Boys. Its not about size. Or technique.
Its about how creative you use it.
For sure I am talking about the technical stuff you carry around each day.
Focus yourself in what you really use.
Not what you think you need.
Reduce to the max
I had a huge equipment some years ago. Camera, tripod, lenses, smartphone, computer, external drives, powerbanks, mouse, tons of cables – the biggest invention for me was this flat cable-organizer for your bag.
Phew!
And there was more. Noise canceling headphones for travelling, InEars for calls and quick walks, ipad mini, i had a pen before the apple-pen, i‘m a mac – so i had plenty of adapters… it felt endless.
I forgot most of it.
I had a timeular dice to track my working hours with this „smart“ invention.
You could call me a gadget guy…
What i really need
+ My smartphone. An iPhone XsMax.
I took the bigger phone, to use it as a tablet – and skip the ipad.
And the pen.
Steve was right. Your fingers are always with you. Quickly there. Intuitive.
The calender is my number one app. Sadly i have to work with outlook – stuck to my agencies guidelines in software-usage. Uncool, as far not as good as my beloved fantastical – but it could be worse.
Teams, Mails, Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp, surfing, music, podcasts, and so on.
The iPhone replaces my camera as well. For shure a DSLR creates better pictures but the iPhone is pretty cool. Uploads them into the cloud. Quickly editing and sharing on instagram.
I love it!
You know KISS?
Keep
It
Simple and
Stupid
Sometimes on events, in a museum or during vacation i use an external fisheye.
Just for the nice effect. I tried some and actual use the: xxxxxx
I have dozens of camera-apps, editing software, picture, film, insta, instastoriemakers, hashtags. And i mostly use 2-3 of them.
I will do an extra post about my prefered app-ecosystem if you like to read about it.
+ Apple AirPods Pro
Another gadget i dont wanna miss: noise canceling, small, for traveling and a quick walk. I carry them everywhere.
+ Powerbank
For everyday usage i carry a very small one with me, the xxxxxxxxxxx.
For travelling, events, … i chose the bigger one: xxxxxxxxxxxx. It can bring your computer back to live or gives multi devices the energy they need.
+ less cables
i bought a complete new set of short cables. All USB-C fitting to my mac, no more adapters please! Lightning, MicroUSB, USB3.
That are my most important devices as a creative manager.
For more work
As a designer i prefer working with a laptop.
But i get rid of the most periphery during the last couple of years.
The last time i was working with an external monitor was in 2016 when i was redesigning ratiopharm website and build the mockups of the long scrolling mainpages from all the little modules we developed.
I dont need a wacom tableau anymore. I used it. I loved it. But i dont use it no more.
No additional keyboard, laptop-stand, dock or other stuff.
On my desk you can only find my
+ MacBook Pro, 13 inch, fully packed
Its more a ritual than a real need but when i start a nightshift with powerpoint i use my black magicmouse – but regularly i dont really „need“ it.
I dont use a desktop-phone either.
Call me on my mobile, please!
My anker Qui-dock gives fast energy to the smartphone while i work at my desk.
Thats it.
I only wear
+ A fitbit charge3
It takes my steps and activity. The reason i bought it, was to count my lanes in the swimmingpool.
I’m what you can call an apple fanboy but i don’t like the Apple Watch. I always desired one, but the design is so ugly to me. I love watches. I love them round or square, black, red, metal, classic and modern but i dont wanna wear a calculator as a watch on my wrist. So i decided against a smartwatch and stay with a smartband.
Everything else is weight
Harddrives are imported into my google drive. I have a box full of harddrives, the important ones are in the cloud. The unimportant are… unimportant. Cables are maximum reduced. No more additional gadgets. I love gadgets but i did not use them enough. So i skip them.
Okay. Times has changed. Living in a smarthome makes it easy to skip half of my other gadgets. Amazon Echo, SmartTV, Philips Hue, Sonos, multiple tablets from amazon and apple, Smartscale of course wifi-and-app-connected, FritzBox with NAS (which automatically synchronizes my cloud), Playstation 2+4, SNES, AppleTV… hey i told you, i’m a nerd… but that does not count to me anymore. Its part of our daily routine. 🙂