The tools I actually use

People ask me about tools a lot. What do I use for scheduling? What about invoicing? How do I manage my calendar without losing my mind?

For a long time I answered these questions one conversation at a time. Then I realized I was having the same conversation over and over, which is usually a sign that something wants to be written down.

So I wrote it down.

My tools page is my honest answer to the question: What do you actually use? Not what I have tried or used in the past, not what I want to try, not what a client is using. But what is open on my screen on a regular Tuesday.

A few things worth knowing before you look at it.

There is no perfect tool

Most tools come with tradeoffs, and most companies hold values we would at least partly question if we looked closely enough. Not a reason to stop being thoughtful. It is a reason to make the best choice available to you right now, with the capacity and resources you actually have, and let that be enough.

There is a lot of noise in this space about which tools are ethical, which platforms deserve our money, and which companies align with our values. I do take that seriously. I also hold it in contrast to my needs, my business needs and my resources. Where you land on that will be different from where I land, and that is fine. No judgment here.

Some tools are personal

I have been using Grammarly for years as a form of assistive technology. Editing is not a preferred activity for my brain. Most days, my ideas are there, but my brain just moves faster than my fingers, and it is just me to catch the unfinished thoughts and typos along the way. I included it on the list because I think it is worth naming that tools can serve us in ways that go beyond productivity. Some of them are just how we get the work and our ideas out of our heads and into the world.

The list will keep changing

A regenerative practice includes revisiting what you keep, what you compost and what you let in. Some tools on this list I have used for years. Some are relatively new. Some I have returned to. Here’s looking at you, Notion. I note the difference where it matters.

There is also a section on tools I am considering transitioning towards, including a long-running exploration of what it would look like to de-Google my business. That one is still in progress.

On AI: it is notably absent from the list. That is intentional, and I wrote a note about it on the page. The short version is that I am skeptical and still trying to figure it out. And really, do we need something to speed up our lives even more???

If you are in the middle of building or simplifying your own stack, the list might give you something useful. And if you find yourself wondering how I decide whether a tool is worth adding in the first place, I put that thinking into a checklist you can download below. Before you add anything new to your stack, it helps to know whether you are solving a real problem or just a restless one.

Download the checklist here and find out.

Hope this helps even a bit in sorting through all the options.

Here's to imagining what is possible…

Have a thought, a question, or a moment of recognition while reading this? I'd love to hear from you. Connect with me here.

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