Working solo across design, brand, and frontend means context-switching constantly between creative work and operational work. The tools that serve this well are not necessarily the ones built for large design teams or for full-stack developers. They are the ones with the lowest friction for a single person wearing multiple hats.
Project and Task Management
Linear — linear.app
Fast, keyboard-driven issue tracker. The free tier handles solo projects without any limits that matter. Better than Notion for tracking work in progress because it is built specifically for that purpose.
Notion — notion.so
Better than Linear for documentation, briefs, client notes, and reference material. The two tools are complementary rather than competing. Use Linear for active tasks, Notion for everything you need to write and store.
Obsidian — obsidian.md
Local-first markdown notes. Useful for research, working notes, and thinking through problems in writing without the overhead of a connected app.
Communication and Client Work
Loom — loom.com
Screen recording with a webcam overlay. The fastest way to walk a client through a design without scheduling a call. Free tier allows 25 videos with no time limit.
Canny — canny.io
Feedback collection and prioritization. If you are working on a product with multiple stakeholders, Canny keeps feedback organized without requiring stakeholders to use a specific tool.
Time and Focus
Toggl Track — toggl.com/track
Free time tracking. The browser extension starts and stops timers from any tab. Useful for understanding where time actually goes, which is different from where you think it goes.
Cron (now Notion Calendar) — calendar.notion.so
Calendar with keyboard shortcuts and a clean interface. Better for people who live in a calendar than Google Calendar's default UI.
Writing and Documentation
iA Writer — ia.net/writer
Distraction-free markdown editor. Useful for writing anything that requires concentration: case studies, proposals, blog posts, content briefs.
Hemingway Editor — hemingwayapp.com
Highlights dense sentences, passive voice, and adverbs. Useful for reviewing client-facing copy before it goes out.
Research and Reference
Raindrop.io — raindrop.io
Bookmark manager with collections and tags. Better than browser bookmarks for building a visual reference library.
Readwise Reader — readwise.io/read
Read-later app that highlights and resurfaces important passages. Useful for keeping up with industry writing.
Browser Extensions Worth Keeping
- ColorZilla — Eyedropper and color picker for the browser. Essential for checking colors on any website.
- WhatFont — Click any text on a webpage to identify the font being used.
- VisBug — Edit any webpage visually in the browser. Useful for quickly prototyping changes.
- Dimensions — Hover over elements to see their dimensions and distance from other elements.
The goal with any productivity stack is to spend less time managing the stack and more time doing the work. Default to simpler tools and only add complexity when you have a specific problem that simpler tools cannot solve.
Discussion
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