Contrary to popular opinion, Editor Bill Hudgins does not spend all day looking for weird news on the Web. It finds him. His days are also filled with donkeys, time on Facebook and a comfy chair with a warm cat.

What is the first thing you do when you get in the office each morning?
My day starts early—around 5 most days (That’s me with an early bird, a Harris Hawk, at left). Breakfast first, always, accompanied by TV news and checking email, Dilbert, Calvin & Hobbes, Facebook, and the news online. Handle any overnight business, send emails to clients or designers or writers as needed. Feed our foster-care horses and donkeys, play with cats and welcome the day—definitely a morning person whose ideas come early. I spend about 40 minutes commuting and use the cell phone only when I must.

First thing at the office: Switch on computer, get coffee and catch up on what’s happened since breakfast. If I haven’t already, figure out a plan for the day—if other things don’t interrupt. Plans are useless, but planning is essential.

What’s your favorite non-electric tool you use for work?
Sticky notes. I use stickies at home and office to capture fleeting ideas and to-dos, to remind me of obligations and appointments. They have almost replaced my “back-of-hand Pilot.”

Which meal fuels you better for the day, breakfast or lunch?
Breakfast, definitely. Morning guy all the way. Coffee and either oatmeal with fruit and nuts, or toast, cottage cheese and fruit. When I travel and have to be going all day, I go the bacon and eggs and grits and biscuits route. Lunch makes me sleepy.

Do you doodle while on the phone or in meetings? What do you doodle?
Some times at meetings. Rarely when I am on the phone. Usually I am multi-tasking and the keyboard is tempting.

How do you divide your time each day between projects? Do you set aside specific hours to work on certain things, or do you just play it by ear and see what needs the most attention?
I’ve never been able to consistently block out time for only one task. Sometimes when I am desperate, I turn off the phone and set email to check every 30 minutes to an hour. If I have to read a book for research or a review, I usually have to do that at home; there are too many incoming distractions at the office, and the chairs at home are more comfortable for that. I am thinking of bringing a reading chair to the office, but it will seem bare without a cat in it.