# How do I work...?

I tend to skip around between machines set up with different environments according to what I'm working on - whether that be my day job or open source. So I thought it might be of minor interest or assistance to someone to know what those consist of and how I manage my work. Some common themes you'll encounter in this post are 'it does all I need' and 'a tool for each task', but with a focus on usability and positive productivity experiences. So, here's the developer equivalent of the YouTube tech-influencer "_What's in my backpack 2k19_".

---

## Machines 💻🖥
Where better to start than the start - the machines. At present, my primary development machine when in-office is a Dell Optiplex 7040 desktop running Ubuntu 16.04 using Gnome 3.18, having recently transitioned from Xfce after it came to feel aged. Let's not neglect the monitors - dual 27" Dell UltraSharp's for maximum screen real-estate and productivity. Leftie handles the technical bits (IDEs, terminals, etc.) and rightie is dedicated to workflow management (email, Slack, etc.). And yes, I'm a sucker for the 'everything has its place' mantra.

At the moment, I'm really enjoying the experience as it feels fresh and clean. I've come to appreciate the different design approach which balances minimalism against quick access when required and has re-ignited my love affair with Linux. I'm using the Breeze theme with [Paper icons](https://snwh.org/paper) which work together (and with Gnome) beautifully to give a great material design feel to the whole system!

![paper_and_gnome.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621365587017/whoT81tEb.png)
> **Gnome**_- Gnome Linux desktop environment with Paper Icons (Source and credit: _[GnomeLook](https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1099618/)

### Remote
When working remote from time to time, my workhorse is a fairly average 2018 13" MacBook Pro running macOS 10.14 High Sierra which features

- Intel dual-core i5 (7th generation)
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
- 8GB LPDDR3 memory
- 500GB SSD

![screenshot-2019-07-08-at-11.47.03-1.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621365668281/eiTt1V3XQ.png)
> _**macOS** - Personal development machine and tooling snapshot_

You might notice a background application running in the toolbar with a circular 'D' logo. This is [Duet](https://www.duetdisplay.com/), which has been a great development partner for increasing my productivity on the go! Duet, designed and built by ex-Apple engineers, exposes a lesser-known function of macOS and iPadOS which enables an iPad to be used as a 2nd (external) display! This has come in very handy when working on trains and public spaces, helping me achieve my preferred monitor layout for maximum development productivity. They also have a version for Windows laptops, so don't dismiss it just yet.

![NewHeroImage.jpg](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621365780679/m8CBnXz8H.jpeg)
> _**DuetDisplay** - A wonderfully easy way to use an iPad as a second display (Source and credit:_ _[DuetDisplay](https://www.duetdisplay.com/))_

At the time of my purchase, Duet requires a one-time payment of £10 for the iPadOS application (available on the iOS AppStore). However, the desktop applications are free to download as these are not available in the macOS App Store. In fact, once this ability was realised, Duet became so popular and highly-regarded that Apple is now providing its own version directly in macOS 10.15 Catalina called _Sidecar_. We must assume that in typical Apple style, this was destined to be a feature for years but wasn't 'perfect enough for release'.

The last thing to say on remote working with a 2018 MacBook Pro - _donglegate._ Limited to only 2 USB-C ports, simple tasks such as charging, external displays, and using USB drives becomes rather difficult to do simultaneously - a very anti-Apple move 🤔. Having to pay _extortionate_ amounts for adapters will become the norm for those with the newer MacBook's. At present, I carry 4 but own 5 (one is desktop-bound for docking).

- USB-C to Dual DisplayPort
- USB-C to USB-A
- USB-C to HDMI, USB-C, Ethernet, and USB-A
- USB-C to HDMI
- USB-C to Lightning

Whilst I agree that USB-C (and Thunderbolt) are the future and need adopting across the hardware industry, the initial cost of adopting this technology which is passed onto the consumer in the form of dongles presents high barriers of entry, ultimately slowing its adoption. When you consider this alongside that of the CPU in this machine (dual-core) it begs the question - _should_ they really label this machine as "Pro"? 🤔

## IDEs and Editors 🛠
For the day job, the primary IDE on all platforms is [PHPStorm](https://www.jetbrains.com/phpstorm/). Thanks to JetBrains' feature-rich and versatile IDE platform, it's great throughout the stack, despite being primarily oriented toward PHP! Meaning, I can easily switch to a second window with vanilla JavaScript or TypeScript/Angular and immediately use a wealth of environment features, such as visual test runners, live debuggers, and code completion without having to install a single plugin, just as with PHP! Though it's a paid-for product, having trialled it as a team, we came to the unanimous decision that you really get your monies worth.

