2024 February Setup

Here is an update of my current load-out (some have respective links to Amazon, that help defray some of the hosting costs and get me more play money to purchase cool, new gear) for the month of February:

macOS

iOS / iPadOS

  • Podcast App - With Castro now under new ownership, this is tentatively my primary podcast listening application. We will see what the future holds…I might have to move to Overcast
  • Camera App - Halide
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes - Agile Tortoise will be releasing their (Simple Scan)[https://agiletortoise.com/simple-scan/] application soon and, after I test it, I might be moving to this application.

iOS and macOS

  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - Great application that has been very useful when I was tracking shipments I have been sending out for a few projects I have been working on.
  • Calendar App - Calendar.app
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder connected to FreshRSS.
  • Read Later Application - Goodlink
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Note-Taking App - Drafts - If a more complex workflow is needed for the note I took, it resides in drafts.
  • Mastodon Application - Ivory - After moving most of my social media presence to Mastodon and Facebook, Ivory has become my go-to application on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
  • Social Media - Threads

Hardware

MISC

2024-01 Hardware and Software Picks

Here is an update of my current load-out (some have respective links to Amazon, that help defray some of the hosting costs and get me more play money to purchase cool, new gear):

macOS

  • Task Manager - Things + Reminders - I am using Reminders for shared family tasks and Things is now part of my workflow thanks to this guide: https://productivewithapurpose.com/2019/05/21/the-fu-master-productivity-checklist-using-things3/. I am testing Omnifocus 4, too, to see if it is something I might add to my workflow to replace Things. The Omni Group recently released version 4 and it looks like a great app!
  • Text Editor - BBEdit - I am fully invested in BBEdit as my text editor (with VIM being used while remotely connected to my remote instances). With the recent update to version 15, they have added ChatGPT integration (BYOApi Key).
  • Terminal App - Terminal - It is always nice to use the built-in applications as they are present on all macOS devices.
  • Automation App - Hazel
  • Online Backup Service - Backblaze
  • Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS / iPadOS

  • Podcast App - I have moved back to Mimir and I am not using Castro anymore as they have had multiple outages with slow responses on social media to let their users know what is going on.
  • Camera App - Halide - The best (IMHO) camera app on iOS.
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes

iOS and macOS

  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - Great application that has been very useful when I was tracking shipments I have been sending out for a few projects I have been working on.
  • Calendar App - Calendar.app
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder connected to FreshRSS.
  • Read Later Application - Goodlink
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Note-Taking App - Drafts - If a more complex workflow is needed for the note I took, it resides in drafts.
  • Mastodon Application - Ivory - After moving most of my social media presence to Mastodon and Facebook, Ivory has become my go-to application on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
  • Social Media - Threads

Hardware

MISC

2023 October Software and Hardware Load-Out

An update on my current load-out (some have respective links to Amazon, that helps defray some of the hosting costs and gets me more play money to purchase cool, new gear):

macOS

  • Task Manager - GoodTask + Reminders - GoodTask is still my favorite task manager as it integrates with Reminders and can be as powerful as I want it to be (very customizable). I have started to utilize Things a bit and I keep returning to GoodTask.
  • Text Editor - Nova + BBEdit - Depending on the situation, I am switching between Nova and BBEdit…both are great applications.
  • Terminal App - Terminal - It is always nice to use the built in applications as they present on all macOS devices.
  • Automation App - Hazel
  • Online Backup Service - Backblaze
  • Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS / iPadOS

  • Podcast App - Castro - I am very glad that the Castro podcast app has received updates and it looks like it is under development again so I switched back to it. The way the inbox functionality works in the app lines up with how I would like to use the application.
  • Camera App - Halide - The best (IMHO) camera app on iOS.
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes
  • Game - Magic Arena - Too many games to list right now! I have cut down on my gaming time to focus on creating more content.
  • Game - Dawncaster

iOS and macOS

  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - This application was a life-saver during the holiday season in helping me keep track of gifts being shipped all over the world.
  • Calendar App - Calendar.app
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder
  • Read Later Application - Reeder
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Note Taking App - Drafts - If a more complex workflow is needed for the note I took, it resides in drafts. If only a simple copy and paste is needed, I utilize Tot.
  • Mastodon Application - Ivory - After moving most of my social media presence to Mastodon and Facebook, Ivory has become my go-to application on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
  • Social Media - Threads

