I'm Josh Ocampo, Lifehacker Staff Writer, and This Is How I Work

Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts. This week, we’re going behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Josh Ocampo, and this is how I work.

Location: Manhattan Current Gig: Staff writer at Lifehacker Current mobile device: iPhone X Current computer: MacBook Pro at home One word that best describes how you work: Caffeinated

My first job out of college was on the business side of a record label, handling payments and contracts. I got laid off, and on a whim got a job in the legal department of a magazine publisher. I worked my way into the business side of a few magazines—which means I processed a lot of invoices—and eventually started writing. While writing professionally, I was laid off two moretimes and now I’m here at Lifehacker (and very knowledgable about the New York State unemployment process).

My day starts at night. At around midnight, I’m usually searching for story ideas and Slack them to myself. I have an RSS feed set up through Feedly, but I usually make it a point to read/skim headlines on the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and check Twitter and Reddit. (I’m a frequent user in r/Politics and r/Fitness.)

I wake up around 7:45 a.m., feed my cat, and look for more story ideas and watch the news⁠ on ⁠NY1. If I have time, I’ll also watch the Today Show or Good Morning America (or watch Watch What Happens reruns from the night before). I’m lucky that I live close to the office, so I can usually leave at 9 on the dot and get in within 20 minutes. By 9:30, I usually have a good game plan for my day and start researching and writing.

Since we’ve only been at our new office for a few months, I don’t have much and most of the things on my desk don’t belong to me, aside from the laptop and sign in the back I made for the Climate Strike. (I work from all over the office, so my desk setup isn’t a big deal to me.)

The books you see were sent to our remote editors. The keyboard on the right was sitting on my desk when I got here (and possibly belonged to BET staff, who occupied this space before us). And the sickly plant (named Brian) belongs to our deputy editor Alice. I can assure you he is thriving now!

Honestly, I’m just very grateful to have a work laptop. At one of my first writing gigs, I had an enormous desktop computer and my personal laptop was on its very last limb. I’m very happy to have the ability to physically move and still work. (It’s the little things.)

This isn’t groundbreaking, but I have a lot of Google alerts set up for story ideas and particular phrases (maybe 25+?). When I worked at Mic, we had a column called “Food and Politics,” which was devoted to politicians’ eating behaviors (lol). Google alerts really came in handy here because it wasn’t like the New York Times reported on what Beto O’Rourke ate that week.

I get up a lot from my desk and take a walk to the kitchen or grab a coffee before I submit most stories. I can develop a one-track mind when I’m writing and I think it’s helpful to get some perspective. By the time I’m back at my desk, I can more clearly edit/decide when things aren’t making sense. If I’m able to, I’ll wait until the next morning to edit something just for more clarity.

Goes without saying, but my editors. I’m very in my head when I write and can be self-critical. I’ll reach out if I’m deep in a hole I can’t crawl out of myself; usually it’s because I’m so caught up in details that probably don’t make sense/impact the outcome of the story.

I eat or have more coffee. I’ve also very recently gotten into album/song reaction videos on YouTube. I can’t adequately describe why they’re so great but it’s fun to hear people respond to albums for the first time that you love so much. I’ll listen to one while I’m struggling with a story or just want a little break.

Outside of work, I take a half-hour nap every day. It’s life-changing.

I’m in the middle of Michelle Obama’s memoir right now and plan to read Pete Buttigieg’s Shortest Way Home next (or Abbi Jacobson from Broad City’sI Might Regret This; can’t decide). I very recently re-read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential (which I love) and finished Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter.

I don’t have public playlists, but a few songs currently on rotation:

“Don’t tell people that you’re willing to work long hours because they’ll take advantage of it.”

How little sleep I can survive on without compromising my ability to think rationally.

Source: Lifehacker.com

Powered by NewsAPI.org

Keywords:

Lifehacker • Lifehacker • Manhattan • Lifehacker • Mobile device • IPhone • Personal computer • MacBook Pro • Job • Record label • Employment contract • Layoff • Job • Now I'm Here • Lifehacker • RSS • The New York Times • The Washington Post • CNN • Reddit • NY1 • Time (magazine) • Today (U.S. TV program) • Good Morning America • Good Game • The Game Plan (NRL) • Laptop • Computer keyboard • Laptop • Desktop computer • Laptop • Google Alerts • Thought • Phrase • Politics • Politics • LOL • Google Alerts • The New York Times • Beto O'Rourke • Coffee • In My Head (Jason Derulo song) • Out of Myself • YouTube • Michelle Obama • Pete Buttigieg • Abbi Jacobson • Broad City • Anthony Bourdain • Kitchen Confidential (TV series) • Sweetbitter •