![phpstorm_debugging402x.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621365932726/PQkcLaQ_Z.png)
> _**PHPStorm** - A derivative of the hugely popular JetBrains IDEA IDE with enhancements for PHP, but also other languages, frameworks, and development tooling (Source and credit: [JetBrains PHPStorm](https://www.jetbrains.com/phpstorm/))

Having tried to replicate the features I loved the most with Visual Studio Code extensions, I couldn't achieve the same quality of experience without spending more time on it than I should have to. So, PHPStorm won me over.

![screenshot-2019-07-02-at-22.09.38-e1562101852298.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366028477/o7eq_VrpF.png)
> _**Visual Studio Code** - Fully customizable editor with the Material Theme and Material Icons extensions_

For quick work, such as inspecting files or lightweight editing, I'll use Visual Studio Code. It's lightweight (though sometimes a resource hog, being Electron, but is improving), endlessly extensible, and open-source. What's not to love? It's perfect for those smaller side-projects and has all the integrations and features necessary.

Of course, having been a personal Mac user for some time now, this gives me access to develop natively for Apple platforms with Swift, Objective-C, and Cocoa, which is an ecosystem I've been experimenting with and exploring recently.

## Browser 🌍
A divisive topic, indeed, akin to console vs. PC. But at this time, I find myself in the Google Chrome camp primarily for the developer tool suite feature set and organisation and the integrations/extensions available with other Google services. I'm also a fan of the minimalist and material design movement Google is making.

![c2b5d-1kw8id2np1u58_doqeun92g.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366199497/qkrPSv2Va.png)
> _**Google Chrome** - Recently material re-designed web browser (Source and credit: [UXCollective](https://uxdesign.cc/googles-chrome-new-design-what-s-good-what-s-bad-and-what-s-still-missing-da593706c9dc)_

![edit-css.gif](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366208433/vfO-0aYqJ.gif)
> _**Google Chrome** - Google Chrome developer tool suite (Source and credit: [Google Developers](https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/sources))_

I'm a big fan of open-source, and I've tried Firefox Quantum and was pretty impressed by their advances, but I fell back into Chrome from familiarity. I'll keep trying to convert myself, however. Particularly the [developer edition](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/developer/), which has some nifty features!

## Reading 📖
For me, this one is a no brainer. Pocket allows me to squirrel away great articles, build up an online reading list, and organise all those resources in a way that's simply not as usable or pleasant with basic solutions like browser bookmarks or reading modes.

I include this in my development environment as it's a resource I'm regularly using. I start my day by reading, I'll read at lunch, and I'll read before sleep. It's a repository for all I learn from languages, tutorials, articles and exploratory and interesting blog posts, project management, leadership and general science and tech developments! It's a huge part of my workflow and personal development.

![screenshot-2019-07-02-at-23.00.27.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366334029/C2Pqi2PUp.png)
> _**Pocket** - Topic Explore page for article discovery, reading, and saving_

Tagging is ace and changes the game by enabling searching, filtering, and customisable reading panes with pure content focus. Moreover, its explore feature allows me to find out what others with similar interests are reading across the internet, not just trending articles on a single site.

## API Development ⚙️
For a full-stack developer such as myself, developing and acceptance testing APIs with good tooling is essential. From what I've used so far, [Postman](https://www.getpostman.com/) is a game-changing standalone application born from a Browser extension terming itself an ADE - an API Development Environment.

![screenshot-2019-07-02-at-23.08.23-e1562105361882.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366385124/pUmUbe1xu.png)
> _**Postman** - Standalone ADE and testing tool_

A claim which I'd agree with; it's more than simply a request emitter but instead a full suite of features to help you design, document, generate, and test APIs and gather these into collections and integrate with all kinds of cool tools! I'm yet to explore its full potential, still!

