Do You Have the Right Stuff?

What’s the real secret to getting things done? While much of the answer lies in things like motivation and daily habits, you also can’t ignore the value of the tools you use every day to do the work.

We polled our staff to find out what’s running on their machines here at the office and at home. What we found is that our office has some universal solutions, and then seemed to split departmentally.

So for this series, over the next few weeks, you will find a detailed explanation of what software, hardware, and a few extras we use daily and know are invaluable to our success. We will outline tools and methods that have proven to be essential for success, no matter what your passions are.

Here’s what just knowing about the “right stuff” can do for you:

– Increase your knowledge of the available industry-leading tools.

– Leverage that knowledge to communicate with peers, freelancers, and employees alike.

– Create a tool-acquisition action plan.

– Better understand outsourcing costs. (If you are paying someone to design something for you, you can remember that those Adobe products carry hefty price tags.)

– Avoid overpaying.

– Save valuable time researching and selecting which products you buy. We’ve only included what we use on a daily basis, not the products we’ve left at the wayside.

– Expose you to some alternatives you didn’t know existed.

We’ve outlined our tools by three main categories: Administrative, Developer, and Creative. Find where you fit best (it very well may be all three!), and read up to see what our teams our using.

And after all that, if you’re just getting started and strapped for cash, you can find a handy list of alternative software you can try, all for free. Stay tuned!