“My installations - plan, distribute, count”. Interview with Polina Nakrainikova, editor-in-chief of Lifehacker

In February 2019, editor Polina Nakrainikova left the Samara media outlet Bolshaya Derevnya, entered Lifehacker, and in just four months rose to the editor-in-chief of the publication. We talked to Polina and found out what qualities a good leader should have, why interviews not worth drinking and how to work on the media that makes your life every day better.

"My topics were rejected many times, but I was very persistent."

- You graduated from the Faculty of Philology. Already from school did you understand that your future profession should be related to the text, or the choice of direction was not conscious?

- I always liked to come up with texts and read them, because since childhood I lived with a very talented storyteller. My mom can retell an episode of the show in such a compelling way that it doesn't feel like you missed something. She often shared all sorts of stories with me, so my interest in storytelling woke up early.

For a long time there was no TV in my life, and I was sick quite often, so I spent a lot of time in hospitals. In order to while away the hours and not be dull, sitting in a half-empty room, I read books. I really liked the fairy tales "Mukha-Tsokotukha" and "Cockroach". She loved to recite them, entertaining the nurses who gave IVs. I said: "Want to read a poem?" They agreed and did not even suspect that it would drag on for an hour.

At some point, reading alone was not enough, so I started writing my own stories and poems. It seemed to be logical, because I like everything related to the text so much. When I was in the 10th grade, my dad and I were walking to the river near the dacha, and he said: “Do you know that there is a whole faculty where everyone studies literature? " I got interested and decided that I need to try there to enter.

- At what point did you realize that you still want to try yourself in journalism?

- After the first course. I decided that I understood life enough and already figured out how to study, so I'm ready hit the head. I wanted to become independent and separate from my parents as soon as possible, so I was looking for any way to earn money. I took on small projects related to texts, because I liked interacting with the word.

I still remember one of my first interviews. They called me and said that there is an opportunity to talk to a cool designer from Italy, who came to Samara to talk about his own brand of shirts. I was completely shocked, but I really wanted to show myself, so I agreed.

On that day, I did not have time to have breakfast and hoped to make up for lost time when I returned from university, but my plans changed. I went to one of the largest restaurants in the city, where an appointment was made. But my hero was 3 hours late. All this time I sat terribly hungry. The institution turned out to be too expensive for a student, so I could not order anything and spent 3 hours gnawing on the free sugar that was on the table.

When this man did arrive, he ordered half of the menu. Sipping borscht, he began to slowly talk about shirts with mother-of-pearl buttons, and I sat and just hated him. My first experience turned out to be something like this - very stressful and not very profitable, because as a result I received very little money for the text. However, it was then that I first realized that my hobby can bring at least some kind of income.

- Novice journalists usually have no idea where to get a job. In addition, many publications do not collaborate with authors without experience. How did you look for a job?

- I immediately realized that I have no experience, but there is a desire for it get. First of all, I took the local student newspaper, found the publisher's phone number, called and asked if it was possible to write for them. They told me: "Yes, but we will not be able to pay." Everything suited me. As a result, every week I went to KVN and recorded the worst jokes. It turned out something like anecdotes from "Komsomolskaya Pravda".

Once a friend sent me a post that his friend editor was looking for assistants in the regional division of the Sobaka.ru magazine. I had to interview for one project. I responded, I was invited to the editorial office and the first thing they asked was: "Do you know what kind of magazine we have?" At that moment I realized that I nothing to answer, but still blurted out: "Well, this is something like Cosmopolitan, gloss?" The editor looked at me and muttered: “Well, oh no". But there weren't very many candidates, so I was still accepted. I am still grateful for this, because my level was very low then. So I got the opportunity to study at work, which was also paid.

The next step was associated with the Samara edition of Bolshaya Derevnya. I came up to the editor-in-chief and honestly said that I have little experience, but I want to learn and I am ready to redo the materials to the last. The topics that I proposed at first were rejected many times, but I was very persistent, studied in the process and did not count on too high a salary. This seems to be enough at the start.

- Already in the second year you started working in the team of the Big Village. Tell us about the most memorable text you wrote for this edition.

- The most interesting thing was to communicate with Sergei Povarov, the director of the cult Samara rock bar Podval. I walked with the intention of doing a tough stress interview and took with me a colleague who was friends with the hero of the text. She was supposed to act as an old-timer, and I - to look at everything with a fresh look of the younger generation.

