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.