My husband never begins a home improvement project without the right tools. Even if I never walked into my garage again to see the evidence of that fact, he reminds me daily of its importance. Before starting a job, he spends days researching what he’ll need and then additional hours buying exactly the right wood, nails, screws, or saws to get it done. Only then will he lay everything out and get to work.
I’ve been watching him do this for years and it’s only recently that I realized I do the same thing. Because I’m a sucker for any kind of new technology, I probably do this even more than he does. I may not work in the trades, but I still use tools every day (especially the cool ones) that improve efficiency and productivity, and keep my frazzled brain in working order.
So, in no particular order, below is a short list of digital tools (writing or otherwise) that I can’t live without. Note – the links below are not affiliate links. I’m not benefitting at all financially from this month’s post. I just sincerely enjoy using these and hope they will help you, too.
Writing Tools
Milanote
I’ve written about this before, but this app was the key to outlining the revised concept of my novel. For months, I struggled with the plot of my contemporary romance, changing the storyline several times before finding a tool to help me organize my thoughts. Milanote is visual, accessible, and the simplified card options allow me to focus on the work rather than on learning a new web app. There’s a limit to the cards you can add to boards for free, but the option to download your original outline to several formats before starting again makes up at least a little for this limitation.
Scrivener
I bought this software years ago and have never regretted it. While I might use other apps like Milanote to organize my ideas, I save all my prose drafts as separate files in Scrivener and back them up on OneDrive. You can view your outline in bullet form or as a corkboard, and there are multiple views and ways to maintain notes and research. One tremendous benefit of Scrivener is the ability to export writing projects with a minimum amount of effort into multiple formats and set a template for future projects. It’s one of my go-to staples and also works with the next tool on my list.
ProWritingAid
I credit the ease of my editing process to ProWritingAid. This AI-driven tool grades your work according to a set of criteria and provides you with an improvement roadmap. Whether it’s rephrasing a sentence or editing for grammar or clarity, it enables you to find and fix issues one paragraph at a time. If you don’t like the change the program recommends, you can just ignore it. I don’t have a degree in creative writing and – while Shrunk and White’s, The Elements of Style, is somewhere on my bookshelf, this app gives me an accessible way to edit my work without getting bogged down by the process. Since it’s compatible with Scrivener, I can write in that program and edit in this one, ensuring that I save all my changes in both. Win!
Canva
Canva is a fantastic option for designing visually appealing social media posts to drive traffic to your website or blog. I confess to spending way too much time on this site, but at least I have fun while I’m there! There’s also an out-of-the-box content calendar to help you plan your next posts, and you can save brand-specific templates and organize your work in project folders. Bonus: I’ve also used this app for personal reasons – like creating fake tickets, or posters for special events. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Trello
If you’ve been reading my blog awhile, you know I love lists. I’ve been using this tool since I started my professional career and still create new boards with the free version. Trello is where I keep all my writing resources, including information on pitches, editors, publishers, helpful articles, or even just a reading list. The ability to link to where the actual content lives also ensures I never lose the reference source. I used OneNote for years and, while I still have information archived here, most of what I use currently is on Trello. I also have the mobile app to record in-the-moment idea gems.
Other Tools
Flowkey
I’ve mentioned before that I sometimes like to play the piano when I need a break from client work. Flowkey is a piano learning app that not only teaches you the basics, but encourages playing songs you know and love. With “wait mode,” you can learn to play with each hand at your own pace, while the app waits for you to play the right keys. To be fair, I knew how to read music before I bought this subscription (yes, it’s a paid yearly subscription), but even if I was a true beginner, the highly effective ladder-learning method would make this a worthwhile purchase.
Google Tasks
For those tasks you just can’t forget, there’s no substitute for a good digital task list that sends email notifications. Because Google calendar is my calendar of choice, I use Google Tasks, but it’s worth mentioning that I also keep a paper list in a notebook. There’s something so satisfying about crossing items off a to-do list.
Clockify
I recommend Clockify for any contractors who need to track time on client projects. I’ve been using the free version now for five years and haven’t had a reason to upgrade. It has a convenient start/stop timer and a reporting feature that allows you to export hours spent during specific time periods when it’s time to invoice.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a subscription-based service you can use on phones or computers to protect your digital devices from hackers. It’s a must-have for creatives who travel, but I also like to keep this app turned on at home while I’m handling sensitive personal information.
Even though I don’t use this as frequently as I used to, it made the list because of its interesting curated content. We’ve all found articles on websites we half-read, then get distracted and wish we could find again. The Pocket app (or extension for your web browser) saves these articles for you so you can read them later. You can create tags for easy filtering and, if you open the article in the app, you can read it like you would on an e-reader for an optimal reading experience.
Miro
Like Milanote, Miro is another visual tool for organizing and collaborating on creative projects. While I usually use Milanote to outline my creative projects, Miro is a tool I use at work to diagram solution designs and collect client requirements. There’s no end to the templates available to make lists, workflows, or mind maps. Disclaimer: This is a feature-heavy tool, so it can feed a distractible mind more easily than others. If technology easily overwhelms you, I would recommend a simpler visual tool without as many features.
***
Have you ever used any of these apps? If so, what did you think? What other tools keep your creative brain wired and inspired?
Happy creating!
-K
Leave a Reply