When we arrived, Sergei pulled a bottle of vodka and two bottles of champagne onto the table, and then asked: "Girls, will you drink?" I do not I welcome alcohol in interviews because I want to be in complete control of the situation, but I always take a drink and make a couple sips. This is how the hero feels that we are on the same wavelength.

During the interview, my partner drank two bottles of champagne, and Sergei emptied a bottle of vodka. Despite this, his answers remained serious and thoughtful. My journalistic expectations were not met, but I was imbued with the story of a man who is passionate about businesson the brink of ruin. He selflessly sleeps in a place where people sing "The King and the Jester" around the clock, loves his brainchild and gives it life. It turned out to be very cool and most touching material.

"I was left without emotional support"

- At the age of 21 you became the chief editor of the Big Village. How did this happen?

- At that time, I worked in the publication for about two years and was the deputy editor-in-chief. When the last editor-in-chief left his post, his duties were smoothly distributed among other employees, but most of them fell on me. From that moment on, I began to act as editor-in-chief, but have not yet held this position.

A few months later, publisher Tanya Simakova and development director Leroy Alfimova and I spoke at a youth forum. After the lecture, one of the students asked: "Polina is your deputy editor-in-chief, but the editor-in-chief is not?"

Then, in front of the entire audience, colleagues, giggling, say: “Well, perhaps we need to announce it now? Pauline, you will become the chief editor! "

I was stunned and thought they were joking. Twenty times later she asked again if it was true. The next day, Tanya brought a cake to the editorial office, we marked the appointment and my chief editorial career began.

- It is not easy to head the publication at this age. How did you go through this period?

- At first, my main difficulties were associated only with editing. Many people think that a good author makes a great editor, but in my opinion, these people require a different set of tools, qualities and skills. I had more from the author than from the editor, so I didn't always understand how to organize the text and how actively I could interfere with someone else's structure.

Throughout the year, it was easy for me to do managerial tasks, because Tanya Simakova was nearby. Difficulties began when she became the editor-in-chief of The Village. From that moment on, there was no longer a person at arm's length who would help orientate or answer the questions that arose, but what is even worse - I was left without emotional support.

For a long time I called Tanya. Despite her new job, she took the time to calm me down when I said, “This is just awful! I do not know what to do!" But with great responsibility came the ability to cope with serious tasks.

- Many subordinates were of the same age as you, or even older. Were you immediately perceived as a leader?

- This problem is not related to age, but to any career growth within the company. When a person with whom you started working on an equal footing becomes a leader, you cannot drastically change your attitude towards him. I've seen similar cases with people who were older than their subordinates, so it's not about how old you are. It's just that two people are accustomed to the fact that they are always there, and then one of them goes for a promotion, demands results and says that he can fire him. How so?

I had some difficulties with employees who are older than me, but in general I managed to find a common language with each in my own way. One was helped by inspiration, while another was helped by a clear statement of tasks. Some said that they were ready to trust, because they see how responsible I am: I am passionate about my work, I am late on the project and give it a lot of energy.

At the same time, it was not easy to build communication with adult colleagues from other media in order to attract them to a one-time project or establish regular cooperation. I have remembered the story for the rest of my life when a fifty-year-old man tried to get a job with us. He suggested inappropriate topics, and I said this very correctly. In response, the message came: "Who would say, the generation of diapers."

I have often come across a condescending attitude towards young professionals, but I think it is wrong. Young guys can do no less than people with experience.

They take at the expense of energy, responsibility and talent. Of course, this does not mean that young specialists can conquer any peak with just one pressure, but I would not advise to be skeptical about them.

- What helped to cultivate the core that is necessary for any manager?

- There were no problems with the education of responsibility: I always wanted to complete the task well, even if I had to go beyond my capabilities. This is an important character trait, but not always enough. To be a good manager, you need to learn how to make decisions - including unpopular ones that may upset or hurt someone. Such moments were hard for me, but experience helps to cope better and better.

Another important point is planning of its time. I realized what time management is only when I was appointed editor-in-chief. As a regular employee, you come to work, close tasks, and head home around 6pm. There were more tasks in the position of editor-in-chief, but every day I thought: "Nothing, I'll just leave a little later."

Over time, I realized that things don't end even at 10 pm, although I come an hour earlier. Each time I got out of the office with the thought that I had not had time to do a lot of everything. Life turned into one big job, so it was a very difficult period for me. I didn’t understand how to behave: I wanted to remain a good employee, but at the same time have some other life, besides the office.

Only conscious work on myself helped.

