🧰 what this is
a living inventory of the tools, apps, devices, subscriptions, and digital scaffolding i use to make things, organize myself, work, play, read, pray, and occasionally pretend i have my life arranged in neat little drawers.
this is not meant to be a perfect productivity shrine. it is more like a tool shed with labels.
🖥️ hardware / equipment
main machines
- mac mini m1 2021
- macbook pro m2 2022
- i know how to use windows if i have to, but i don’t
input / desk tools
- wacom cintiq 16 drawing tablet
- keychron k5 se keyboard
- logitech mx master 3s mouse
reading devices
- kindle scribe
- kindle reader on iphone
- kobo books on iphone
🧠 core productivity
automation / launchers / utilities
- alfred 5.5 mega
- does a ton of stuff
- launcher, snippets, workflows, clipboard, search butler, tiny command bunker
- default folder x
- finder utility
- helps with file navigation and save/open dialogs
- mosaic
- window organization
- forklift
- file management and transfers
- folx
- file transfers / downloads
writing / communication helpers
- office 365
- documents, spreadsheets, presentations, email-adjacent chaos
- grammarly
- helps me write gooder
- mate translate
- translation helper
contacts / time / tracking
- busycontacts
- contact list manager
- timing
- time tracking
- mindnode
- mind maps
security / privacy
🎨 design / adobe tools
- adobe acrobat
- adobe illustrator
- adobe indesign
- adobe lightroom
- adobe photoshop
- adobe fonts / adobe type
🖼️ art / images / creativity
art-making
ai / prompt-based image work
- chatgpt image tools
- image generation experiments
- prompt archives
- reference images
- iteration notes
in order of usage:
image editing / enhancement
- adobe lightroom
- adobe photoshop
- luminar neo
- apple photos
- squash
capture / sharing
- gyazo
- good for sharing screenshots in second life
✉️ email
- gmail
- spark mail
- not my favorite :(
✅ gtd / personal systems
- chatgpt
- custom dashboard setup
- task sorting
- decision support
- writing help
- chaos containment
- obsidian
- vault
- notes
- maps
- daily logs
- digital garden source material
🗓️ calendar
🌐 web / site tools
site platforms
digital garden stack
- obsidian
- quartz
- dreamhost
- ssh
- rsync
- deploy scripts
- custom scss
web checking / monitoring
coding / editing / file handling
- coderunner
- forklift
- terminal
- nano, when everything gets dramatic
hosting
- dreamhost
- been with them for a million years
📝 notes
☁️ cloud storage
🙏 spirituality
🎮 gaming
expand this later.
- steam
- iphone games
🌍 second life
💸 subscriptions
🧠 why these tools work for me
the best tools reduce friction.
they help with:
- fewer clicks
- less hunting
- clearer folders
- faster search
- better visual control
- less tab-switching
- fewer “where did i put that” spirals
- more direct movement from idea to finished thing
tools are useful when they make the next step easier. the best ones disappear into the workflow. the worst ones sit there wearing a tiny productivity hat while quietly creating seventeen new chores.
🧪 tools to evaluate
- better bulk image resizing workflow
- better screenshot annotation workflow
- better wordpress backup / staging checklist
- better prompt archive system
- better asset collection system
- better way to track fonts and brand assets
- subscriptions i pay for but might not need
- apps i would immediately reinstall on a new mac
🧩 possible ways to expand this later
by use-case
- what i use daily
- what i use for work
- what i use for art
- what i use for chaos garden
- what i use for second life
- what i use for reading
- what i use for prayer
- what i use for file wrangling
by status
- essential
- nice to have
- occasional
- trial / uncertain
- should review
- could cancel
by friction level
- smooth and helpful
- powerful but fussy
- useful but annoying
- i keep this because apparently i enjoy suffering
- replace someday
🧭 connections
- chaos-garden
- gtd
- digital-garden-tools
- creative-tools
- work-systems
- second-life-tools
- things-that-help-me-function
- quartz
- ai-artists
- map-art-explorations
🏦 legal ritual
- you have arrived at the link layer. please keep your limbs inside the experience at all times.
- some links on this site are affiliate links. if you click and make a purchase, i may receive a small commission. this does not increase the price you pay.
- as an amazon associate i earn from qualifying purchases.
- the ritual is complete. you may now browse with mild consequences.
🧺 loose scraps
- tool shelf, not tool shrine
- software as tiny furniture for the brain
- friction reducers
- useful machines
- things that help me start
- things that help me finish
- tools that are secretly tiny prisons