My Life Tech Stack
The Apps for Making the Most of Content Consumption and Writing
As a full-time content marketer and writer on the side, staying organized and writing regularly is a must. With that non-stopping pressure, I’m always seeking tools to make things easier and obstacle-free.
With an eagerness to try new things, I’ve dealt with Shiny Object Syndrome multiple times, which is the tendency to get distracted by new things rather than staying focused on what you already have.
After a while, I can say I have overcome it and now have nine apps I use almost every day for different purposes:
Productivity
Personal Knowledge Management
Writing
In a sea of different apps, here are the nine I always keep at hand:
Productivity
Todoist
Use it for project and task management.
When I realized that keeping my to-do list in my second brain wasn’t the best option, I decided to put my detective hat on and search for the best task management app. That’s when I came across Todoist.
Whether I need to manage projects (from marketing campaigns to grocery lists) or a routine, Todoist is the app I use. You can review projects, tasks, due dates, and sub-tasks and divide each project into sections.
In the mission of not making it overwhelming, I decided to work with only two boards: Work and Personal, where I add the corresponding tasks and due dates.
I can access it through my computer or phone (plus, I use their iOS Widget). This app is great and free!
Everyday
Use it for quick and easy habit tracking.
Tracking my habits is no longer a chore but a source of motivation for me. After trying a bunch of apps, last year, I came across Everyday, an habit-tracking app with a colorful and simple interface, quick and easy to use. I love that you can see your progress at a glance.
I have Everyday as my browser home screen on my computer, and I also keep their widget on my phone home screen. So, no matter if I’m sitting on my laptop or on the go, my habit tracker always reminds me of the activities I haven´t done yet.
I track nine main activities:
Wake up on time: 7:30 am
Writing: 1 hour a day
Twitt: 1 twitt a day
Reply on Twitter: 1 reply a day
Read an article: From my Reader app pile
Watch one episode from a Masterclass class
Journaling: No matter how much
Read: 30 minutes
Post an article: every other week
The free version lets you track up to three habits, whereas the Premium version, $29.99 USD per year, has no limits.
Google Spreadsheets
Use it for tracking my content performance.
Okay, this is one of the most basic apps, but definitely necessary. I track my habits and spend time creating content, so it’s no surprise that I keep track of my content performance.
This is what my tracker looks like, minus the data. Seeing that the months where I’m more consistent have better results than others is great for keeping me motivated.
I have a similar sheet for tracking my finances.
Personal Knowledge Management
Reader
Use it to keep all my reading in one place.
Reader is a read-it-later app built by Readwise. It’s not out yet, but I’m happy to say that I was invited to become a beta tester, and the app is GOOD!
It works as a read-it-later and web highlighter. Through a web extension, I send everything I want to read in the future to Reader: Websites, emails, and PDFs, and I can make highlights and notes from the app or directly from any website.
Each note and highlight is automatically imported to Readwise and my second brain.
I’m so far loving it. There’s more coming in the future, but I don’t want to spoil anything. I used Instapaper before, but I’m never going back after trying Reader.
Readwise
Use it to get the most out of what I read.
Readwise is for getting more from your reading. The concept is simple: You synchronize your highlights from Kindle, Apple Books, Instapaper, Pocket, Medium, Goodreads, or send twitts, and Readwise sends you a daily email with a selection of your highlights for you to review.
By reviewing your highlights daily and adding notes and/or tags, you’ll retain more and stop forgetting all the details from books/articles/twitts you read. I also sync my Readwise highlights to my second brain to use them while creating content. That was a game-changer for me.
There are two versions and price ranges: Lite and Full. Lite is $4.49 per month, and Full is $7.99 per month and lets you tag and take notes on your highlights, export them, share them and test your knowledge on them. Definitely worth it to create a content library and learning along the way. I love it.
Obsidian
Use it for note-taking and storing
This is the third note-taking app I’ve tried and my favorite so far. I love that it invites me to expand on my ideas instead of just saving them. It’s my cozy space to browse my favorite quotes, highlights, and notes and include my thoughts and ideas.
I feel powerful in maintaining a library of thoughts and information. The feeling of knowing there is a place with different kinds of interesting and useful data is great. There’s so much power in good notes.
Obsidian describes itself as a “powerful knowledge base on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.” I love their description: “A second brain for you, forever.”
It’s an amazing tool for collecting and connecting information. I use it for storing and organizing information through the P.A.R.A method, a digital filing method developed by productivity expert Tiago Forte. It stands for Projects, Areas of responsibility, Resources, and Archive.
Once I built my second brain in Obsidian, I couldn’t believe I’d been working and writing for so long without it. It’s definitely a game-changer.
Writing
Google Drive
Use it for simple and secure access to all your content
Google Drive does not need an explanation or introduction. I love accessing my documents through my phone and computer, wherever I am.
My files are also organized following the P.A.R.A method. It helps with structure and organization, making it easy to manage.
Every article draft and the final version is stored in Google Drive. It’s where my content lives. Simple and effective.
Grammarly
Use it to make your writing clear and effective
As someone who writes in their second language, I need a tool to ensure my texts are clear, engaging, and polished. I use Grammarly’s free version, which makes basic writing corrections in terms of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Its Chrome extension corrects my writing no matter where I do it: the Office Suite, apps, or websites.
What can I say? It saves me from potentially embarrassing mistakes.
Hemingway Editor
Use it to improve your writing style
I keep this text editor in my favorites for fast access. Once you paste a text, it tells you how easy it is to read and where you can improve. It also highlights sentences that are difficult to read and words with better alternatives.
You need to be careful when working with it; though, it may show changes you have thought about and don’t want to make. I use it when I have a final draft to see if there are some improvements I haven’t thought about.
After using these tools for a while, I feel confident in my systems. By working with efficient tools and keeping a clear work structure, my outcomes are improving.
I have learned that apps should make your life and work easier, not more complex. This sounds obvious, but it’s easy to get tempted by shiny new apps. I’m happy to have found my nine essentials!