Tips for web workers from lifehacker Gina Trapani
Written on March 17, 2008 – 6:12 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Bestselling-author Tim Ferriss from The 4-hour Workweek has interviewed the founding editor of Lifehacker.com, Gina Trapani. The result is an interesting article that contains some useful tips for web workers. Since this is a Web 2.0 blog, I assume quite a lot of guys would call yourself a web worker. So I highlighted some of the best advices, for the other tips I gladly refer to the man we owe this interview to.
Trapani wants us to forget about the ‘2read’ tag:
“One simple but powerful habit is this: To act immediately on things as they come up. (…) If I see a web page that looks like it might be a good Lifehacker post at some point, instead of just bookmarking it for later, creating a draft post in Lifehacker’s publishing system on the spot. This practice requires some discipline to develop, especially when you’re feeling lazy or distracted, but it can make a huge difference.”
Monkey minds swinging from branch to branch
To some degree, I reject the super-structured, old school of time management thought, (..) From 10:45 to 11:15 check email,” etc. As a “web worker,” by nature I embrace serendipity and tangents, and like to keep myself open to working on unexpected things that excite me, even if they’re not in the plan. (..) At the same time, I think a lot of web workers like me can take this to the extreme, and need a dose of structure and limits in their day.
Open/ closed mindsets
Basically I’ve got two modes of work: loose/open, and focused/closed. When I’m in “open” mode, my instant messenger status is set to available, I’m surfing, writing, checking email, coding, listening to music with lyrics—getting things done, but in a multitasking way, open to interruptions and tangents. When I’m in focused/closed mode,I shut down IM, stop checking email, close any windows I’m not using, switch to my ambient music playlist, set a timer, and plow through whatever I’ve got to get done. Typically I go into closed mode when I’m on deadline.
Some other useful lifehacks for Web Workers/ bloggers
- LifeRemix: How to Work Like the Masters
- Matt Huggins : 55 essential articles every serious blogger should read
- Web Worker Daily: GTD for Bloggers: The Art of Stress-free Blogging
- To-Done: Be A More Productive Blogger
- And on my personal blog: How to process blog-related email Getting Things Done-style
By the way, if you think lifehacking is just a superficial buzzword, drop a line in the comments. In a time that everybody seems excited about ‘geek to live’, some critical thoughts about hacking your life.
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By Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply
I liked the ’serendipity and tangents’ comment. This is something I often miss in GTD and other efficiency programs. I need room for the unexpected.
By schilke on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply
exactly, me too, Boris…
Although I wouldn’t say GTD leaves no room for the unexpected. Generally GTD is flexible enough - but when it comes to set up a service or software, we’re talking about GTDG (GTD for Geeks) which is a bit different due to its nature…
By Anne Helmond on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply
I currently have 131 ‘toread’ tags on del.icio.us and acting on them immediately simply seems impossible as items sometimes include 31 pages PDFs. However, it is one of those tags that is getting out of control. For every article I read I add five more :)
Boris: Have you tried Things? It is also based on the GTD approach but imposes less structure on your tasks.