It’s a nerdy tradition to include a kit list, so here’s the software I use in the Pope Cave. There are no affiliate links or paid endorsements.

AI

AudioPen

Turns my rambling voice notes into a clean transcript.

Claude

AI assistant that helps me write, code, analyse data, and think through problems.

NotebookLM

Allows me to answer questions with my own book notes.

Automation

Hazel

File organiser that automatically tidies up my folders according to my rules, e.g. deleting old downloads, or moving images to a specific directory.

Backing up

Chronosync

Automatically keeps my files backed up across cloud storage and external drives.

Koofr

Cloud storage that helps connect my other services.

Coding

Visual Studio Code

Powerful coding environment that works with any language. I use it for maintaining this site.

Ebook Creation

Jutoh

Creates and formats ebooks - turns messy manuscripts into properly formatted digital books. Also supports embedded indexes. Less user-friendly than Vellum, but more powerful.

Vellum

Formats simple print books and ebooks with beautiful layouts. Can't do indexes, though, hence Adobe InDesign is also in my toolkit.

Image Editing

Adobe Illustrator

Vector graphics editor for creating logos, icons, and illustrations.

ImageMagick

Command-line tool for batch-editing images, e.g. resizing and optimising.

Adobe Photoshop

For retouching and manipulating digital images. Also good for book covers.

Snagit

Screen capture tool that grabs screenshots and recordings, then lets me annotate them - perfect for tutorials, bug reports, and quick explanations.

Note-taking

AudioPen

Turns my rambling voice notes into a clean transcript.

NotebookLM

Allows me to answer questions with my own book notes.

Obsidian

Markdown-based note-taking app that connects my ideas with hyperlinks.

Productivity

Claude

AI assistant that helps me write, code, analyse data, and think through problems.

TextExpander

subjects out long phrases from short abbreviations - e.g. turns `;em` into my full email address and saves thousands of keystrokes.

Toggl Focus

Project planning tool with visual timelines and task boards - helps me see everything I'm doing in one place.

Toggl Track

Time tracker that shows where my day actually goes - the one-click timer reveals which activities are eating up my hours.

Project Management

Toggl Focus

Project planning tool with visual timelines and task boards - helps me see everything I'm doing in one place.

Toggl Track

Time tracker that shows where my day actually goes - the one-click timer reveals which activities are eating up my hours.

Trello

Visual project boards with cards and lists - keeps project elements organized. Especially good for planning books or online courses.

Transcription

AudioPen

Turns my rambling voice notes into a clean transcript.

MacWhisper

Accurately transcribes audio and video files using AI locally on my Mac - no internet needed.

Typesetting

Adobe InDesign

Desktop publishing software for interactive workbooks and print books.

Vellum

Formats simple print books and ebooks with beautiful layouts. Can't do indexes, though, hence Adobe InDesign is also in my toolkit.

Utilities

Amphetamine

Prevents my Mac from going to sleep during long data transfers. Free and highly configurable.

CopyClip

Clipboard manager that remembers everything I've copied - no more losing that thing I copied five minutes ago.

Jettison

Auto-ejects external drives when my Mac goes to sleep - no more 'disk not ejected properly' warnings.

Rectangle Pro

Window manager that snaps apps into place with keyboard shortcuts.

Video Editing

Adobe After Effects

I mainly use this motion graphics tool for animated video titles.

Adobe Premiere Pro

For creating videos for YouTube and online courses. Involves a steep learning curve, but much better than Camtasia for bigger jobs.

Website

Buttondown

A gloriously simple and ethical email platform. Also supports Markdown.

Fathom Analytics

Privacy-first web analytics with a simple interface.

Hugo

Super-fast, flexible, and open-source framework for building websites.

Netlify

The host for my Hugo website. This is the simplest solution for static sites and also offers useful functionality, such as forms and redirects.

Writing

Scrivener

Project management for writers - keeps research, drafts, and notes all in one structured place.

Typora

Elegant Markdown-based editor. I can draft my documents quickly, then export them in a variety of formats. Supports code fences, diagrams, tables, and much more.