How do you work?

A bit off topic, but I think it would be very interesting to learn more about how each of us work. I’ve always been a fan of the Lifehacker series, “How do you work?” because I always learn about a new piece of software or an idea that helps me be more productive. I thought I’d share how I work and invite you to share by replying to this post. Don’t feel you have to follow this format, feel free to make up your own.

Location: Chandler, AZ
Current Gig: Advanced Support Community, PM
One sentence that best describes how you work: Constantly multitasking while wishing I could actually multitask.
Current mobile device: Google Nexus 6P
Current computer: Dell XPS and an old Thinkpad

Tell us a little about your background and how you got to where you are today.
Born in Louisiana and educated at ULM. I’ve always been interested in software and beautiful software design. Both of my parents are successful entrepreneurs. I moved to Arizona in 2006 and landed a job with a new, up-and-coming company called, Infusionsoft.

What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?

In order…

  1. Snagit
  2. Grammarly
  3. Infusionsoft
  4. Google Docs/Sheets/Slides
  5. Slack
  6. JIRA
  7. Confluence
  8. Wireframe.cc
  9. JsFiddle
  10. Lucidchart

What’s your workspace setup like?
Just a desk in an open floor plan. I work from home as well.

What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
Turn off desktop email notifications! Only check email a few times per day. Don’t get distracted with popups every few minutes…and don’t distract others when giving a presentation with your email notifications.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
Trello.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret?
Adaptability. You don’t last at a tech company for 10+ years without being able to adapt to new technolgies and ideas.:grinning:

What do you listen to while you work? Got a favorite playlist? Maybe talk radio? Or do you prefer silence?
80’s and 90’s on occasion. I mostly stick my noise-cancelling earbuds in and mute the world.

What are you currently reading? Or what’s something you’d recommend?
I read and write a lot of technical how-tos, so I usually read fiction to let my mind dream. Stephen King and the late Robert Jordan are my favorite authors.

How do you recharge? What do you do when you want to forget about work?
Play video games, watch Twitch and read.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss things; small minds discuss people. Sometimes it’s a struggle just to be average - I added the last part :grin:

6 Likes

I like it. Great idea. When I get some time, I will type up mine.

1 Like

Template to copy for the lazy, like me. When you copy, highlight all and hit CTRL / CMD + B to bolden everything first. I didn’t realize until I’d finished:

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

Tell us a little about your background and how you got to where you are today.

What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?

What’s your workspace setup like?

What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret?

What do you listen to while you work? Got a favorite playlist? Maybe talk radio? Or do you prefer silence?

What are you currently reading? Or what’s something you’d recommend?

How do you recharge? What do you do when you want to forget about work?

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

1 Like

Location: Chandler, AZ
Current Gig: Tier 1 / Partner Technical Support
One sentence that best describes how you work: Hyperfocused, yet distractible.
Current mobile device: Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Current computer: Infusionsoft: Optiplex 3010; Personal Work: 2016 MacBook Pro

Tell us a little about your background and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in an entrepreneurial family in Southern California. I have always appreciated precision and automation as I grew up with a grandfather who built machines that would create aerospace and military grade parts. I am lazy in the sense that I will spend hours to make a process a few seconds faster. I am self-taught in most things I do. I have a mind for tinkering and will tear something apart and (usually) put it back together to know how it works. I have a love of people and helping them, have worked for Disney, and found a home in Infusionsoft Support.

What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?
Infusionsoft ;]
Sublime Text 3 / VSCode
Splunk
My Chrome Extension
Slack
Jing
Is coffee a tool?

What’s your workspace setup like?
Something like this.

What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
All Keyboard shortcuts, and my own extension

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
I used to use Trello, but I’m giving Asana a try.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret?
I wouldn’t say I’m better than EVERYONE else, but efficiency. My secret? I’m a weird kind of lazy. The best example of this is that I hate stairs and will take them three steps at a time. It’s more work, but it’s faster.

What do you listen to while you work? Got a favorite playlist? Maybe talk radio? Or do you prefer silence?
Lately Chiptunes, if you’re a user of Google Play, listen with me:
https://play.google.com/music/r/m/T27di2mkeuq3hpcpt2ch5est75e?t=Steampunk_Warlord_-_Bossfight

Otherwise find Bossfight on your own music stream and listen along! I like the lack of vocals and fast pace, really sets my mood for the day and helps me focus (my greatest weakness).

What are you currently reading? Or what’s something you’d recommend?
‘Javascript: The Good Parts’

How do you recharge? What do you do when you want to forget about work?
I learn something new, or practice something I’m forgetting. I crave constant challenge.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Lately it’s been something I’ve learned from life, so call it advice or whatever but:
Life only gets easier when you go harder.
In other words; get used to being knocked down and use those experiences to grow the muscles that help get you back up, and eventually life will have a hard time of knocking you down.

This was fun, thanks @martinc!
-MEarl

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A post was split to a new topic: How we can work (in IS or anywhere) more efficiently and effectively

Hi Michael, you mention “All Keyboard shortcuts” do you mean in general or within Infusionsoft. Have searched everywhere and cannot find a working solution to use keyboard shortcuts within Infusionsoft??
Any suggestion much appreciated :slight_smile:

I meant anywhere I can use them, but there is only one I have found in my years here, (or at least that sticks out), and that’s CTRL + Q (On Mac and PC) which puts the cursor in the quick search. I think this is brilliant, because Q looks like a ‘search’ magnifying glass, as well as being a shortcut to (Q)uick Search.

Hahaha yes that’s good. What a shame there are not more as keyb s’cuts are so much quicker… Thx for replying :slight_smile: