My 2023 Creative Tech Toolkit: Tools for Achieving My Goals
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Chapter 1: Setting My Writing Goals
To successfully reach this goal, I’ve recognized the necessity of establishing effective systems and habits. The cornerstone of my strategy is to write daily, but there are additional components to consider. I require tools that allow me to capture my thoughts, revisit older concepts, draft content, and ultimately publish my work.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
Chapter 2: Building My Personal Knowledge Management Stack
To facilitate my writing endeavors, I’ve invested in a Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) tech stack. Documenting my toolkit annually helps me stay intentional about my usage and identify tools that may no longer serve my needs. This practice encourages me to phase out tools that are underperforming while ensuring I upgrade my tech regularly. Additionally, keeping track of expenses is crucial.
Regardless of the tools you choose, it’s essential to become adept at using them and resist the urge to continually switch to the latest offerings. Sometimes, a new application with shiny features isn’t worth the disruption it brings.
My toolkit includes various applications and strategies that aid me in capturing and organizing ideas consistently.
My Creative Tools Overview
- Obsidian: This app serves as my primary note-taking and linking tool, enabling me to explore and connect my ideas effectively. I utilize it for Daily Notes, idea capture, and drafting early versions of my content.
- Medium: My main platform for publishing, offering user-friendly formatting. Although I considered alternatives like Substack, I’ve opted to remain with Medium for another year.
- Ulysses: An excellent choice for writing and refining drafts from Obsidian, it integrates seamlessly with Medium for effortless posting.
- Readwise: This tool links my Kindle notes back to Obsidian, making it easy to incorporate insights from my extensive reading.
- Evernote: While I’ve transitioned to Obsidian for note-taking, Evernote still holds value as a legacy tool compatible across multiple platforms. However, I’ve canceled my subscription following a recent price hike.
- Midjourney: A new addition for generating AI imagery to enhance my articles.
- Procreate: Ideal for advanced illustrations and whiteboarding.
Chapter 3: Evaluating Costs
The total monthly expenditure for my tech stack amounts to $37.00, leading to an annual total of $444. While not inexpensive, I view this as a worthwhile investment in my creativity and skill development, motivating me to stay committed to publishing.
I plan to reassess my toolkit and its associated costs throughout the year.
Approaches to My Writing Process
My methodology largely stems from the principles I adopted during the Linking Your Thinking Workshop: Collect, Connect, Create. Visual aids bolster my writing, and insights gained from Atomic Visuals have proven beneficial. Additionally, I have been experimenting with Midjourney for creating AI-generated images.
The foundation of my writing practice is the Daily Note, which I fill out each day using a straightforward template.
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Chapter 4: Tools in Action
Discover how my tech stack supports my writing journey and operational costs in this insightful video titled "Inside My Business Tech Stack: Software, Subscriptions, and the Cost of Operations."
Explore my creative tech stack for 2023 in this engaging video, "My Awesome Tech Stack For 2023 - YouTube."