Holmes Stacks

Recommended Tools

Tools I Actually Use

Every tool below earns its place in the Holmes Stacks workflow. Short list on purpose — I'd rather give you 5 things I use than 50 things I've heard of.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I use or have used long enough to vouch for. Read the full disclosure →

AI Tools

The models, assistants, and copilots that earn their seat at my desk.

ChatGPT Plus

Default model for prompt work, resume rewrites, and study plans.

Best for: All-purpose AI assistant
Price: $20/mo
Try ChatGPT Plus →
Claude

Better long-context reasoning and writing than anything else right now.

Best for: Long docs, careful writing
Price: Free / $20/mo
Try Claude →
Perplexity

Search-grounded answers with sources — faster than tab-hopping.

Best for: Research with citations
Price: Free / $20/mo
Try Perplexity →
Cursor

AI-native code editor. The closest thing to pair-programming with the model.

Best for: Engineers shipping faster
Price: Free / $20/mo
Try Cursor →

Career Tools

What I'd hand to someone trying to level up their resume, LinkedIn, or job search this month.

Teal

Tracks every application + scores your resume against any job post.

Best for: Active job search
Price: Free / from $9/mo
Try Teal →
LinkedIn Premium

Worth it during a focused search — InMail + recruiter visibility move the needle.

Best for: 60-day push
Price: Free trial / $40/mo
Try LinkedIn Premium →
Otter.ai

Transcribes meetings so I can pull real wins for resume + performance reviews.

Best for: Building your impact log
Price: Free / from $17/mo
Try Otter.ai →

Cloud Learning

How I'd learn AWS, Azure, or GCP in 2026 without burning out.

A Cloud Guru / Pluralsight

Solid video paths for AWS / Azure / GCP cert prep.

Best for: Cert-focused learning
Price: From $35/mo
Try A Cloud Guru / Pluralsight →
Tutorial Dojo

Practice exams that actually match real cert difficulty.

Best for: Final 2 weeks before a cert
Price: ~$15 per cert
Try Tutorial Dojo →
AWS Skill Builder

Official free + paid AWS training, including labs.

Best for: Hands-on AWS
Price: Free / from $29/mo
Try AWS Skill Builder →

Content Creation

The stack behind the AI Career Stack and Rise Up Mentality videos.

Descript

Edit video by editing text. Strips filler words automatically.

Best for: Talking-head + voiceover
Price: Free / from $19/mo
Try Descript →
Canva Pro

Where the lead magnets, thumbnails, and brand assets get built.

Best for: All visual assets
Price: Free / $13/mo
Try Canva Pro →
CapCut Pro

Best free-tier mobile editor for Shorts / TikTok.

Best for: Vertical video
Price: Free / $10/mo
Try CapCut Pro →
ElevenLabs

Voice generation for AI Career Stack long-form when I'm not on mic.

Best for: AI voiceover
Price: Free / from $5/mo
Try ElevenLabs →

Productivity

Boring tools that earn their place every week.

Notion

Career OS lives here. Templates for weekly review, skill log, and prompt library.

Best for: Personal operating system
Price: Free / $10/mo
Try Notion →
Raycast

Spotlight on steroids. Snippets + AI + window management in one keystroke.

Best for: Mac power users
Price: Free / $10/mo
Try Raycast →
Cal.com

Open-source scheduling. Looks better than Calendly and self-hostable if you want.

Best for: Booking calls
Price: Free / from $15/mo
Try Cal.com →

Mindset / Habit

The few tools that actually make discipline easier instead of louder.

Streaks

iOS habit app that's stayed simple. Tracks the 6 habits that matter most.

Best for: iOS habit tracking
Price: $5 one-time
Try Streaks →
Insight Timer

Free meditation library. Use it before the morning checklist, not after.

Best for: 5-min resets
Price: Free / $60/yr
Try Insight Timer →
Oura Ring

Sleep + recovery data that's actually accurate. Helps me stop overtraining discipline.

Best for: Recovery awareness
Price: $299+ / $6/mo
Try Oura Ring →

Want the system, not just the tools?

The AI Career Stack Starter Kit shows you how to wire these tools into one weekly workflow.

See the Starter Kit →