Tools I Use

Keeps my passwords safe and works seamlessly across all my devices.

It also stores licence keys, passport details and all the other important information I’d otherwise put somewhere “safe” and never find again.

I use Wispr Flow for practically everything.

In some months, I’ve apparently been among its top 1% of users. Impressive or concerning, depending on how you look at it.

I even used it to write (or, more accurately, dictate) this page.

The first app I install on any new Mac.

I use custom workflows, keyboard shortcuts, clipboard history and enough other features that using a Mac without Alfred feels like somebody has hidden half the controls.

I find it difficult to live without Magnet.

It makes arranging windows on a Mac quick and predictable, rather than an activity involving careful dragging and steadily increasing irritation.

On locked-down work computers, I've sometimes fallen back to Rectangle⁠ (opens in a new tab). A very capable free alternative.

Emoji, without the faff.

Fast. Reliable. One of the first things I install on a new Mac.

Apparently, selecting a tiny picture from a menu was still too laborious for me.

A tiny app that keeps my Mac awake.

It does one job. Does it well. Stops my computer nodding off halfway through something important.

Okay, not technically software. But regular coaching sessions with Jim at Mindtality are something I genuinely rely on.

My to-do list app of choice.

At this point, I should probably move to a database tool such as Notion. I remain firmly attached to Things.

I use it for much more than tasks. Present ideas, quotations and miscellaneous things I need to remember all live there.

I particularly love how everything revolves around the deceptively optimistic question of what I’m going to complete today.

Where all my podcasts live.

It works brilliantly with Sonos, has a generous collection of useful features and rewarded my early support with a lifetime membership.

Its one weakness is sharing. It sends people Pocket Casts links and those people invariably use a different podcast app.

Their loss, presumably.

I read a lot of books.

And when I say read, I mostly mean listen to.

Audible is my go-to app for turning journeys, chores and otherwise unproductive moments into reading time.

My go-to app for live sports scores.

It tells me what’s happening when I can’t watch (and occasionally when watching would be too stressful anyway).

Where I do most of my design work.

I’ve committed so many of its shortcuts and peculiarities to muscle memory that moving to another design tool would probably result in a temporary loss of productivity (and identity).

Where work conversations happen.

I particularly like the extensions, plugins and Canvases. Together, they allow Slack to function as a chat app, documentation system and somewhere to lose a message I definitely remember reading.

Where I build things.

It helps me build things considerably faster than I have any right to, as a designer.

My preferred AI assistant for work.

I use it for writing, thinking and developing ideas. Occasionally, it confirms that the solution I had five minutes ago was far more complicated than it needed to be.

Brilliant at images and video, and just as handy for everyday questions as the bigger AI assistants.

It's no longer the cheap option, but the quality more than earns its place.

My preferred tool for researching things on the internet.

Particularly useful when I need an answer built from sources, rather than a confident paragraph that may or may not have been assembled from vibes.

Where I host code and side projects.

It also helps me keep the various AIs I use in sync. Increasingly important now that half my projects involve several artificial colleagues who never speak to one another.

My preferred podcast recording studio.

I like its automations, syndication features and, most importantly, how little explanation guests need before joining a recording.

I’m currently learning chess.

That might not technically count as learning a language, but I’m maintaining the streak… which is obviously the important bit.

Keeps my files and preferences synchronised across my Macs.

I’ve used it for so long that leaving would probably require a formal migration programme.

Its unique selling point seems to diminish every year, but we have history. I was also a committed Dropbox Paper user before Slack Canvases came along and quietly took its place.

My preferred time tracking software.

It’s free and provides just enough insight to be genuinely useful without turning the recording of work into more work.

I used Harvest for years, but moving to Clockify delivered meaningful cost savings and better insights.

The amount of value it offers for free remains slightly suspicious.

The bank that made banking apps good.

Monzo was one of the first UK banks that felt genuinely modern, with a user experience seemingly designed by people who had used a banking app before.

My occasional tool for connecting apps and devices through automations.

I don’t use it as heavily as I once did, but it remains useful when I want two unrelated pieces of technology to cooperate without getting personally involved.

Music in every room.

It lets me fill the house with music (or the same podcast in several rooms) without building an elaborate audio system myself.

My preferred music streaming platform.

I particularly like the lyrics and multi-user functionality of the family plan. It prevents everybody’s musical choices from completely destroying one another’s recommendations.

My console of choice.

I’ve recently been playing Animal Crossing and have successfully introduced my six-year-old daughter, Maple, to it too.

This means I can now classify playing games as family time.

My podcasting microphone.

It’s the smaller, more approachable relative of the professional SM7B, with both USB and XLR connectivity.

I settled on the hybrid model because it comfortably meets my amateur podcasting needs while still making me sound like I know what I’m doing.

My wall clock of choice.

It’s a proper calendar flip clock and something I’d wanted from a surprisingly young age.

Some children dream about sports cars. Apparently, I dreamt about knowing the date from across the room.

My pencil sharpener of choice, even if it cost me a small fortune.

I bought it as a memento of a trip to San Francisco, and it takes me straight back there every time I use it. It also happens to be a very, very good pencil sharpener.

The earphones I nearly didn't buy.

The noise cancellation is excellent, they work effortlessly across the Apple ecosystem and they’re genuinely among the best earphones I’ve owned.

I initially resisted buying them because of the slightly showy stigma.

Turns out I was mostly depriving myself of good headphones.

A trackpad is essential to my Mac setup.

I’ve owned the original and second-generation models. I mainly wanted the USB-C version so I could finally reduce the number of Lightning cables lurking around my desk.

My home Wi-Fi runs on UniFi equipment:

• CloudKey Gen2⁠ (opens in a new tab)
• U6 Long-Range⁠ (opens in a new tab)
• U7 In-Wall⁠ (opens in a new tab)

This is probably more networking hardware than most homes need.

But reliable Wi-Fi is one of those things you only appreciate after spending an entire weekend fixing unreliable Wi-Fi.

My Vaillant ecoTEC boiler is connected to a gateway, allowing me to control and automate it from my phone.

An entirely unnecessary level of technical involvement in producing hot water.

Right up until I remember I can turn the heating on without leaving the sofa.

I'm locked into the yellow battery ecosystem.

I’m fully committed to the battery ecosystem now, so every new power tool (and increasingly every garden tool) has to be DeWalt.

This is less about brand loyalty. More about avoiding nine incompatible battery chargers.

An interchangeable screwdriver set that's genuinely brilliant. Precise, grippy, easy to use.

You don't need a screwdriver often, but every time I do, this one makes me unreasonably happy.

I put up with cheap grips for years. Then I bought Knipex and never looked back.

Like the Wera set, they're a joy to use. Turns out the problem was never my technique.