The Apps I use to get stuff done…
Task Management – ToDoist
I’ve tried a lot of task managers in my time and I’ve used spreadsheets and notebooks. For ease of access across the board, speed of capture, simplicity and an intuitive and pleasing design, my view is that you cannot beat ToDoist.
Note Taking – UpNote
I discovered UpNote about 6 months ago and I fell in love. As apps in this category seem to be moving towards being ‘all in one’ solutions, UpNote is a clean note taker and is excellent. I’ve written an in depth review here.
Planning & Projects – Notion
I’ve tried my high level planning (annual down to monthly) in a straight notes app but Notion offers a degree of functionality that is really helpful here. I also manage my content production process here. Notion has a down side that it has so much potential it is very easy to get lost in all of it but if you decide how to use it and maintain those boundaries, it works really well.
Calendar – Google Calendar
Honestly, this has all the functionality that you need, is accessible everywhere and is free. I have toyed with a few calendar apps on both Android and my laptops but Google is the calendar I use.
E-mail – Gmail & Postbox
I actually quite like the Gmail interface. But it doesn’t lend itself well to managing multiple accounts. So, I use an app called Postbox which has a lot of good features. The keyboard shortcuts are really helpful. Of note is press ‘v’ and you can quickly move the email to another folder, and ‘q’ and you quickly forward it to some pre-set addresses, which is useful for getting it to ToDoist etc.
Two honourable mentions
I’ve recently bought two items that have been really helpful. One is a stand for my laptop and the other for my tablet. They raise them up to a good height for me and are adjustable and they don’t take up a lot of room on my desk. So, the net benefit is more desk space and less pain in my neck, back and shoulders.
The Stationary I love…
…you cannot beat a good notebook and a nice pen!
Chris Wood
It isn’t really a secret that I love stationary. For as long as I can remember, having good stationary has been important to me. You’ll not see me writing with a cheap biro if I can avoid it!
So, below I wanted to share with you all of the best stationary of different types that I use as I work, make notes, study and plan my life. Yes, I do a lot of this digitally these days, but the tangibility of pens and notebooks can never be beaten by any digital application.
Notebooks
I have draw full of empty or half empty notebooks. I need a notebook which guides my writing without making it look messy. For me, that means it needs to be dotted, not ruled, squared or plain. I also need paper that minimises bleed and is fountain pen friendly. There are a lot of expensive notebooks out there that fit the bill. These I have found on Amazon to be excellent and reasonably priced.
I use the Rettacy A5 Dotted Notebook at the moment. If you click the link below you will see that you can also buy the same notebook in B5 size and in ruled, squared or plain. You can also get a variety of colours. It’s a fantastic notebook with a decent number of pages and sells in packs of 2 for the same price as some others sell individually.
I use these notebooks now for everything and tend to have everything all in one place rather than different notebooks for different purposes. I plan my day here, make notes as I read and as I read the Bible and write down all the random thoughts that have been going through my head. The past 2 years have been the hardest and most confusing of my life. Having a place to write down some of my thoughts and questions has been invaluable.
Pens
Workhorse Pens
My workhorse pens are the ones I use all the time, every day. I prefer black pens for this but that’s a personal choice. I like to write with a thin line.
At the moment, my favourite is the Uni-Pin 0.1 Ultra-Fine Fineliner. It writes really well and has a narrow line. I tried the 0.05 but it was too fine!
I also love the Staedtler Tri-Plus Fineliners. The black 0.3mm is one of the best pens to write with. The Uni-Pin is finer and has chunkier body which I prefer. But the Staedtler is a solid buy.
Lastly here, I have a pen that crosses to categories. The Platinum Preppy. This is a cheap fountain pen. I have tried many different fountain pens that would be considered ‘budget’ by pen enthusiasts but the Platinum pens write the smoothest lines. The Preppy comes in many colours and line thickness options. I prefer the extra-fine.
Fountain Pens
I love writing with a fountain pen — especially when I am grappling with big thoughts and confusion…or am attempting to write ‘romantically’! For this, I actually prefer blue ink.
Two of my top fountain pens are the Parker Jotter (https://amzn.to/3icJWxc) and the Pilot MR Animal Collection Pens in Lizard Bronze (https://amzn.to/3vCEgQ6). Both of these I had and then I left my entire pencil case in a hotel bar. When I went back it was gone. This was a devastating day!
My current fountain pen of choice is the Platinum Plaisir.
I switched out the medium nib for an extra-fine one. You can get it in multiple different colours. I am loving this pen as a replacement for those I lost in an act of idiocy!
Fineliners
Need I say more?? You cannot go wrong with these. Of all the fineliners I have used (including the popular Stabilo Point 88) these are by far the best and easiest to write with. They also produce the smoothest lines. Available in various different sized multipacks with different colours for each. You can pick them up here.
Marker Pens & Pencils
To continue the Staedtler theme, I expanded my collection some years ago and picked up the Tri-Plus Broadliners and the Tri-Plus Fibre Pens. These give a few different thicknesses in all the same colours.
Getting all 3 Staedtler sets leads to a nice desk:
Then we have by far the best fibre tipped marker pens I have ever encountered. The Papermate Flair pens. I love these! I once bought a set and posted them through a friends door anonymously just because I thought they were so good and she would love them. Of all the pens of this kind, with these you get a thick line, but still writeable with, no bleed and the line is very smooth. I cannot recommend these to you highly enough.
Lastly, I have found the Staedtler Norris Colouring pencils to be excellent value and a good enough colour set for my needs. I don’t use these so often but my son often borrows them and loves them. And yes — I was tempted by the Tri-Plus colouring pencils but figured as I don’t use them much, the cost was too high!
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