Hardware

MISC

2023 July Gear and Software Picks

A July update to my current gear and software:

macOS

  • Task Manager - GoodTask + Reminders - GoodTask is still my favorite task manager as it integrates with Reminders and can be as powerful as I want it to be (very customizable).
  • Text Editor - Nova + BBEdit - Depending on the situation, I am switching between Nova and BBEdit…both are great applications.
  • Terminal App - Terminal - It is always nice to use the built in applications as they present on all macOS devices.
  • Automation App - Hazel
  • Online Backup Service - Backblaze
  • Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS / iPadOS

  • Reddit App - Apollo - Since Apollo is now gone due to Reddits very developer-hostile API changes, this app has been retired since 6/30. If you want to still support the developer, head over to Apollo Website, as this app was a nice chunk of his income.
  • Podcast App - Mimir - Fantastic support and the app works really well (it helps the app is a part of Setapp, too). Mimir is now my primary podcast app and is continuously being improved.
  • Camera App - Halide - The best (IMHO) camera app on iOS.
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes
  • Game - Magic Arena - Too many games to list right now! I have cut down on my gaming time to focus on creating more content.

iOS and macOS

  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - This application was a life-saver during the holiday season in helping me keep track of gifts being shipped all over the world.
  • Calendar App - Calendar.app
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder
  • Read Later Application - Reeder
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Quick Note App - Tot
  • Note Taking App - Obsidian - I might be moving over to just utlizing Tot, for now, and using something like iA Writer when I need to write long articles in markdown.
  • Mastodon Application - Ivory - After moving most of my social media presence to Mastodon and Facebok, Ivory has become my go-to application on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Hardware

MISC

2023 January Load-Out

An update on my current load-out:

macOS

  • Task Manager - GoodTask + Reminders - GoodTask is still my favorite task manager as it integrates with Reminders.
  • Text Editor - Nova - Also using BBEDIT…torn between these two! (This hasn’t changed)
  • Terminal App - Terminal - It is always nice to use the built in applications as they present on all macOS devices.
  • Automation App - Hazel
  • Online Backup Service - Backblaze
  • Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS

  • Reddit App - Apollo
  • Podcast App - Mimir - Fantastic support and the app works really well. Mimir is now my primary podcast app and is continuously being improved.
  • Camera App - Halide - The best (IMHO) camera app on iOS.
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes
  • Game - Magic Arena - Too many games to list right now! I have cut down on my gaming time to focus on creating more content.

iOS and macOS

  • Twitter App - Tweetbot - I am starting to test the Spring Twitter application per a recommendation from a colleague. I am still formulating my thoughts about it!
  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - This application was a life-saver during the holiday season in helping me keep track of gifts being shipped all over the world.
  • Calendar App - Calendar.app - I have been utilizing more of standard built-in iOS applications so BusyCal has taken a backseat for now. We will see if I return to that application or possibly Fantastical.
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder
  • Read Later Application - Reeder
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Quick Note App - Tot
  • Note Taking App - Obsidian - Obsidian not only lets me take notes it functions as a task manager and many more thing due to the plugins that are available. It is also cross-platform and runs very well. I have not decided if this application will be part of my permanent workflow.