## Terminal 📟
You might be expecting another description of an experience with ['Oh my zsh!'](https://ohmyz.sh/), or a neat configuration with it. Sorry to disappoint; happy to relieve - it's not. I've read all about it, considered it countless times, but I've simply not encountered a time where I've felt that I _need_ it, or that it'll change how I use a terminal. Until now, I've been content with bash on whatever platform I'm using with some custom tools and configurations.

![screenshot-from-2019-07-04-14-13-18-1.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366541736/gpNBx1eE2.png)
> _Bash with a custom git helper prompt_

I alias a lot of my commonly used commands to make tasks such as general navigation, testing, deployment, etc. quicker and easier to remember. However, seeing as [macOS Catalina](https://www.apple.com/macos/catalina-preview/) is moving to Zsh, maybe I'll be checking out 'Oh my zsh' after all.

If you're interested in such a custom git-aware shell prompt, simply search around online. There's a wealth of different styles, examples, knowledge, and ready-to-go configurations ranging from one-liners to large and complex custom overrides. For anyone interested in the one I use, see below and enter this into your `~/.bashrc` (or `~/.bash_profile` for macOS). Many simple options exist, but I liked the ease of customisation this gives me along with additional formatting and warnings, such as SSH connections.

```
git_ps1() {
    if [ -x /usr/bin/pawd ]; then
        PWD=$(pawd $(pawd $PWD))
    fi

    myPWD='\w'
    if [ ${#PWD} -gt 55 ]; then
        myPWD="${PWD:0:20} ... ${PWD:${#PWD}-30}"
    fi

    git_ps1=`declare -f __git_ps1`

    if [ -n "$git_ps1" ]; then
      GIT_INFO=`__git_ps1`
    else
      GIT_INFO=""
    fi

    if [ -n "$SSH_CLIENT" ]; then
      inssh="[SSH]"
    fi

    case  "$TERM" in
      xterm*|rxvt* ) PS1="\[\033]0;$myPWD\007\]" ;;    # set window title for xterm
      * ) PS1="" ;;
    esac

    PS1="$PS1"'\n'                 
    PS1="$PS1"'\[\033[1;32m\]'     # change colour
    PS1="$PS1"'\u        @\h'      # 'user       @host'
    PS1="$PS1"'\[\033[1;31m\]'     # change to bold colour
    PS1="$PS1$inssh"               # indicate SSH session
    PS1="$PS1"'\[\033[1;32m\]'     # change colour
    PS1="$PS1"' | '
    PS1="$PS1"'\[\033[1;36m\]'     # change colour
    PS1="$PS1$myPWD"               # current working directory
    PS1="$PS1"'\[\033[1;34m\]'     # change colour 
    PS1="$PS1$GIT_INFO"            # current git branch, if applicable
    PS1="$PS1"'\[\033[0m\]'        # change colour
    PS1="$PS1"'\n'                 # new line
    export PS1="$PS1"'$ '          # prompt symbol: $
}

shopt -u promptvars
PROMPT_COMMAND=git_ps1
```

If you're looking for something a little more succinct and basic, try the below configuration which I used to use.

```
parse_git_branch() {
    git branch 2> /dev/null | sed -e '/^[^*]/d' -e 's/* \(.*\)/ (\1)/'
}

export PS1="\n\u@\h \[\033[32m\]\w: \$(parse_git_branch)\[\033[00m\]\n$ "
```

## Git Client(s) 🌳
Some developers are against aliases as they can prevent an understanding of git commands, their options, and the powers of their combinations. As someone who prefers git in its classic form at the shell, it doesn't take long before such commands and concepts are burned into memory and you could explain it faster than type it. It's at this point that aliases pay their weight in gold when it comes to productivity.

```
cm = commit -m
  co = checkout
  br = branch
  ri = rebase --interactive
  a  = add
  aa = add --all
  au = add --update
  ai = add --patch
  po = push origin
  pd = pull origin
  pu = push --set-upstream origin
  sl = log --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit -15
  mff = merge --ff-only
  yesterday = log --oneline -8 --decorate --author <unixname> --since=yesterday.midnight
  dm = merge --no-commit --no-ff
  sh = stash
  shp = stash pop
  aliases = config --get-regexp alias

# Unset permissions changes (eg. 644 -> 755)
  unprm = !git diff -p -R --no-color | grep -E \"^(diff|(old|new) mode)\" --color=never | git apply
```

Conversely, I find visual clients hugely beneficial for viewing diffs side-by-side, basic commits, and viewing branch trees. My preferred choice is [GitKraken](https://www.gitkraken.com/) - a cross-platform, well designed, and feature-rich tool for anyone who prefers a visual experience. GitKraken's got you covered - from the git simple to the git advanced. Not to mention, a convenient file editor.

