My favorite tools

I often have friends and colleagues ask me about my take on various tools and programs that I use.  Each of these are for Mac as I work completely on that platform.  I frequently consider adding or changing tools and this list is kept up-to-date (at the top of the page) with my current favorites.

Dropbox:  Dropbox is my favorite cloud storage system and tool on my computer.  See my post on the program to learn why you should be using it too.

Things:  Although it is a little pricey, I have used Things as my to do list application for years.  It is a Mac-based product with an excellent user interface.  It also syncs across all of my devices.  If you follow the GTD philosophy, Things will fit right into your workflow.

Asana:  While I use Things for my personal to do list manager, Asana is the program I use for project management.  It is also cloud based and fairly easy to use.  My favorite aspect is that you can save files and notes within the program which limits the amount of project based emails you have to send or receive.

Apple Mail:  I have tried many different email programs, but keep coming back to Apple Mail for my email.  This isn’t a flashy pick, but it gets the job done.

Scrivener:  I am a recent convert to Scrivener and will post about my experience once I have more time under my belt.  For now, it is my favorite writing software because it is simply a clean writing program.  Scrivener also can store research notes and files for easy access while writing.

Buffer:  It took me a long time to jump into the Twitter game, but there is no way I could do it without Buffer.  Buffer allows you to schedule posts throughout the day so you can stay active all day without being forced to be on Twitter all day.

Feedly:  I read a number of media outlets and blogs.  Feedly helps me keep them organized and available on all of my devices.  A simple RSS reader that makes my life easier.

Jing:  For creating screen captures, Jing is my main program.  Jing allows me to record a screencast of up to five minutes which I then can share.  This has been my favorite way to grade student papers particularly drafts.  I’m able to show them what I am thinking and encourage drafts by not marking up student papers.  Jing is incredibly easy to use and gets rave feedback from students.

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