What's on your desk, Sarah Smithers?

"As senior editorial coordinator, Sarah Smithers wears a lot of hats here at The Verge. "The simplest way to put it," she says, "is that I handle our operations and administrative tasks. Every day is a little bit different. I onboard new employees, send contracts to freelancers (and make sure they get paid), approve expenses, book travel for my coworkers, handle most of our business purchases, and help track our budget.""

"I live in Jersey City with my husband, Aleks, and our two dogs, Ned and Olive. We bought our rowhouse in late 2018. My office is on the second floor. It's supposed to be the third bedroom, but it's pretty small - about 8 x 9 feet. Prior to the pandemic, this was just a bonus room that we called "the reading room" or "the little purple room" because it housed a bookshelf, a chair, and some plants. We also used it for storage."

"My husband and I built my desk together. It was about 95 percent him, but he did hand over the nail gun towards the end and show me where to point and shoot. We went with a custom build primarily because space is an issue. We anchored the bookshelf to the wall when we first moved in - I even painted around it, so there's just a sad white wall behind it."

Sarah Smithers is senior editorial coordinator at The Verge and manages operations and administrative tasks. Daily responsibilities include onboarding new employees, sending contracts and ensuring freelancer payments, approving expenses, booking travel, handling business purchases, and tracking the budget. She lives in Jersey City with her husband Aleks and two dogs, Ned and Olive, in a rowhouse purchased in late 2018. Her office occupies a converted small third bedroom on the second floor, approximately 8 by 9 feet. The room formerly functioned as a reading room with a bookshelf and plants. She and her husband built a custom desk to maximize limited space.

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