![gitkraken.gif](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366712818/fTT-kcTvva.gif)
> _**GitKraken** - Visual git client (Source and credit: [GitKraken](https://www.gitkraken.com/student-resources))

## Password Manager 🗝
When I look for password managers, it has to be well-designed, offline, free, cross-platform and of course, secure. In my view, [Enpass](https://www.enpass.io/) nails all of this and more. You'll see design cues from their big competitors, proving it can be done offline, cross-platform, and free.

A password manager is an important part of my workflow. Exploring new tools or services which require sign-up is key to ensuring you have the right tools to work as a team and an individual. Quite simply, managing this variety of accounts and secrets is pain and Enpass makes it remarkably simple.

![610.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366768242/d9leSiwHp.png)
> _**Enpass** - Cross-platform, optionally online password and identity manager (Source and credit: [Enpass](https://www.enpass.io/enpass-allows-you-to-check-the-history-of-your-passwords/))_

It of course has its own browser extensions for autofill, password generators, password auditing and leak advisories, optional remote synchronicity, and let's not forget their security measures...

> _"Your data is fully encrypted with 256-bit AES with 100,000 rounds of PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512 using the peer-reviewed and open-source encryption engine_ _[SQLCipher](https://www.zetetic.net/sqlcipher/)_"
> 
> \- _[Enpass Security Page](https://www.enpass.io/security/)_

For more on the features, visit the [Features page](https://www.enpass.io/features/). More importantly, however, if you're looking for a feature-rich, free, offline password manager - consider Enpass.

## Communication 💬
Picking the right tool for internal communication is essential. In my case, it needs to give me reliable desktop access to text-based chats, video calls, file sharing and previewing, and service integrations - all whilst being free. As you might expect, I'm yet to experience a product that delivers that to the same degree as [Slack](https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/features).

![devices.gb402x.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366817268/Ph_8frVe7.png)
> _**Slack** - Mobile and desktop instant collaborative communication tooling (Source and credit: [Slack Features](https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/features))_

As a member of a team with remote workers, Slack makes managing communication and sharing of information and files effortless, all whilst having a great design and superb features such as sent message editing. We find it especially useful for integrating with remote distributed version control services, continuous integration deployment tools, and automated test reporting tools. Through simple webhooks, Slack will alert us to failed code quality, automated test suites, and deployments, instantly, before problems can reach a production instance. We even use it for alerting to code review discussions and pull request updates.

The only frustration being that multi-way video calls are a premium feature. I'm all for feeding the great staff at Slack who provide the service, but, it feels as though this is a basic feature being withheld to encourage adopting a paid plan which is a little... dirty.

So for those multi-participant video calls, we use [Google Meet](https://meet.google.com/). It's quick, it's free, and the call quality is great. All you need is a Google account to navigate to the web-based service and in two clicks, you're in a virtual meeting room and have a sharable link for your participants.

![screenshot-2019-07-07-at-18.35.06.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366857803/6KZp0UasE.png)

## Email 📨
Email is unavoidable and, let's face it, a pain to manage. I'd love to be able to get into my flow-state in the morning and remain there until it's time to leave, but alas, communication with individuals and departments outside the team's internal tools is a necessity so, email management still has a place in my day. Thankfully, [Mailspring](https://getmailspring.com/) to the rescue.

![hero_graphic_mac@2x.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366905765/EiPBWOO9M.png)
> _**Mailspring** - A cross-platform and free open source desktop mail client (Source and credit: [Mailspring](http://Mailspring))_

Mailspring is the re-branding, back-end re-write project, and client-side successor to [Nylas Mail](https://github.com/nylas/nylas-mail). The important thing is that it's open-source and free to use. I find their approach to premium features admirable - you've access to all the features but have limited use of them on a weekly basis. This is a great way to be allowed to trial features over long periods of time as and when you need them, rather than trying to forcibly use them before a trial ends. I find this a more natural way to evaluate the product's full capabilities.

