A good tech stack should be quiet and supportive. They hold your work without demanding all your attention, creating space for the work that matters. That said, with all the choices out there, there is no perfect tool. I take many things into consideration, from ease of use (does it work with my brain) to how it fits with the existing tools, is there duplication, possible integration, the presence of AI and the ability to turn it off, the ease of transition, privacy considerations, price point, whether it actually does what I want, how I need it to be done, and what I know about the company itself.
As a neurodivergent solopreneur, ease of use is not a preference; it is a requirement. Does it work with my brain? Does it create friction or reduce it? Those questions sit alongside the practical ones: price, privacy, duplication, whether AI can be turned off, and what I know about the company itself.
Most tools come with tradeoffs, and most companies hold values we would partly question if we looked closely enough. That is not a reason to stop being thoughtful. It is a reason to make the best choice available to you right now, with the capacity and resources you actually have, and trust that.
This list is my current answer to the question: What tools do you actually use and/or like?
This is not exhaustive; it is specific to my business now and will keep evolving because a regenerative practice includes revisiting what you keep and what you let in.
*Some links are referral/affiliate links; they are marked with an asterisk. If you use them, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
I am always curious and trying new software and software combinations…Here are a few that I am currently contemplating
I have been doing a deep dive into what it would look like to de-Google my personal life & my business, and am exploring the pros and cons of leaving the convenience of Google Workspace for Proton. So far, the biggest challenges I see are that so many of my clients use Google and needing workarounds for calendar integration and booking tools. The other Proton functionalities I am curious about are Proton Meet, VPN, and Pass (Password manager). FastMail has also surfaced as a simpler alternative, focused primarily on email & calendar.
I am keeping an eye on tools that could consolidate a few things I currently run separately: email, content, community, and maybe courses or offers down the line. These four are on my radar for different reasons and I have not landed anywhere yet. If you have experience with any of them, I am genuinely curious.
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AI is missing from this list because I am still figuring out where I land. I am tech curious, often an early adopter, and always trying new tools. I also have a background in assistive technology, so I am drawn to tools that help people do things they might otherwise struggle to do on their own. I am also conscious of the biases AI holds, how it has been trained on stolen work, and the immense environmental harm it is causing. I do not see AI as inevitable. I do see value in it, but I also think not because it can, means it should. We need to slow down and think carefully about what we actually want it for. I will keep you posted as I continue learning and develop my own position and policy.
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