Seems like on the socials people go over the top with ’the BEST way to be productive is…".

In large groups, more complex systems arise depending on a project’s needs. However, working alone frees me up to get things very lean.

The reality is that 6 things are needed to ship a project:

  • Todo app (Todoist): Kanban board with project tasks + notes
  • Calendar (Apple Calendar)
  • Notes app (Obsidian / Apple Notes - previously used Evernote and Notion): Thoughts + resources + diagrams + documentation
  • Email client (Apple Mail / Gmail web)
  • Code editor + terminal (VS Code)
  • Browser (Edge …on Mac!)

Tools come and go, I prefer to use a system like Getting Things Done (GTD) to stay organised and Shape-up as a development framework.

The key aspects for me are:

  • The ability to access and update my system wherever I am
    • Robust and stable apps that can be used on mobile, desktop and web
    • Handoff/syncing between devices
  • Integration of
    • Email client calendar with my desktop and phone calendar
    • Todo app with all calendars

This setup enables me to be the most effective, capture inspiration, manage my time and ship.