In this edition of Workflow, we have Jessica Li, Investor at Soma Capital & Head of Content at Elpha, talking about working from quarantine in New Jersey and standing desks.
Workflow is an interview series by Balance the Grind to get a glimpse into people’s working styles and workspaces. If you’re interested in sharing your workflow, submit it here!
Describe what you do: Full time, I am an investor at Soma Capital where I evaluate new seed stage opportunities, support our portfolio companies, develop co-investor relationships, create founder resources, and help with our own fundraise and LP communications.
Outside of Soma Capital, I head content for Elpha (community of 26K+ women in tech), Harvard in Tech, Techstars Boston Startup Digest, and Emerging Venture Capitalist Association (600 pre-GP people). I am also an entrepreneur in residence with Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs.
How do you like your coffee: I like Four Sigmatic’s mushroom coffee. Beyond that, I drink Celsius Fit as a pre-workout and take caffeine pills.
Device(s) you use: My laptop is primarily a MacBook Pro, and I have the iPhone XR.
Describe your working style in one sentence: My working style centers around the principles of timely response and streamlined execution.
What does your workspace look like: I am currently at home in the suburbs of New Jersey during quarantine. I have a standing desk (I do not use a chair ever) with my laptop and a notebook mounted on it. I am facing a window through which I can see tons of nature (seeing green helps me stay focused and balanced).
How does your workspace affect your creative process: Standing upright (i.e. having a standing desk) has helped me think more clearly. Facing two big windows and looking out toward nature has provided a greater sense of peace.
I also love organization and need to have an uncluttered room, so my desk is quite minimalist. I tend to like overhead lights better since they are less glaring and direct, so that workspace choice has helped me work better as well.
I always need water nearby and usually have collagen tea, a superfood smoothie, and coffee in the morning on my desk. In this era of remote work, I actually work in the same room as my bedroom, but have surprisingly not found this too challenging.
I am someone who loves working and being “on” all day, so I have actually found more energy from combining work and life instead of feeling burnout.
Do you have a favourite playlist for work: I find it hard to focus when music is playing in the background, but anything Yiruma or Bandari is great to play softly. I also like any kind of focus beats. In the morning, when exercising, I listen to tons of podcasts and have a playlist of some of my favorite shows that I go through.
Who would you like to nominate for the next workflow interview: Uka Battulga, Investment Banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley.
Before you go…
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