There are certain tools of the trade. These are programs that allow me to do my job effectively. Often times, we admire the end result (and we should), but overlook the resources that enable me to my job well. So, this post pays homage to the tool.

CHROME

I’ve recently switched my default browser from Firefox to Chrome. This is actually a bigger step, (for me) than it sounds. I love some of the extensions that I had in Firefox (especially Firebug). However, Firefox is much slower and would consistently freeze. We had to break up.

Fortunately, I’ve found some extensions for Chrome that have replaced any functionality I’ve missed.

• Chrome It Later – I use Read it Later to save all the web sites I don’t have time to read, but want to read later. This tool allows me to add / edit / view those links.
• Pendule – This provides several web development tools. The most valuable are Display Ruler and Color Picker
• Chrome Developer Tools – These tools are actually built into Chrome. Simply, go to View > Developer > Developer Tools (or Cmd+Alt+I)

And, for the record, you can use Firebug Lite in Chrome.

CLOUD APP

I use the CloudApp for sharing files.

I simply drag and drop a file onto my menu bar. It’s automatically uploaded to their server and I’m given a short URL I can send people to.

CloudApp is a free service, with up to 10 daily uploads and a max file size of 25MB. For $5 a month, you can get unlimited uploads, a max file size of 250MB, and use a custom domain.

I use (and love) Dropbox too, but in order to share files, my friends have to sign up for accounts. CloudApp cuts out that step and makes sharing much easier.

Droplr is another option that does the same thing.

MAILPLANE

I use Mailplane for all my email. Essentially, it’s a wrapper for Gmail. I like it, though, because I can easily switch between accounts.

One of my favorite features is “Do Not Disturb.” When I’m cranking things out, a notification or a count of unanswered email in my menu bar is the last thing I need. I get distracted way too easily. Do Not Disturb solves both of these issues.

Mailplane also let’s me use in browser extensions. My favorite? Boomerang. I can either send mail later or be reminded to follow up.

OMNIFOCUS

I use Omnifocus to manage all my To Do lists. — Yes sigh I’m part of the GTD cult. For those of you that aren’t: GTD stands for Getting Things Done. Essentially, it’s a methodology for organizing your tasks. The cliff notes version:

• Get everything out of your head and on to paper. Even if it’s something you don’t plan on doing anytime soon, write it down.
• Tasks are organized by context and project. Contexts are related to where or what you’ll need to accomplish a task (i.e. office, apartment, mac, email, phone). Projects are…well… projects. Pretty self explanatory. So what’s the point? Well, when I’m at the office, I look at my “office” list. There’s no need for me to look at “wash the dishes.” I can’t do that from my office! I’ll look at “wash the dishes” on the “Home” list, when I actually get home.
• Focus on the next action. For example, instead of saying the “Ah Ha Creative blog,” I would say “Write a post on “Tools I Use” for the Ah Ha Creative blog.” The “Ah Ha Creative blog” is not a task. It doesn’t tell me what I need to do. When I look at my to do list and see that, I have to think through what needs to be done next.—that might be fine, but multiply that by 20+ tasks. Instead of figuring out what the next step is each time I read my to do list, why not build that into the list itself?

So, what’s the advantage of Omnifocus? Well, it was created with GTD specifically in mind. I also have Omnifocus on my iPhone and iPad. Everything syncs through a WebDAV server. Meaning, I can check my lists whether I’m at the grocery story or in the coffee shop working.

ALFRED

Alfred is my launch bar of choice. There are several other options (QuickSilver, LaunchBar, and Butler, Google Quick Search) I’ve tried almost all of them at one point or another. Alfred looks beautiful (yes, I’m a graphic designer and these things matter). But, the main reason I’ve stayed with Alfred is it’s much faster than the other options.

REEDER

I use Reeder to check all my RSS feeds. I also run Reeder on my iPhone and iPad. Plus, it syncs with my Google Reader account. I can easily send a post to Evernote, Read It Later, or Pinboard.