It's minimalist but functional. It's customisable and feels like careful thought has gone into its layout. Being cross-platform, I've switched to it on all my desktop devices to have a consistent and effortless email experience when my time is better spent focused on the code. You can schedule emails so I can battle email first thing and forget it, you can monitor analytics, read notifications, and link click-throughs, you can have a unified inbox with a variety of accounts types, and searching is made simple and _fast_ with filters. Not to mention; built-in translation services and customisable time delays for the send button with an 'Undo' button.

It is open-source, but it is still susceptible to the odd bug. I have noticed a few frequent crashes with it every few days and I'm certain the maintainers are working on an update to resolve this (v1.6.1) as GitHub issues have been submitted, but, if you're a heavy email user, maybe consider another solution for the time being and check the [GitHub](https://github.com/Foundry376/Mailspring/releases) page regularly for new releases.

![alldevices.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366963648/-aJEpENtg.png)
> _**Spark Mail** - Spark is a fantastic free and powerful email experience for any device (Source and credit: [Spark Mail App Website](https://sparkmailapp.com/))_

Another solution is Spark. For personal email, I've moved from Apple Mail and Gmail (having said our goodbyes to [Inbox](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/09/google-kills-google-inbox/), to Spark. I'd tinkered with it in the past, but once they released it onto Android, I was hooked. Again, it's free, feature-rich, and I don't feel as though I've limited access to the powers of a product without paying. The perfect cross-platform Newton alternative. 🙌

## Document Management and Sharing 🗂
As a developer with a wide range of non-code responsibilities, having a good tool for producing and managing documents efficiently and with wide accessibility is a must for me. From specifications, reports, requirements gathering, estimates, documentation, feedback forms, meeting minutes and more - it's all done through Google Drive. Why? It's fast, it's well designed, it's convenient and integrates well with other services such as Gmail and Google Calendar.

![6b5e3-1_dm8yq9vuz8sv-ygsbrmig.jpeg](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621366997892/GNiouAgyI.jpeg)
> _**GSuite** - Google work management suite (Source and credit: [Pawa-IT](https://medium.com/pawa-it/gsuite-hacks-for-business-reduce-license-costs-with-aliases-2154a127c9cf))_

It's painless to export to a variety of other popular business document types for those who might not have access, it's great at converting any document to be readable within it, and it's pleasant to use. That, with good integration and cross-platform accessibility, is all I need, online or offline. 👌

## Task management 🗒✍️
![screenshot-2019-07-08-at-00.18.37.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621367057483/X83pz7Wps.png)
> _**Trello** - Beautiful and simple kanban-esque project and task management at your fingertips_

In an attempt to better organise my work-days and projects in favour of paperless work life, I moved to Trello; a collaborative-ready kanban-esque task and project management web-based service with mobile clients (iOS, Android) and desktop clients (Windows, macOS). Another greatest hit from the team at FogCreek, now sold to Atlassian (free Jira, anyone?), Trello is an awesome way to organise yourself and stay up to date on any device.

I'm yet to feel restricted by it, and in my experience, I find it makes managing tasks and projects so easy that it blends into my daily schedule perfectly without feeling like a maintenance headache. Markdown support; colour-coded labelling; checklists; watches and comments; drag and drop; attachments and linking; and of course, integrations galore (hello GitHub and Slack linking 👋)! Boards can be private (default), link-based sharable boards for inviting others to participate, or public to the web. Team-based boards are free, too!

Fear not Linux lovers; if you're not a fan of the in-browser experience, check out [this post](https://medium.com/@davideiaiunese/how-to-install-trello-on-ubuntu-754e9d8b4d03) by Davide Iaiunese which guides you through installing the [open-source Linux desktop wrapper for Trello](https://github.com/danielchatfield/trello-desktop) by Daniel Chatfield which I use on my Linux desktop.

