Who are you, and what do you do? What do you like to do outside of work?

I’m Aditi Basu, a former oil engineer turned effective altruist (EA) focused on reducing as much animal suffering as possible. A few months ago, I left the corporate grind to focus fully on solving the problem of animal suffering (including farmed animals). I’ve spent these months doing “cheap tests” to figure out my niche in this space. I currently spend my days building a project called “Amplify for Animals” that aims to help people help animals in the most cost-effective ways possible. I also run the Effective Altruism chapter in Melbourne, Australia.

Outside of work, you’ll find me cuddling and talking in baby language to my three cat babies. They’re such a bundle of joy, and I never cease to take in just how adorable they are.

I’m also in the process of rekindling my love affair with climbing after a brief fling with Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). But after a broken nose, wonky finger, and a perpetually cracking ankle, I’m now back on the wall, trying to remember how to crimp without crying. I’m also lacing up my running shoes again after a seven-year hiatus!

Off the wall, you’ll find me nose-deep in nonfiction books—my favourite topics are productivity and behaviour science. I also spend a lot of time with my three cat babies.

I love being out in nature—through camping, hiking, or climbing. I’ll admit, I’ve been slacking on my outdoor time lately, but I’m plotting my grand return to the wilderness!

What hardware do you use?

My desk consists of the ZSA Voyager keyboard, a Lenovo Yoga laptop, a Lenovo external screen, an ASUS webcam, Shokz bone conduction headphones, and an HP USB-C Dock G5 to connect everything up. I also use a Bonelk laptop raiser to make my screens somewhat level.

Contrast this to a year ago, when I only had my laptop and external screen. I had a really hard time trying to get myself to do any work in my study, even though I really wanted to. So I went on a mission to make my study as inviting as possible, and I went and did just that. I even have a scented candle to keep my study smelling amazing.

And what software?

My “productivity suite” includes Trello, Notion, Flocus, and Freedom. These are apps that support my work and keep me focused and make me a tad bit more efficient in my work.

Trello is what I use to manage all my tasks. Honestly, I can’t remember or imagine my life without Trello now, or maybe my memory has just gotten worse with age. Every morning, I set up my to-do list for the day on Trello before heading out on my morning walk. After my walk, I’ll sit down with a cup of tea and start working through this list. The satisfaction of that green tick keeps me going. I also use a “Capture” list within Trello to capture all tasks that pop up in my head while I’m doing other productive work.

Notion is where I store literally all my notes—meeting notes, productivity hacks, podcast reviews, book reviews, projects, etc. It’s my one-stop shop for…life that’s not admin! Its partner Notion Calendar is super user-friendly, and I use it to schedule all my meetings and events.

Flocus is great for Pomodoros. I usually use this when I’m co-working with friends. On days that I feel a little distracted, I use Freedom—during a working session, it blocks all the sites that I find distracting, such as social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp.

On days I feel like I need a little pick-me-up, I’ll put on some music on Spotify.

On the days my mind feels a little busy, I do a bit of journaling on Day One.

Brave was my bleak attempt at rebelling against Google targeted ads. I don’t feel the difference 95% of the time, but I do prefer Google’s search engine in terms of the quality of search results.

What’s your keyboard setup like? Do you use a custom layout or custom keycaps?

I use a custom QWERTY layout.

What would be your dream setup?

I think I’m quite content with my desk setup! The only thing I would add (if it was free!) is a height adjustable desk, but this is more a nice-to-have rather than a must-have.