Here at WordCamp Northeast Ohio, we are pretty big fans of the Lifehacker series “How I Work”. We asked our speakers to do a WordPress take on that idea, and thus was born “How I WordPress”- a series where some of the best minds in WordPress share a bit about their process with our readers/attendees.
Name
Seth Alling
Location
Madison Heights, MI
Current Gig
Lead Developer at Ranch House Designs (http://ranchhouseesigns.com/). I work on all new sites that require custom functionality beyond a standard WordPress install. I also design most of those sites as well.
Career Summary
I’m a developer turned designer turned developer and so on. I’ve switched back and forth between the two because I’ve gotten tired of the other, which has actually helped me become someone who can do both. I’ve been working with WordPress since 2009.
One word that best describes how you work?
“Strategery”
Current Mobile Device/Why
Galaxy S7. I prefer having a little more customization over my device, so I prefer Android over iOS.
Current Computer/Why
15″ MacBook Pro/Working with a Mac gives me easier access to a *nix command line, while still appealing to my designer side. I also love hotkeys, and it gives me the ability to program 5-finger shortcuts, which a Windows can’t do. I have the 15″ because I value the extra screen space when I’m traveling.
What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?
Sublime Text, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, ForkLift, Sequel Pro, Twitter, DropTask, CodeKit, Spotify
What’s your workspace setup like?
I’m organized in some things, and not in others. The photo contains a quick clean of half the desk. I work out of an office I built in my basement. Yes, that’s an old CRT Monitor to the left. They still exist and mine will be replaced soon. And I stack my monitors on old religion manuals from college.
What’s your best time/effort-saving life hack?
Writing bash scripts to take care of my mundane tasks.
What’s your favorite to-do list method?
DropTask. Everything is visualized into circles. I can’t do lists.
After your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without? Why?
My wife and kids. Not a gadget, but I’d be lost without them.
What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
Making a Sloppy Joe sandwich.
What do you listen to while working?
Spotify. The music changes all the time; I really don’t have a specific working soundtrack.
What do you do to stay inspired?
I’m religious. I attend church weekly. I try to serve others in need and I read from the scriptures and pray daily.
What are you currently reading?
Brainrush by Richard Bard
What sort of work are you up to now?
Doing a deep clean of our basement so we can move most of the kids toys out of our living room.
What’s your sleep routine like?
Go to bed around 1 or 2. Wake up at 8.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To not worry about pleasing everyone, because it’s impossible.
Any other tidbits you think might interest attendees?
My parents bought our first computer when I was 18 months old. It had double 5 1/4″ floppy drives, no hard drive and an amber monitor. I was fortunate enough to be able to play games on it. To access the game menu, I had to type my name and press enter. When I was 3, I was in a nursery class at church and we were asked if we knew how to spell our names. I eagerly raised my hand and proudly said, “S-E-T-H-Enter.” I was doomed to become a nerd.
Fill in the blank: I’d love to see ????? answer these same questions
Matt Mullenweg