My Daily Toolbox #08
Running my own business means juggling product strategy, content, and client work. From Notion and Miro to GPT, Perplexity, and Canva - this is the daily stack that keeps it all moving.
How I capture ideas, shape them, and ship... without drowning in tabs.
Hey there 👋
If you’ve been here before, you know I care about two things: momentum and clarity. Velonova is my way of building both - across product strategy, UX, and the very real “how do we ship this?” day-to-day.
People sometimes ask: “How do you produce so much across clients, mentoring, writing, and research - without losing the plot (and your mind 🙈)?”
Short answer: systems + tools. As extensions of how I think.
Below is the main stack I actually use every day, why it works for me, and how it all connects in a simple loop: capture → shape → ship.
My simple loop
- Capture 📸: ideas, inputs, research, meeting notes
- Shape ⚪: structure, flows, drafts, designs, decisions
- Ship 🚢: assets, comms, handoffs, follow-ups
I don’t worship tools. I measure them by one question: Do they reduce drag?
Capture
Notion → my external brain
Everything lands here first: content pieces and calendar, outreach CRM, meeting agendas, product frameworks, reading notes, tool libraries, course ideas.
Why it stays: flexible databases + frictionless pages. I can go from a random thought to a repeatable template in 60 seconds.
TimeOS (extension) → calls that remember themselves
Auto-summaries and action items after a call save me ~30 minutes per 60-minute session.
So what? Fewer context gaps, faster follow-ups, better trust.
Glasp + Monica → fast video digestion
Glasp for YouTube summaries. Monica for transcripts + outlines.
Use case: prep for a domain in 15 minutes instead of an hour.
Crunchbase & Similarweb (extensions) → quick reality checks
Company basics, investments, news, traffic, and geography in seconds.
Use case: due diligence before a prospecting call.
Shape
Miro & Figjam→ flows and plan building
I map user journeys, onboarding, and “what must happen to reach activation?” decisions.
Why not only Figma? Miro and Figjam is better for thinking; Figma is better for making.
Figma → wireframes to design systems
Low-fi to high-fi. Component discipline keeps teams aligned.
Microcopy note: I write strings in context. It prevents vague labels and “mystery buttons.”
Google Suite → backbone of collaboration
Gmail, Docs, Sheets. Nothing glamorous, always reliable.
Rule: one doc = one owner = one decision. Fewer “v2_final_final” files.
Slack + Google Chat → client channels
Different clients prefer different tools. I adapt per needs.
Guardrail: async first, decisions summarized in Notion or Slack Canvas.
Canva & Gamma.app → presentations that don’t waste time
Canva for quick, on-brand visuals.
Gamma when I need AI-drafted deck structure fast.
Outcome: clear story in fewer slides, earlier.
Ship
Zoom & Google Meet → conversations > assumptions
Most work clears up in 20 minutes of real talk.
Habit: I send a 3-bullet recap after every important call. People remember aligned bullets.
Loom → show, don’t tell
Fast explainer videos for clients or mentees. I record walkthroughs of flows, onboarding friction, or design feedback.
Outcome: people see the issue, not just read about it. Saves back-and-forth.
Veed.io → simple edits, captions, and shareables
Short explainers, walkthroughs, and social snippets.
Rule: if it takes more than 30 minutes, I’m over-producing.
My AI layer (the amplifier)
GPT → my “agentic” partner
I run structured project agents with instructions: brand voice, audience, constraints, success metrics.
What I use it for: research, PRD sections, UX flows and microcopy, interview scripts, QA of my own logic.
Claude → long, thoughtful passes
Great for UX rationale and rewrites when I want warm, human flow. Use it also for my second blog "Coffee With Tanya".
Perplexity → research with receipts
When I need sources and a crisp landscape view fast.
Midjourney → visuals for content
Images for blogs, content, post headers, and quick concept imagery.
Google Notebook LM → long docs, mindmaps, light analysis
When the doc is big and I need structure without losing nuance. Its recent Mindmaps feature is also super helpful.
Lovable & Base44 → prototypes and landing pages
From idea → testable thing in hours. Clients love clickable clarity.
Added my Github account and voila, they can use it locally ad adapt.
Chrome crew (small things, big leverage)
- Wordtune & Grammarly → clarity passes when I’m too close to the text
- Loom / Arcade → record flows; people see the friction
- Merlin → in-browser AI nudge for rephrase/research
- Pomodoro → 25/5 keeps me honest (and fed)
- Color Picker → grab the exact hex from anywhere
- Authenticator → quick, secure 2FA for all my accounts
- Brain.fm → science-based focus music to stay in deep work mode
A day in tools (real example) ▶️
- Discovery call on Google Meet → TimeOS summary drops into Notion project.
- I outline goals in Notion, draft the onboarding flow in Miro, then wireframe the tough moments in Figma.
- Use Perplexity to validate benchmarks and best practices, GPT to sharpen microcopy, Claude for a smoother narrative.
- Build a lean deck in Canva, record a 2-minute Loom to walk through decisions or prototypes.
- Ship. Recap bullets in Slack. Next steps live in Notion. Everyone knows the “why.”
This takes hours, not days, because the handoffs are designed.
Principles that matter more than the tools
- One source of truth. (Notion)
- Think in flows, not pages. (Miro → Figma)
- Decide in writing. (Docs + 3 bullets)
- Show, don’t tell. (Loom, Veed)
- Automate the boring. (TimeOS, templates, agents)
If a tool doesn’t reduce drag, it’s gone.
Wrapping it up
I don’t believe in perfect stacks. I believe in stacks that fit your brain 🧠.
Mine helps me capture faster, decide clearer, and ship sooner without burning out on process.
If you want help building a lean system for your team (or just want to peek under the hood), let’s talk.
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