My Everyday Things, Part 1: Workflow
Recently I started following Everyday Carry, a blog dedicated to showcasing the items that people must have on an everyday basis. I decided that in an effort to blog more, I would do a short, 3 part series on the stuff I use everyday. The series will be broken up into 3 parts: today’s installment is Workflow, then Carry/Misc, then Home Setup. Let’s jump in!
First, let me define Workflow: these are the things I use everyday in order to do my job. There’s some hardware, analog tools, and a ton of apps. There might be some overlap between this and my Carry installment, but I think that’s OK. I’m going to keep my Home Setup separate from this as that’s primarily hardware.
Here are my tools of the trade:
- Macbook Air
- Bullet Journal (currently a Doctor Who-themed notebook)
- Sublime Text, Github, Codekit
- Dropbox & Box.net
- Samsung Galaxy S4
- Whiteboards
- V-moda Crossfade LP headphones
- Chrome, Google Music, Gmail, Feedly
When I’m not home, I’m on my Macbook Air, which has been a complete workhorse for me since the day I got it (though admittedly, at 4 years old, it’s time for a new one). I plan out my days and jot down misc. notes in my bullet journal. I also use a couple of other notebooks I’ll talk more about in part 2 and draw stuff out on one of my many whiteboards. Many I love whiteboards.
As for when it comes to coding, I have a decent setup using Sublime Text, Github, and Codekit that I talk about here. I sync those (and all of my) files using primarily Dropbox, but I’ve taken to Box.net for my code repositories. My phone of choice is the S4, thought I’m thinking about a new one (unfortunately neither the Nexus 5 nor the OnePlus One are supported by Verizon). Finally, my V-moda over-the-ear headphones sound great and help me focus when I need to.
In the world of the browser, I use Chrome for everything outside of testing other browsers. I use GMail for my email, Google Music for my music, and Feedly for RSS. Those tools get me through most of the day.
I’ve been experimenting with different tools lately as well. I’d really like to get a solid Windows 8 box to work on (Surface Pro 3 looks really nice), and on the software side, I’ve been tinkering with Vagrant, which looks like an amazing tool that will allow me to quickly spin up test servers. There’s a bit of a learning curve there, but I’m making progress.
As I mentioned before, I’d also like to get a new Macbook Air. Computers in general have a shorter lifespan with me because I run them through the ringer, and my current Air was my primary machine for about 6 months while my desktop was on the fritz. I suspect soon I’ll upgrade.
Finally, it probably goes without saying that I use WordPress everyday. It’s what I use to make websites, manage sites, and test new stuff on. It’s half the reason I want to use Vagrant. Being able to quickly create a clean WordPress install to develop on then breakdown when I’m done sounds pretty great.
So there you have it! My Everyday Workflow things! Stay tuned for next time, when I talk about my everyday carry stuff.
