I have seen a few different blogs interviewing people showcasing how they do their daily work. It inspired me to do my own version.
Current gig: Software Engineer @ Kelley & Ryan Associates, Inc.
Location: Milford, MA
Current mobile device: iPhone 15 Pro
Current computer: 15″ Macbook Air running a lot of containers
One word that best describes how you work: Obsessive
What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?
Docker! I have embraced containers HARD! At this point I have mostly stopped using Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and Google Keep. I use my home Synology NAS (network attached storage) as my personal cloud provider, it is fast and only limited by the drive spaces I have. It backs up my photos from my phone and keeps my files synced across all my devices and machines.
What’s your workspace set up like?
Cluttered! I realized a long time ago that I am not good at keeping my desk neat, but I am still able to find everything in the clutter. So I gave up on trying to keep a neat desk and have learned to embrace the chaos. I have a convertible standing desk with my dual 27″ external monitors. A cork board and a wall sized white board. I have a big window in my office and depending on the mood it is either very light or very dark.
What’s your best time-saving trick?
Better living through automation! There are a couple of things that I lump into automation.
- Templates I have templates for everything: T-SQL (several depending on what I am writing), C# (projects, classes, references), PHP (projects, classes, tools), emails, notes, and project plans. I find it much easier to document things when the bulk of the mundane text is already entered and there, then the doc blocks are unfinished entries, and I feel compelled to fill them in, as opposed to being too lazy to just not add them.
- Text expansion. If you type a lot! Start using something to expand small text snippets into longer ones. Initially, I had a hard time using these because I went too short with my snippets; having “S” expand to “SELECT” will cause you trouble. But having “WNL” expand to “WITH (NOLOCK)” is the kind of thing that can add up over a day of typing. It does take some tweaking to get it down to what works for you, but if you keep at it until you have a system that works, you will not regret it.
- Writing code that writes code! One of the biggest that I use is Excel. Copy in a list of things, a little string manipulation equation, drag across all the data and BOOM you just wrote a page-long switch case in a couple of seconds. The longer the manipulation you have to do across a range of values, the more satisfying it will be to copy-paste that into your code.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
I had been a tireless pen and paper user for years! My notebooks were custom-created by me. Everything went into that notebook; it was my planner, my to-do list, calendar, project management, and random idea collector. I still have notebooks for drawings and for scribbling ideas that are not baked out yet. But, I have completely moved to using Notion online.
Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?
My Lochby Field Journal and my Levenger Bomber Jacket International pocket briefcase. The pocket briefcase is my carry-around note taker. I keep several index cards in there as well as a FieldNotes notebook. The notes on the index cards do not last long in the wallet; they are either discarded as random craziness or put straight into one of the A5 notebooks for refinement before making their way to my Notion pages.
What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?
I am a really good cook, and I love to cook. My favorite thing is trying to take ordinary things and make them really pop with flavor. I think the thing that I get requested to make the most is my deviled eggs, which are out of this world. I also make a really good pizza!
What do you listen to while you work?
I have a nice little music setup through a Raspberry Pi connected to external speakers running an MPD service on it. I have an MPD client on my cell phone and tablet so when I get a phone call the music pauses and starts back up once it is done. I also can change what is playing easily on the tablet if I am in the mood for something different. I have two current playlists that I use while I work. The main list is my all AC/DC playlist from across their entire collection. The second is a classic rock playlist with a little of everything in there just set on random.
What’s your sleep routine like?
Boring, for me, most nights it is to bed by 11 pm and up again around 7 am, even on the weekends. Some nights it does not work out that way, and I just can not shut my brain off to get to sleep, but most nights it is like clockwork.
What’s the best advice you've ever received?
Always have something to write with, and to write on!