Interview with LifeHacker Editor Gina Trapani on Happiness, Productivity and Life-Improvement

LifeHacker is one of the most popular blogs on the net, offering clever shortcuts for technology and life. The underlying purpose of LifeHacker is to make us more productive so we free up time to do the things we really want to do. The site appeals to geeks and non-geeks alike.

Editor Gina Trapani was kind enough to answer LifeTwo's questions on productivity, happiness and life.

Gina Trapani

LifeTwo: Lifehacker is a website dedicated to productivity tips, yet you also have posts on happiness. Why is that?

Trapani: I think productivity and happiness are closely tied. That feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when you get a job done - especially when it's a job that fulfills your life purpose - definitely contributes to a person's happiness level. Think about how you feel when you cross off an item on your to-do list - it's great!

Does being productive make people happier?

Yes, but the trick is being productive at the right thing. You can produce a lot of garbage, but that won't make you happy.

What's the best Lifehacker happiness or life improvement tip?

Those feelings of anxiety and overwhelm that we all have when our heads and lives are cluttered with unresolved stuff and commitments - David Allen calls them "open loops" - destroy happiness and well-being. So any tips that involve clearing your mind, getting all your "stuff" into a trusted system, seeing the big picture and thus feeling in control are the best happiness or life improvement tips.

There are dozens of them. For me, it's about keeping my to-do list and calendar up to date so I feel calm, cool and on top of things in the face of a hectic day and scary looming deadlines.

Despite progress in technology, the level of happiness reported by people has remained generally unchanged over the past 50 years. Is technology doing anything to make us more happy?

Nope - technology's just a tool. The trick is how you use it, not the tool itself. Technology has advanced, but humans haven't, so the learning curve is using tech to your advantage instead of letting it frustrate, distract and interrupt you.

On a related point, are computers always going to be these frustrating devices to use?

I'm an optimist, so I say no. Users will get more savvy, and computers will become more user-friendly and stable as time goes on.

On a personal level, what brings you happiness and what techniques do you use to make happiness possible?

This is going to sound very Miss America Pageant, but I feel happiest and most fulfilled when I'm helping others, in some position of service. That's why I love writing about, explaining and explicating technology - it gives me the chance to help and teach readers while I learn new things myself every day.

Thank you Gina!

Amazon link to Gina's highly-regarded compilation of the best and most relevant life hack tips:
Lifehacker: "88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day".

Additional book information here.

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