I told myself: “Yes, the problem has not been closed yet, but now you are going to lunch. You are human and you seem to need to eat. "

So I regained the ability to take small breaks, and then fully rest. And now I'm trying to improve my strategic planning skills and learn how to correctly allocate resources. I'm wondering how to get more work done in a shorter time frame and with fewer people.

“I tried to take on more responsibilities to show what I am worth”

- When did you first know about Lifehacker?

- I knew that the members of the publication team speak at various forums, but I did not consider myself a regular reader of Lifehacker. I really got interested in him at 404Fest. This is a Samara festival, which attracts media professionals, IT specialists and other talented guys. In 2018, Ilya Krasilshchik came, who represented Meduza, and the Lifehacker team was almost complete. Like any aspiring media manager, I really wanted to meet more experienced professionals.

I became interested in how big media work and what techniques I can apply in the work of my publication, so I approached the team every five minutes. And it struck me that the guys are very fair, openly and without any snobbery shared their experience, although my level at that time was much more modest. I received a huge amount of useful advice and became more interested in Lifehacker than before. But at that moment I did not even think about the fact that I could be inside the publication.

- How were you invited to work?

- Colleagues say that I asked a lot of questions on the forum, so I remember. They saw in me a keen interest in media and everything related to them.

A few months later, I was looking for ways to spread the word about Bolshoi Derevnya to even more people, so I decided to partner up with major publications. I wrote to all my friends from the big media, and one of them was Rodion Scriabin, Lifehacker's development director. I asked if the publication cooperates with regional media, and Rodion replied: “Yes. Maybe you will stop dealing with regional media? " This is how my story of immersion in Lifehacker began.

- On February 1, 2019, you began to serve as the chief editor of Lifehacker, and four months later you became the head of the publication. It's super speed. How did it happen?

- This is a difficult question. I think only the people who appointed me can answer it. From my side, the story looked like this: I came to Lifehacker, began to actively study all the processes and try to optimize the work where possible. It was important for me to pass the probationary period with dignity and make a good impression, so I tried to take on more responsibilities to show what I am worth.

Until the last day of the probationary period, I thought that I might not pass it, and I was terribly worried. But in the end it turned out that it worked out pretty well. Over time, I noticed that more and more cool and important tasks were entrusted to me, and then the editor-in-chief decided to leave the publication in order to go after her dream and go into the restaurant business. The place was vacated, and this position was offered to me. I immediately agreed, because I thought that I had already done quite a lot, which means that I can cope with this.

- What rules do you always adhere to as chief editor?

- I would like to say “Don't believe, don't be afraid, don't ask”, as in the song of the Tatu group, but these are the rules of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova. Probably, my instructions are - plan, distribute, count.

In the work of the editor-in-chief, it is very important to see the horizon - both near and far.

You need to imagine what will happen to you not only today, but also tomorrow. Moreover, one should closely observe how the team works. Everyone should be in his place and understand what is required of him. Last but not least, it's important to count the hours people spend on tasks and keep track of the numbers on the site.

- Who makes Lifehacker?

- At the start, it seemed to me that Lifehacker is a huge machine for the production of various projects. Now that I am inside, I can say that it is so. We have a very cool team out of almost 100 people. Most of them are authors who are located in different parts of Russia and even beyond its borders. For example, there is a wonderful Tonya Rubtsova who writes to us from Milan.

In addition to the authors, many other people work: from the employees of the department who make the best selections of products from AliExpress and from other stores to the guys who create podcasts. A team of editors from Ulyanovsk helps to produce cool texts. Regions are not usually expected to have a high level of editing, but I'm incredibly proud of our results.

- What needs to be done to become a part of the publication team?

- There are two ways to collaborate. The first is to write a column. To do this, go to the site section "about the project»And read our editorial policy, and then write to [email protected]. If you got a unique experience and want to share it with our readers, feel free to contact us. Our responsible editor will look at the text, and if we like it, he will help to finalize it.

And if you are a journalist and want to join the team, then write to our HR at [email protected]. It will take a short story about yourself and a few cool text ideas. Do not forget to mention your work experience, and if not, write it. The main thing is to speak honestly and clearly about your capabilities. Novice writers are often worried and give away everything about themselves except for the information they really need. I talked about this in more detail in my speech at the MEH & Co conference, which I prepared after viewing a million different resumes.

"We know exactly what the readers care about"

- Lifehacker has two offices - in Ulyanovsk and in Moscow. How do they work?

