As a full-stack engineer working in fintech, digital tools are an integral part of my daily workflow. My job requires collaboration, project management, software development, and continuous learning. To manage these aspects efficiently, I rely on a variety of digital applications, including:
- Jira & Confluence – Essential for project tracking and documentation, especially in Agile environments.
- GitHub & GitHub Copilot – Version control and AI-assisted coding speed up development and ensure quality.
- Slack & Microsoft Teams – Used for communication with colleagues, clients, and cross-functional teams.
- Notion – My personal knowledge management tool for organizing notes, study materials, and side projects.
- Google Workspace – For emails, document collaboration, and cloud storage.
- Figma – Occasionally used when working with UI/UX designers.
These tools allow me to work efficiently, collaborate with teams, and stay productive across different tasks.
Trying Out New Social Media Tools
This time, I have explored five digital tools that I never used before or had a vague knowledge of. My aim was to understand whether any of these tools could be of use to my work and daily life.
Miro
I had heard from different people about Miro but never used it. Trying it out, I realized how easily and intuitive it is for brainstorming sessions: it’s like you have an infinite whiteboard to which you can add sticky notes, draw diagrams or mindmaps. I could see this being handy for sprint planning, user flow mapping, or even idea organizing when working on a new project. Miro seems to me much more fluid and collaborative than a traditional whiteboard or even other tools like Figma.
DeepL
I didn’t expect much from DeepL, considering I have been used to quick translations by Google Translate. But after testing it with some complex Italian-to-English and English-to-Finnish phrases, I was seriously impressed. The translations feel much more natural than Google’s, especially in business or technical contexts. So this would help in my work while dealing with international colleagues or reading documents in different languages.
Doodle
I never saw its need before, but have to agree Doodle is popular for some reason after having tried it. Setting up meetings with a bunch of people becomes ridiculously simple. No more Slack message chains or emails concerning everyone’s availability and schedules, just create a poll instead and let people check off times that work for them. Not that I can see myself using this on a daily basis, but for cross-team or external meetings this could be a game changer.
Issuu
I had never before heard of Issuu, but after messing around with it, I can see its appeal for putting together and sharing professional-looking documents and magazines with the world. It basically converts PDFs into page-flipping publications that are interactive. While I don’t see a direct use for it in my work at the moment, I could imagine companies or freelancers using it to present reports, brochures, or portfolios in a more engaging way.
Pinterest
Pinterest is one of those platforms I always ignored, thinking it was for the most part DIY crafts and home decor. But when I explored it with a fresh, new perspective, I found it can be a great source of inspiration for just about anything. I could use it for UI/UX design references, organizing ideas for side projects, or even just a collection of tech-visuals. It is more useful than I actually expected, although not sure how much I’d fit it into my daily workflow.
Social Media Reflections on Work
Social media has completely changed the way we hold conversation, share information, and work with each other. But in today’s professional world, we have learned to live with its reality by integrating platforms like LinkedIn for networking, X (Twitter) for industry news, and YouTube for learning new skills. Firstly, while they do make knowledge more easily transferable and work at least slightly more effective, they all possess a certain level of distraction, misinformation, and a certain segregation of work-life and personal life.Personally, I try to balance both. I keep up with industry trends and professionals via LinkedIn, but I hardly ever post anything myself. YouTube is an amazing tool for learning, while Slack and Kanban Boards foster collaboration. But I stay away from the tools that seem to me more like time sinks rather than productivity boosters.
Self-Evaluation
Testing out these tools was an interesting experience, especially since I usually stick to the ones I know work well for me. It made me realize how many digital solutions exist for different problems, and how sometimes we get stuck in habits without exploring better alternatives. Miro and DeepL, in particular, stood out as tools I might integrate more into my workflow.
I also reflected on the role of social media in professional life. While it’s a powerful tool for learning and networking, it can easily become overwhelming or unproductive if not managed well. Going forward, I think I’ll be more open to experimenting with new digital tools, but also mindful of which ones actually add value to my work and which ones are just noise.