Again, let’s talk about user interface design! = It’s just well thought out.

EVERNOTE

I use Evernote to keep track of (almost) everything. Inspirational images I find online, code snippets, scans from my Moleskine, recipes–I dump it all into Evernote. Two reasons: (1) It automatically syncs so I can access it on multiple computers, my iPhone, or my iPad and (2) it can read text in images. I know if a particular word was used in an image, I can find it by searching for that word even if I didn’t tag it that way.

TWITTER

I use the standard Twitter App to manage my Twitter account.

Again, there are plenty of alternatives out there: Tweetdeck, Twitterrific, and Twirl, to name a few.

In my (humble) opinion, the Twitter app is the simplest to use.

DROPBOX

I use Dropbox to sync files between computers, my iPad, and my iPhone. I also have a few shared folders that I use to collaborate on projects. I pay $9.99 a month for their 50GB plan. They also have a free plan that will get you 1GB.

TIME MACHINE

I use Apple’s Time Machine to back up my computer. I have a 1.5TB external hard drive that I’ll connect to every night. (Knock on wood) my computer has never died and I’ve never had to rely on that drive to restore my computer. But, I have gone back in time to restore missing or old files.

1PASSWORD

I use 1Password to keep track of all my passwords. I’ll use their password generator to create complicated passwords and then have it sync with my iPhone and iPad in case I’m not near my computer.

MINETEUR

I use Mineteur to track my time. I can use a stopwatch that will log my time to a file or I can use a countdown clock. Usually, I’ll use the countdown clock. I’ll give myself 15-30 minutes to finish a task and then try to beat the clock. This helps me focus my energies. Oh, and I’m not the only one that uses this method.

PAGES, NUMBERS, AND KEYNOTE

I have a lot in Google Docs, but if I need to edit something locally on my computer, I’ll use Pages for documents, Numbers for Spreadsheets, and Keynote for presentations. All of these programs run (far) more efficiently than Word, Excel, or Powerpoint.

I also have Pages, Numbers, and Keynote running on my iPad.

ITUNES

I listen to all my music and manage all my podcasts through iTunes. — It’s the default, but it does a good job of syncing my iPad, iPhone, and AppleTV. It seems like the obvious choice. But, I also have an eMusic subscription and a premium account with Spotify.

PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR, INDESIGN

Like any good designer, I use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. I default to Photoshop, but any illustration work is done in Illustrator, and paged documents in InDesign.

Suitcase

Suitcase manages all of my fonts.

Macs handle fonts differently than PCs. I have thousands of fonts on my computer. Instead of loading all of them at once, bogging down my computer’s memory, I only activate them as I need them.

TEXTMATE

I use Textmate for writing code. It may look like a simple text editor, but there are a few shortcut keys (here and here ) that make it priceless. I’ve tried other editors (like Coda and Dreamweaver) but after I hit my hotkeys a few times and nothing happens… well, I have to go back to Textmate.

Rumor has it they’re releasing Textmate 2 in public alpha before Christmas!

TRANSMIT

I use Transmit to FTP all my files. As far as ease of use, Transmit beats its competitors hands down, but if you’re looking for (free) alternatives try CyberDuck or Fetch.

MAMP

I use MAMP to turn my local machine into a server. This allows me to develop on my personal computer instead of a remote server. I’ve actually written a (geeky) post on my personal blog about setting MAMP up.

NAVICAT

I use Navicat to manage all my databases. phpMyAdmin does the same thing. In fact, it comes installed with MAMP. But, Navicat is much easier to work with. When I started writing my own web applications and using advanced queries, I needed something more than just phpMyAdmin.

VERSIONS

I use Versions to manage all my file revisions. When you’re writing web applications, managing revision files is a must. I wrote another (even more geeky) post on my personal blog about setting up Textmate, Versions, and Beanstalk.