Tools & Tech

I’m slightly obsessed with technology and productivity tools: this page is an up to date list of my favourites.

 

My Favourite Gear

In April 2022, I upgraded to the iPhone 13 Pro. I’ve been an iPhone user for almost ten years and at this point it’s pretty unlikely that I’ll ever switch to anything else: the integration with my other devices is seamless.

☎️ Phone

Although I primarily use the iPad Mini for note-taking, sometimes a physical notebook is the real deal. When working over Zoom throughout 2020 and 2021, I found myself using the Leuchterm 1917 notebook a lot: I particularly like the page numbering functionality. Ease of locating notes is one reason I moved digital, so this notebook is a strong compromise.

📒 Notebook

I’ve been an iPad fan since I first got one in 2011. Nowadays, I use the iPad Mini as a note-taking and consumption device, while I use the 11 inch iPad Pro as a gaming and video calling powerhouse. The convenience of the new iPad Mini is unbelievable and it’s integration with the Apple Pencil 2 is 10/10.

📝 iPad

The Apple Watch is a great accessory to have, not just for checking the time. I have the Series 7: I won it in a photography competition at uni! Before that, I had the Series 4, switching from the Series 2 due to the waterproofing introduced on the 4. It’s great to take the watch swimming, track workouts, and to keep track of notifications instead of constantly checking my phone.

⌚️ Apple Watch

The AirPods and Airpods Pro win this one easily. The original AirPods were my first pair of truly wireless earphones and they’ve added so much ease to being able to listen to music and use my phone hands free. The upgrade to the Pros was massive: the noise cancelling is incredible.

🎧 Listening Tools

For long journeys, the Sony WH1000-XM4s are also wonderful. Sometimes over-ear headphones can be uncomfortable for me, but these are very light, extremely comfortable, and sound amazing.

I rarely get the chance to read for pleasure, as I’m usually reading journals or textbooks. However, a novel on the Amazon Kindle is great, another benefit of Kindle being that you can pick up your entire collection on the Kindle app on other devices, such as iPad. The iPad mini is a great size for reading, so if that’s in my bag already then I can use it for reading instead of also carrying my Kindle.

📚 Reading

My Favourite Apps

The app I use for all handwritten digital notes. The cloud storage function is great for picking up a note on another device. It’s also great for signing PDFs on iPad with Apple Pencil.

✍️ Notability

Great for typed notes, can be used as a mini database for various aspects of your life. I use it to organise all my university work, keeping track of all modules, submissions, deadlines and coursework.

📖 Notion

Libby integrates with your local library membership, and allows you to borrow thousands of eBooks and audiobooks completely free of charge. Great to use on iPad for casual reading in addition to Kindle.

BrowZine is the app I use for academic journals and papers: you can sign up with your academic institution credentials and receive instant access to all the journals your university or college subscribe to. Papers can be downloaded to your device as a PDF, and articles can be saved in collections to read later.

📚 Libby & BrowZine