiting to school me.
What do you listen to while you work?
I listen to music to break the ice and get started, then I turn it off.
For writingSprint,I listened toTame Impala.
For the illustrations, it wasBuilt to Spill.
For my embarassing top secret fiction project, itsM83.
What are you currently reading?
I should really commit and finish something.
How do you recharge?
Playing trains with my little son, or walking to school with my big son.
Whats your sleep routine like?Are you a night owl or early-riser?
The night time is a great work time for me.
I love the quiet.
I plug my router into one of those and set it to turn off the internet at 9:30pm.
Then, instead of obsessively reading Seahawks news, Ill get some writing done.
Fill in the blank: Id love to see _________ answer these same questions.
I mean, sheknowshow to get things done under pressure.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
More importantly, he and my mom bothdidthatso they showed me it was possible.
Is there anything else youd like to add that might be interesting to readers and fans?
I really dont mind at all.
Photo by Graham Hancock.
Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask?