- Ulyanovsk is the birthplace of Lifehacker, and there is a large and bright open space here. After a small regional revision, I was amazed at the scale. Just imagine: you want to go to a huge room, and a colleague drives by on a scooter (!). Then I found out that scooters are rarely used here: basically everyone just works quietly. Also in Ulyanovsk there is a library, books from which any employee can take and read at home. I also really like that they take care of the environment here: they collect batteries and plastic, and then recycle.

The Moscow office appeared relatively recently - just two years ago. This is where the designers, the sales department and the commercial editorial staff are, thinking about how to write text that takes care of both the reader and the advertiser. I recently moved and also work in the capital.

There is not as much space here as in the Ulyanovsk office, and you cannot ride a scooter, but the space is still very cool and soulful. We have a small library, soft sofas, two meeting rooms and unlimited milk in coffee. True, you quickly stop paying attention to all this, because you only think about how to work harder and better.

- What does your workplace look like?

- This is the most minimalistic workplace on the planet. Every morning I come and put my gadgets on the table. In the evening I take everything away, so that only a perfectly smooth table remains. As a child, I didn't like to clean, so I was always surrounded by a bunch of rubbish. Now I try to destroy it at the root - I just don't post anything extra, so as not to create a mess. My maximum is a laptop, phone, headphones and a glass of water.

- The site publishes about 30 articles a day. Who generates text ideas and how?

- We have a huge team, which is divided into small groups of authors and editors. The latter help you choose cool topics. Every month we monitor the interests of our readers to better understand them. In addition, we have weekly reports from which we evaluate which topics have covered the best.

At the end of the month, each author draws up an individual work plan, and the editor helps to correct it. When global events are on the horizon, for example New Year, to which there is always an increased interest, we are going to a separate planning meeting, generate topics, and then give them to the authors. Distribution is always discussed, because it is important for us that the work on the text brings pleasure to the journalist.

In addition, we have a news department that monitors the agenda on a daily basis.

- What texts get the most views?

- Texts with a cool title and a beautiful cover. Very often people begin to tell that the main thing is good content, but in reality everything is not quite so. First of all, you need to focus on the attractive packaging, and only then on the filling that will not disappoint the reader.

Lifehacker is a site with a huge audience: we are read by 25 million people a month. We cover the widest range of people and know exactly what readers care about. Most often these are tips applicable in real life, and not abstract materials about scientific and cultural phenomena. The latter can also collect a lot of views, but they are always inferior to articles that help you quickly find an answer to an urgent question and overcome complexity, even a very small one. For example, get rid of a wine stain on a shirt.

- Doesn't the realization that you work for such a large audience make you be careful and not do what you could?

- I would not say that a large audience constrains. Rather, it sets a certain format of work to which you need to get used to. When you write for 25 million, it's impossible to speak only for the insider, as is done in niche media. In addition, since we always focus on the widest circle of readers, we try to choose the correct intonation that will not offend anyone and at the same time help convey information.

- What are your favorite articles on Lifehacker?

- There are many of them, so it's hard for me to choose. They became loved for a variety of reasons. For example, somehow I worked with a new author and his very first article on the site got 500,000 views. This material is about signs that you have thyroid disease. Of course, I treat the text with particular warmth, because this is the case when we gave a new person the opportunity to touch upon a useful topic and speak out to a huge audience.

I love the columns that guest authors and editors write. For example, one of my favorites - about the origin of races from Stanislav Drobyshevsky. I also love the "Cinema" section and often spend a long time in it, because Lyosha Khromov writes thoughtful and serious reviews. I especially like his analytical texts, for example, about why the controversy around black mermaid stupid and contrived.

I like story Ia Zorina about how she writes about sports. This is a super-inspiring story of a man who walks on his hands, flips tires from KamAZ and does 100 kilograms push-ups. And I also want to note the material by Natasha Kopylova, who regularly writes about the economy and financial life hacks. She told how closed the mortgage in a short time, using the advice that she herself gives to readers. This is material that clearly shows that Lifehacker's texts really change life for the better.

And of course, I have a very fond attitude towards the project "Auto-da-fe", Where we talk about everything we don't like. It is difficult to single out any text here - each of them is special. This is a big project supervised by our editor Oksana Zapevalova - she is very cool and talented. And thanks to her, you have the opportunity to become our author by subscribing to the newsletter "Initial». In our weekly emails, we share the secrets of writing and editing.

"I believe that life is not equal to work"

- How is your standard working day?

