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The Tools I Use Daily for Maximum Productivity

A curated list of tools, apps, and workflows that help me stay productive while building projects at CodeMaaman.

January 20, 2024
2 min read
Aaron M Sabu
productivitytoolsworkflow

My Productivity Stack

After years of trying different tools, Ive settled on a stack that works. The key insight: fewer tools, used consistently, beats many tools used sporadically.

Development

VS Code

My editor of choice. Key extensions:

  • GitHub Copilot - AI pair programming
  • Prettier - Code formatting
  • ESLint - Catching errors early
  • GitLens - Understanding code history

Terminal

  • iTerm2 with Oh My Zsh
  • tmux for session management
  • Custom aliases for common commands

Version Control

  • Git (obviously)
  • GitHub for hosting and collaboration
  • gh CLI for GitHub operations without leaving terminal

Writing and Notes

Obsidian

All my notes live in Obsidian:

  • Markdown-based (future-proof)
  • Local-first (I own my data)
  • Linking between notes (builds a knowledge graph)
  • Daily notes for journaling

Notion

For structured information:

  • Project documentation
  • Content calendars
  • Shared resources

Task Management

Todoist

Simple and reliable:

  • Quick capture from anywhere
  • Natural language input ("call mom tomorrow at 5pm")
  • Projects and labels for organization

Calendar Blocking

Every significant task gets a calendar block. If its not on the calendar, it might not happen.

Communication

Slack

For team communication, with strict rules:

  • Notifications off except for mentions
  • Scheduled check times (not constant monitoring)
  • Status updates to show availability

Email

Processed in batches, not continuously:

  • Morning: Review and respond
  • Afternoon: Follow up
  • Evening: Quick scan for urgent items

Focus

Focus Mode (macOS)

Scheduled focus modes that:

  • Block notifications
  • Hide notification badges
  • Allow only essential apps

Music

Lo-fi beats or ambient sounds while working. No lyrics - they interfere with thinking.

The Meta-Principle

Tools should reduce friction, not add it. If a tool requires more effort than the problem it solves, its not worth using.

Questions I ask before adopting a new tool:

  1. What specific problem does this solve?
  2. Can an existing tool do this?
  3. Is the learning curve worth the benefit?
  4. Will I actually use this in 6 months?

Your Stack

The best productivity system is one you actually use. My stack works for me - yours might look completely different.

What tools are essential in your workflow?