Today's Tools

Zoom is what everyone is talking about. Based on the numbers, my guess is you’ve been using it. Yeah, and you even changed your background.

But what about Krisp?

Krisp is a plugin that automatically silences background noise for both you and the caller.

You could be in a busy space (what is that again?) and the caller on the other line would think you’re in a phone booth.

I use it with both Zoom and my Phone.

And Notion I’ve talked about for a while now. Which is the hub for how I work with any company or on any project. And I’m chatting on Slack, but…

I prefer to use Loom for short communications. Loom can sit on your desktop and you can screen capture and record any time you want, with a simple link to send out to your viewer.

And I’ve got a host of others I use for things, like Frame.io for group collaboration on videos. Also for group editing of podcasts.

Of course, the online collaboration space will only continue to explode. I’ve seen about 5 video conferencing tools ship in the last 2 weeks alone.

Figma lead the way on group collaboration, so watch out for a bunch more apps around “multiplayer mode” – like the about-to-release Pitch deck app.

With so many different projects, Set-App has been a huge help. I use the Switchem App specifically, which allows you to pre-set your windows on your computer as “workspaces.” So you could set up a workspace like “Design” and when you toggle to it, it will open all the relevant windows for you for when you design. Or “Finance” which does the same but switches to your banking website etc… Pretty handy.  

But right now, most of the stress has a physical impact.

So I’m enjoying putting the live Monterey Aquarium on my LG while I’m reading. It’s focused on the Moon Jelly Fish.

And being that we don’t find ourselves in the sun too often I bout a light therapy lamp on amazon to use in the morning before the sun is up.

I use Focus Keeper for iPhone to track deep work time. But I’m open to a digital desk clock if I can find one for this that is designed well.

Some other experiments…

Paul Stamets Mushroom Complex for immunity. Sunny Gummies for Vitamin D and Fish Oil.

Through a Slack chat I’m in I got connected to the founder of Standard Dose, and right now I’m testing their sleep formula as well as their focus tinctures. I can tell you from last night I found to be the Sleep formula really great.

And I’m not trying to throw all this at you to purchase.

I think being at home has made me more aware of the physical aspects of living and so the tools of the day aren’t all just on the screen but the ones that help us in our workspaces, like plants, or an open window.

The tools don’t need to be complex, they just need to work.

And I don’t need any of them to work.

I just like them.

xx David