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Visiting a person’s workspace is like taking a peek inside their brain. Whether it’s at home or in an art studio, Nice Work explores where creative people do all of their, well, creating—so that you can steal their on-the-clock style.
Names: Sami Sage, Jordana Abraham, and Aleen Dreksler
Occupations:
Sage: Chief creative officer at Betches.
Abraham: Chief innovation officer.
Dreksler: Chief executive officer.
Where we work: A pop culture paradise in New York City’s Flatiron District, designed by Molly Torres Portnof of DATE Interiors.
What time I start:
Sage: 10 a.m., whenever possible.
Abraham: Depends on the morning, but I’m usually answering emails around 9.
Dreksler: Typically 9.
What time I clock out:
Sage: I try to take a break around 3 p.m. before coming back to work on the Morning Announcements around 6 or 7. I’m least productive in the afternoon and most productive at night.
Dreksler: I never really “clock out,” but I try to make time to relax and mentally check out on weekends and after my daughter goes to bed during the week so I can be present for work during the day.
How I get to work:
Sage: I work from home most days, but when I go in I either take a cab or the subway.
Abraham: Subway.
Dreksler: I take the train when I’m not working from home.
Three words that describe our space:
Sage: Full. Of. Surprises.
The most important thing in our office:
Sage: Is it too cheesy to say the people in it? If so, the names of the rooms. I think they really show off our personality, and visitors appreciate the references.
Abraham: The energy in the podcast room. It feels like a real clubhouse vibe and facilitates great conversations.
Dreksler: The entertaining decor, like iconic memes of the Queen driving, a portrait of Larry David, and amazing phrases as art. For example, we have a very professional quote by Lindsay Lohan: “This is how you throw a party in Mykonos, bitch.” It’s framed in our main conference room.
What’s on the walls:
Sage: A sarcastic Michael Scott quote to show we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
Dreksler: Rooms named after locations from pop culture. For example, our podcast studio is called The Projection Room Above the Auditorium (taken from Mean Girls), and one of our smaller conference areas is called A Glass Case of Emotion (courtesy of Anchorman).
My current creative fuel:
Sage: Morning journaling whenever I can.
Abraham: A midday walk to break up the day.
What I turn to when I’m stuck:
Sage: A rerun of something I’ve watched a million times or a book I can’t put down.
Abraham: The Calm meditation app.
Dreksler: Working out! Peloton, VR boxing, or power walking.
How I stay organized:
Sage: Continuous to-do lists.
Abraham: Doing something the second I think of it, because I’m not that organized.
Dreksler: My notebooks with prioritized to-do lists.
Favorite pen:
Sage: No favorite brand, but whenever a restaurant or hotel has a good pen, I always ask to keep it.
Abraham: I have terrible handwriting, so I avoid pens whenever possible.
Dreksler: A really fine rolling ball pen. I’m using Pilot now, but usually it’s whatever I find lying around.
Best notebook:
Sage: My Gray Malin Hawaii notebook.
Dreksler: Apple Notes app or a plain notebook with graph paper.
Technology I can’t live without:
Sage: Phone, of course.
Abraham: The Starbucks mobile ordering app.
Dreksler: My phone, duh. And my Jura coffee machine.
Desk chair that I could (and do) spend hours in:
Sage: The CB2 Channel velvet office chair.
Abraham: The chair in our podcast room! It’s the Nuevo Portia from Paynes Gray.
Dreksler: Anything that doesn’t hurt my back. I’m getting old.
How I fight the 3 p.m. slump:
Sage: I go out to get a smoothie or ice cream while listening to a podcast.
Abraham: A walk in Central Park.
Dreksler: When I’m working from home, I’ll step away from my computer for a bit to spend some time with my daughter and dog.
Ideal office snack:
Sage: Everything Pretzel Crisps from Snack Factory.
Abraham: String cheese.
Dreksler: Esti hummus (the best hummus ever) or Kind bars.
Preferred soundtrack:
Sage: Taylor Swift or ambient music.
Abraham: True-crime podcasts.
Dreksler: Mumford & Sons and Bruce Springsteen.
Things we can’t work without