- There are two scenarios in which it can develop. I worked from home for a long time and I still prefer to stay in the apartment from time to time. In this case, I just open my laptop, and tasks add up to me, and in the evening I wake up and think: “What? Is the day gone? How fast!"

If I go to the office, I find myself there at about 10 am, but I start working even earlier, because my colleagues from Ulyanovsk have a different time zone and there is an hour more than in Moscow. I try to answer most of the questions, and then I sit down at my office desk, open my laptop and dive into big tasks.

Part of my working day is always devoted to planning: I look at the tasks of the authors, study our plans for the month, do the strategy or review the reports. Besides, there is always a place to work with people. When you occupy a leadership position, there is a temptation not to communicate with anyone and to sit in your office. But this does not work: there are always questions that need to be solved right now, or a text that needs to be viewed with the editor.

The tasks are always different: working on a Lifehacker's book, launching a new project, planning meetings, making phone calls one-on-one. The latter are needed to track the emotional background of colleagues and understand how they are doing.

- Where do you go after work?

- The day can end in different ways - it all depends on the tasks. I try to finish work no later than eight in the evening. It may look strange in the worldview of many media people who are used to living seven days a week and recreation, but at some point I realized that without a break I would not be able to work normally. I'd better come early and work on tasks without interruption, but in the evening I can devote time to my family: bake trout, talk to my husband.

Before, I always went home immediately after work, but a few months ago I moved to Moscow and the schedule changed a lot. Now I often go to some kind of conference where I can talk to my colleagues from the media and learn a little better how everything works. I want to learn and get to know everyone, but I still try to leave at least an hour when I am awake, at home and doing something relaxing, for example, watching Yulik's reviews on YouTube.

- Do you adhere to the principles of time management to keep up with everything?

- I like the theme with the "tomato" timer, when you are not distracted by anything for a fixed time, and then you make a small break. As a rule, I come to work and immediately immerse myself in tasks. If I switch from one to the other, be sure to write it down in my google-dock under the name "To Do List" so that I don't forget anything.

I try to keep as little information as possible in my head, so there are already 30 pages in the helper list. There are even cases from the category of "remind something", "ask about that". Surprisingly, if you fix even the smallest tasks, life becomes easier and projects close faster.

Another rule: do not reply to work emails on weekends - at least by mail. I still communicate in messengers, because I'm afraid to miss something important.

I put my phone on airplane mode at night, so if there is a fire, no one will get through to me.

This is probably bad, but on the other hand, it really helps me get enough sleep. I don't want to turn into a zombie by answering messages even at night. It may not sound very effective and inspiring, but I believe that life does not equal work. Sometimes you need to rest - at least a little.

- What services, applications and gadgets help you in your daily life and work?

- We organize the work of the editorial office in Google Docs and Google Sheets, and we plan in Trello. These seem to be standard tools used by almost everyone in the media. I know a bunch of other services, but I deliberately don't use them, because what I have is enough for me.

In terms of technology, I love Apple. Sounds loud, but these are just handy tools that I'm used to. It is unlikely that now I will quickly be able to switch to something else. I have no applications other than social networks installed. Sometimes programs appear for processing photos and a video to post something cool on Instagram, but nothing more.

- What, besides the media, fascinates you now?

- There are many things that I'm interested in doing: cooking, fishing, reading. My husband even named a strict limit on the number of books that I can take with me when moving from Samara to Moscow - only four. The choice was not easy!

I am a relatively recent Muscovite, so I like to walk around the city. Colleagues laugh, because after moving to Moscow, it seems, you should go to bars and hang out, and I wander around museums like the last nerd, and I'm very interested. This is a cool leisure time that can give a lot of impressions. Of the latter, I especially liked the Museum of Cosmonautics and the Burganov House.

Life hacking from Polina Nakrainikova

Books

Any with a lot of cool stories, and it doesn't matter if it's about science pop or fiction. If you like science: “I, you, he, she and other perverts"And"The structure of scientific revolutions». If you advise artistic: “Laurel», «Petrovs in and around the flu», «Golden donkey», «Red and black», «Madame Bovary», «Elixirs of Satan"- in general, a solid philological faculty.

Films and series

Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, 12 Angry Men, Television, Stringer. From what very much hurt - "Purgatory" (just do not watch it at night). And if you want something nice, watch Philomena, a very cool story about acceptance and forgiveness.

My all-time favorite TV show is BoJack Horseman, and OK, with comedian Jim Jeffries, did pretty well.

Podcasts

«Look who's Talking»! No other answer is possible in my universe.