Working in marketing and business I’ve come to use a lot of tools. These tools and apps and such are outlined in a previous post you can find here. There are other tools and apps that I have, as well.
In this post I’ll rummage through my office and tell you about the 10 tools I use the least. And, for my own benefit and yours too, I’ll see if I can motivate myself to use them more.
The tools I’ll tell you about are tools I probably need to make more use of, but we all know that the projects and seasons of life and our career require different tools at different times.
Focusrite 2i2 Audio Interface
The Focusrite 2i2 Audio Interface is a tool that I can use to connect microphones and other audio inputs into my computer. My intended use was/is to create a podcast about the arts and marketing. But, I haven’t yet gotten started doing so. Soon we’ll have a podcast up and running.
Shure SM58 Microphone
The Shure SM58 is a workhorse microphone that’s probably the industry standard for vocal microphones. I had intended to do some vocal work as a side project, you know, Jonathan Sings the Best of Broadway kind of thing. It’s still in the works but at this time it’s not something I’m actively working on.
DJI Osmo Gimbal
Also in my tool chest is a DJI Osmo Gimbal. It’s a 4k camera atop a stabilizing gimbal. I can walk around the city and record video and photos. It has a variety of functions and features that are really cool but rarely utilized. I have used it to record a promotional video and around the house, but that’s really it.
The Full Focus Journal
While I love using the Full Focus Planner, I feel like that as a feeling repressed Enneagram 3 I struggle with recording my thoughts, emotions, and feelings that might help me process the day and create more emotional stability and awareness. Don’t hear me say I’m emotionally unstable!
Evernote Moleskine Notebooks
Years ago, Evernote partnered with Moleskine to create a line of notebooks that could be used for a variety of purposes. The intent was to make a notebook that could be captured and saved in Evernote for archiving and action. These days, my work doesn’t need this.
DJI Spark Drone
I bought the DJI Spark off the Facebook Marketplace and wanted to have a drone to play around with. I’m sure that there are lots of cool applications for it, but for now it’s just a hobby. Dare I say, toy? I bring it out on Sundays or the weekend to fly around a little to play around with, but I’m not serious about shooting video or doing anything major right now.
Parrot Teleprompter
The Parrot Teleprompter is billed as the worlds most affordable teleprompter. It clips on the front of your DSLR camera and you use a smartphone to scroll text onto the lens so you can look straight into the camera for videos. Since I don’t record a lot of videos, I rarely use it.
Apple iPad Mini
I’m an apple fan for sure. But one thing I have that is apple that I don’t use a whole lot is my iPad Mini. I might use it to watch YouTube videos or other media, but most of my work is either laptop/desktop or strictly iPhone. The thing is that my work either needs a really small screen or a really big one.
Rode Video Micro
The Rode Video Micro is a mini shotgun mic that content creators use to capture audio for video without using a wired microphone like a lavalier or handheld. It’s a great tool to use with my DSLR and the DJI Osmo, but again, because I don’t do a lot of video, I seldom use it on a daily basis.
Apple TV
My wife and I recently upgraded to an Apple TV 4th generation for our home entertainment, from a 3rd generation device. I intended to keep the old one to use for presentations, because I can easily connect it to power and a flat screen TV with HDMI connections and cast my laptop screen to it through the device. I don’t do a lot of presentations right now, so I don’t use this device as much.
How can I start using these things again?
This is a tough one. Because some would say that I just need to Marie Kondo everything and minimize my tools and get rid of what I don’t use. Sell it on Craigslist/Ebay, donate it. But I don’t think I can do that right now.
Most of these tools have to do with either videography, podcasting, or public speaking. Others have to do with simple technology. Maybe what I should do is adopt an attitude of play with video and podcasting. What I mean is that I seem to sometimes want to be perfect right out of the gate. That prevents me from publishing anything. Rather, can I play around and see what I can make without putting pressure on myself to perform?
And, if it’s public speaking, I should remind myself that I’ve done it before and feel confident in my abilities. So I maybe should hop back on the saddle and find opportunities to speak and deliver great talks to people.
Conclusion
There are tools I use often and there are tools I don’t use as much. I could Marie Kondo them or intentionally choose to play with video and audio and public speaking.
Now it’s your turn. What tools and tech do you find that you never use anymore? Any purchases you regretted making? Let us know in the comments below.
