Saturday, 13 July 2013

Words that will never be read

Like shouting into the abyss, wondering if you'll ever be heard by people hiding out of sight, in the dark.

Some time, the abyss will shout back and I'm uncertain what it will say.

Monday, 8 July 2013

I'm Eternal Walkabout, and this is how I work

Wannabe polymath, The Eternal Walkabout, does a surprising amount of work for various causes.  Yet,  Lifehacker has never asked him to write a "This is how I work post".  Here it is for when they ask.

Location: Yorkshire, UK
Current gig: Healthcare professional, NHS
Current mobile device: Samsung S3
Current computer: Asus Aspire running Windows 8
One word that best describes how you work: Binary.  I'm either completely devoted or cannot be bothered.  The trick is being able to switch between.
What apps/software/tools can't you live without?
I've been an android addict since my HTC hero 4 years ago or so.  I'm also a massive Getting Things Done (GTD) user, so my GTD process is something I can't do without.

What's your best time-saving trick?
It's an oldie, but a goodie.  How to save headphones from getting tangled by using the horns of the devil.

What's your favorite to-do list manager?
I'm a My Life Organised user, as it's the perfect mix of ease and optional complexity for my Getting Things Done routine.  I tend to forward e-mails from my various roles and then Share from my android phone into MLO, then assign contexts and projects.

What's your workspace like?
I don't have room in my house for a defined workspace, so I'm moving between bedroom, lounge and garage with my laptop and assorted extras.  At work, I have a desk much like any other - surrounded by reference sources paper and digital.

It could be considered messy, but I know where everything is.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?
My swiss army knife.  It's served as pizza cutter, nail scissors, bottle opener.  It's just a brilliant collection of tools.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?
Simplifying ideas.  I can take complex ideas from the worlds of chemistry and technology and express them in ways nearly anyone can explain.  This makes answering the questions of a 5-year old relatively easy.

What do you listen to while you work?
Spotify or BBC 6 music.  Any one of a thousand different albums of many styles.

What are you currently reading?
Stephen King's 11.22.63, Critical Care at a Glance and Daniel Pink's To Sell is Human.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
Definitely introvert.  I need my space, and the choice of when, how and if to socialise.  As is discussed in The Introvert Advantage, this makes me very loud and forceful about things that I'm passionate about.

What's your sleep routine like?
Still in recovery from young children, I tend to be awake until 12-1am then awake with the youngest at 6:30. Any sleep deficit I catch up on at weekends.  Yes, I know this is bad but it works.

Fill in the blank. I'd love to see ________ answer these same questions.
Mr Dispenser.

What's the best advice you've ever received?
Don't aim to be the best at one thing, aim to be very good at few things.  Then you'll be the best at mixing these up.

The How I Work series is a LifeHacker feature that I've shamelessly nicked.  Read the most excellent website lifehacker for more.