## Time management ⏱🍅
I like to track how long I spend on various tasks and projects. Occasionally, I find it all too easy to get lost in a state of deep concentration and time flies by. In situations like this, other responsibilities can be sidelined, accidentally, or incorrectly re-prioritised - either because completion or success is near on the current task, one doesn't wish to sacrifice that state of concentration, or simply because context switching from highly-focused thinking to, what [@theghostyced](https://dev.to/theghostyced) referred to as ["diffused mode thinking"](https://dev.to/theghostyced/how-to-learn-what-most-schools-don-t-teach-2p5f).

Many are common with time-management techniques, the most widely known likely being the Pomodoro technique (short bursts with regular breaks). However, I wasn't able to adhere to this for two reasons: I found it prevented me from achieving deep focus; I would forget to check the clock, or check the physical timer on my desk.

Instead, I took a different approach - to log the tasks, projects, and time spent via a widely accessible application that can prompt me on-screen. I chose [Clockify](https://clockify.me/) as it provides minimalist desktop applications (out-of-the-way menu-bar style), mobile, and web-based clients. It has an open-ended timer mode, Pomodoro mode, and submission mode (for when you forget to hit 'Start' and wish to log the time manually). It groups nicely with projects and categories and has a team-based mode too! Moreover, its analytics feature is great for seeing how you spend your time, in hindsight, and where opportunity exists to improve time balance. This is great for seeing when you spend too much time in the wrong areas.

%[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWQRlEt-N1Q&w=560&h=315]

Best of all - it's _free._ Unlimited users, unlimited projects, unlimited trackings and analytics, and no per-user fees. 🤘

For those Apple-ecosystem users who might prefer a less detailed experience, check out [Focus](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/focus-time-manager/id777233759?mt=12) which has a more minimalist macOS-esque design, layout, and less-complex organisation of recorded work periods.

![screenshot-2019-07-08-at-11.49.21.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621367292367/wSckl9qXf.png)
> _**Focus** - An Apple ecosystem application for recording work periods and managing breaks (Source and credit: [Focus](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/focus-time-manager/id777233759?mt=12))_

## Meeting management 🗣️
When it comes to scheduling meeting and managing where I am and who with, as eluded to previously, Google Calendar gets my vote for a beautiful, overview-focused but informative design and a rich set of features and integration points with other Google services such as Google Tasks, Hangouts, Meet, and so on. Sharing calendars is extremely simple and clear.

Though not perfect (is anything, really?), I find the Google GSuite (including the business-oriented package) perfectly designed and suited to quick and fully functional usage. If I feel that I spend as much time managing the application as I do the content within it, such as meetings, it's not suitable. That's why Google gets my vote as it has avoided this for a whole host of reasons.

![googlecal_desktop.jpeg](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621367542083/Ygz6t8off.jpeg)
> _**Google Calendar** - Material re-designed web client (Source and credit: [9to5Google](https://9to5google.com/2018/12/20/google-calendar-material-tweaks-web/))_

I think this informative overview-first approach to content display is most evident on mobile applications where usability means simplicity and efficiency. I find the schedule view a fantastic way to get an overview of my day and the items of interest within it.

![screenshot-2019-07-08-at-10.56.35.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621367375551/jKT8WNZQR.png)
> _**Google Calendar** - Mobile Schedule view (Source and credit: [AndroidPolice](https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/11/04/google-calendar-5-0-ready-4-0-3-devices-apk-download/))_

When it comes to conducting and reviewing meetings, however, I found I needed something more functional than the Google Calendar item notes section. Until they provide such a meeting summary feature, I decided to try SoapBox for organising and detailing agendas for internal meetings and sending these out by inviting participants to review and contribute to agendas and meeting summaries.

![product-shots.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621367635198/wYafPb-pB.png)
> _**SoapBox** - Team-focused meeting agenda and management application (Source and credit: [SoapBoxHQ](https://soapboxhq.com/products-teams))_

I usually conduct or participate in meetings by taking notes using Agenda on my Macbook. It's a nicely organised meeting-oriented notes application with support for Markdown and exportation of your data.

![hero-mac.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1621367670301/pmlvTL1pW.png)
> _**Agenda** - Meeting organisation and note-taking application for macOS (Source and credit: [Agenda](https://agenda.com/))_