Hardware

MISC

2022 November Favorites

An update to the tools I use:

macOS

  • Task Manager - GoodTask + Reminders - Sticking with GoodTask and Reminders for now. I moved over to Omnifocus for a while and fiddled around too much with the settings versus actually using it as a tool.
  • Text Editor - Nova - Also using BBEdit…torn between these two!
  • Terminal App - Terminal - I have been using iTerm and continue to return to Terminal.app as it is on all the macOS devices I use.
  • Automation App - Hazel
  • Online Backup Service - Backblaze
  • Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS

  • Reddit App - Apollo
  • Podcast App - Mimir - Fantastic support and the app works really well. Mimir is now my primary podcast app!
  • Camera App - Halide
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes
  • Game - Magic Arena - Too many games to list right now! I have cut down on my gaming time to focus on creating more content.

iOS and macOS

  • Twitter App - Tweetbot - Moving between Spring, Twitterriffic, and Tweetbot.
  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - Since the developer of Deliveries stated they will not be fully supporting their application anymore (not their fault…the changes that all the shipping companies put the devs through make it difficult to maintain), I need to find a replacement application. For now, Parcel is this application…it might meet the same fate as Deliveries later down the road.
  • Calendar App - Calendar App
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder
  • Read Later Application - Reeder
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Quick Note App - Tot

Hardware

MISC

2022 October Favorites

An update to the tools I use:

macOS

  • Task Manager - GoodTask + Reminders - I might be moving over to Omnifocus and Reminders. It is dependent on what is best for my workflow.
  • Text Editor - Nova - Also using BBEdit…torn between these two!
  • Terminal App - Terminal - I have been using iTerm and continue to return to Terminal.app as it is on all the macOS devices I use.
  • Automation App - Hazel
  • Online Backup Service - Backblaze
  • Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS

  • Reddit App - Apollo
  • Podcast App - Mimir - Fantastic support and the apps works really well. Mimir is now my primary podcast app!
  • Camera App - Halide
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes
  • Game - Magic Arena - Too many games to list right now! I have cut down on my gaming time to focus on creating more content.

iOS and macOS

  • Twitter App - Tweetbot - Moved fully to Tweetbot.
  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - Since the developer of Deliveries stated they will not be fully supporting their application anymore (not their fault…the changes that all the shipping companies put the devs through make it difficult to maintain), I need to find a replacement application. For now, Parcel is this application…it might meet the same fate as Deliveries later down the road.
  • Calendar App - BusyCal
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder
  • Read Later Application - Reeder
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Quick Note App - Tot

Hardware

MISC

2022 June Gear + Tool Evolution

An update to the tools I use:

macOS

  • Task Manager - GoodTask + Reminders - I might be moving over to Omnifocus and Reminders. It is dependent on what is best for my workflow.
  • Text Editor - Nova - Also using BBEDIT…torn between these two!
  • Terminal App - Terminal - I have been using iTerm and continue to return to Terminal.app as it is on all the macOS devices I use.
  • Automation App - Hazel
  • Online Backup Service - Backblaze
  • Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS

  • Reddit App - Apollo
  • Podcast App - Castro - Starting to use Overcast.fm more due to the fact that I don't see as much support / forward momentum with the Castro app.
  • Camera App - Halide
  • Scanning App - Scan Thing
  • Document Scanning App - Notes
  • Game - Magic Arena - Too many games to list right now! I have cut down on my gaming time to focus on creating more content.

iOS and macOS

  • Twitter App - Tweetbot - Also started using Twitterriffic…trying to figure out which one I like using more…with Elon Musk's purchase (whenever that happens) I am bit worried about the 3rd party support for the platform.
  • Password Manager - 1Password
  • Package Tracking App - Parcel - Since the developer of Deliveries stated they will not be fully supporting their application anymore (not their fault…the changes that all the shipping companies put the devs through makes it difficult to maintain), I need to find a replacement application. For now, Parcel is this application…it might meet the same fate as Deliveries later down the road.
  • Calendar App - Fantastical
  • Recipe Manager - Mela
  • RSS Reader - Reeder
  • Read Later Application - Reeder
  • Email Application - Mail.app
  • Quick Note App - Tot and Drafts

Hardware

MISC

My 2021 Gear

To start the new year with actually writing an article, I wanted to share with you the tools (both software, hardware, and some miscellaneous items) that I have personally been using to get stuff done (amongst other things): https://www.jeromekoehler.com/my-gear/.

I'll continue to add my reasoning behind my choices and update the list as my preferences continue to change.

A few of these links are Amazon affiliate links as I plan to write more reviews + provide my feedback and those help offset the costs of the items and the hosting!