It is only fair if a master in productivity shares some of her tricks. We stole some minutes out of her busy schedule and this is what she had to say.
Location: Palo Alto, CA and New York, NY
Current Gig: Lecturer at Stanford University Graduate School of Business and School of Medicine; Author: Speaker.
Current mobile device: iPhone 4
Current computer: MacBook Air
One word that best describes how you work: "Aholic"
What apps/software/tools can't you live without?
PubMed is my best friend. I consume scientific/medical studies the way most people consume air and food. I still prefer PubMed to Google Scholar.
What's your workspace like?
My #1 rule: no desk. I just can't think or do good work at a desk, and every desk I've had becomes a storage space for piles of scientific papers. When I'm working from home, I'm either sitting cross-0legged in a lounge chair with a cat and a laptop on my lap, or typing in bed or on my yoga mat. I love lying down to write.
What's your best time saving trick?
I don't cook, but I give myself permission to spend as much time as I need on healthy food.
That's my main luxury in life! I'll splurge on a salad bar and then use that time for creative projects and work.
What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
Productive procrastination. Often I should be writing a chapter or preparing a talk, I decide instead to do a deep dive on some random scientific topic, like "What's the latest animal research on the brain's default mode network?" I've stumbled upon so many cool studies that ended up inspiring articles or launching projects. I may have built my career on web searches I've done when I should be doing something else.
Also, I am better that anyone at getting people to sing along in a Zumba class (I teach group fitness and yoga on the side). My secret: pick great music, be a role model of ridiculous enthusiasm, and tell them: "Making noise is good for your core!"
What do you listen to while you work?
Music is my constant companion. If I'm preparing a talk, I like happy dance music, mostly house music DJ sets. If I'm writing or editing, drum and bass or jazz, like Coltrane. And when I need to go in to serious writing mode, I have an electronic and jazz holiday music playlist(I kid you not) that puts me into some kind of Pavlovian writing trance. (Best album on the list: OM Record's Home for the holidays), I've written two books and countless articles using that playlist. Five remixes in a row of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer may be your version of hell, but it's my version of Ritalin. When I'm feeling writer's block, I turn on background TV. Having to tune it out helps me focus. I canceled my cable last year, but now that I'm starting another book, I'm going to have to get it again.
Are you more of an introvert or and extrovert?
Introvert. People who don't know me well and have only seen me on TV are usually surprised by this, but spend any time with me and you'll find how much time I need alone to recharge from, teaching, and social events. When I'm not on the road, I tend to stay up late in my hotel room, reading and doing yoga, even if I'm sleep deprived or jet lagged. I nee that time to balance the intensity of teaching and speaking.
What's your sleep routine like?
I'm an extreme night owl, and I have my best creativity after midnight, usually around 2-4 AM. This doesn't work well for real life. The only time I honor my circadian rhythms is when I'm in deep writing mode, e.g the last couple of months of working on book. Then I might write form midnight to 6 AM, and sleep until noon or 1 PM.
Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?
My printer, a hole puncher, legal pads, and good pens.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Although I'm trained as a scientist, I hold on to a lot of habits form my days as visual artist. The process of translating science into books or talks is a lot like my favorite former art platform, portraits. I just keep trying to see things as they are, look again and again at my subject, investigate it with an attention so focused, I can't help but fall in love with it. And then I try to recreate what I see in a new medium, making change after change until it captures the essence of the subject. The reason I love what I do is because I get to spend so much time engaged in this creative process.
