3 questions with…

What’s a rule you’ve broken in your career that paid off?

I know it’s not a popular position to take now, but a rule I broke was to maintain work-life balance. At the beginning of my career, I worked like a demon after hours and on weekends, sourcing ideas, crafting pitches, writing stories on spec, in hopes of getting noticed by senior management. It worked.

What’s one small, underrated thing you do that creates big impact?

I am a total Post-it queen: I jot down everything that’s on my mind, from the birthday text I should send to a colleague, to the complicated presentation I need to prepare for the president. And yes, my office often looks ridiculous, with yellow Post-it notes stuck to every available surface. But the fact is, the system works: I do not throw out a Post-it before accomplishing the task written on it. As a result, I get a lot done.

What was the boldest “yes” of your career and how did it change your path?

Accepting an editorial assistant job at GQ Magazine. I’d already been a fact-checker at Vogue — in other words, I already had my foot in the door of the magazine business — so taking an entry-level job could have been perceived as a step backward. But I knew it would bring me closer to the pitching/writing/editing process I wanted to be part of. Soon enough, I’d be given opportunities to do all those things.