Tools that I use
We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us
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We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us
- Father John Culkin
I’m keeping things light this week with a list of tools and services I use daily.
Calendar. I have tried several calendar apps: Cron (Notion Calendar), Amie and Rise. I use Amie regularly now. They have also blended the email, to-do and calendar together. I do not blend them the same way (I do not find it helpful); maybe I should! I have yet to try Hey Calendar.
To-do: I have been using Things for a long time. I put all that I need to do in there, assign the date, and never think of it again until the said date. Such a great app!
Notes: I use Obsidian for electronic notes (I wrote a post about taking notes.) For everything else (during meetings or when I need time to think and reflect), I use Baronfig Notebook and Muji pens.
Journaling: Something that I have started doing recently regularly. I primarily use DayOne; just started playing around with Journal and Pile.
Video & Screenshots: I use CleanShot (screenshots and voice-less recordings) and Loom (short educational videos.) Both are amazing.
Email: I use Superhuman. $30/month is very expensive. I have not found an email client I enjoy using, so I keep returning. I have tried Hey, but have not considered switching.
People: I use Clay to keep in touch with people and be more thoughtful about my relationships.
Command Switcher: I switched to Raycast from Alfred a few years ago and never looked back. I rarely touch the trackpad and do everything through Raycast.
Password Management: I have been a 1Password user for as long as I can remember. I am not the biggest fan of their latest UI, but a big fan of the service.
Diagrams: I create all diagrams in Figma, a habit I picked up while learning Figma to work better with designers.
Browser: I started using Arc while it was still in beta and never looked back. A much better experience than Chrome with familiar DevTools.
Terminal: I have been using iTerm2 for years until Alacritty came out. The performance is what made me switch.
Git: I use the Git command line tool to work with the code. I sometimes need to look at a big diff, and that’s when Fork comes in handy. Very fast, great UI. One of the best $50 I have spent.
Diffs: I use Kaleidoscope for Git (merge conflicts), text, image, and folder changes.
Text editors: I primarily use NeoVim (an old habit which warrants a separate story.) When I explore code, I use VSCode or GoLand. I have played around with Zed and Fleet.
Databases: I have been using TablePlus before I found DataGrip. Both are great; I am gravitating towards DataGrip, though.