I'm really a beginner when it comes to tinkering with computers. However, my quality of life improved significantly once I started caring about my experience in front of a screen. I used to be scared of computers until my supervisor in university got me to make the jump to Linux. I suggest you try it out too!

Software

• My Linux distribution is Debian. More control over your computer comes with a time cost, and one needs to strike a balance according to their needs. Debian sits in the middle of the spectrum between Windows and Arch Linux. I chose it because it's stable, meaning I get less crashes at the cost of slightly older software. Also, it was an easy transition from Ubuntu.

• I prefer KDE as a desktop environment. It's much more customisable than GNOME.

• I use the terminal with bash and tmux.

• My text editor is vim (see below). In particular, vim-gtk3, which comes with system clipboard interaction.

• My browser is Firefox. It has the best support for uBlock Origin, which ensures that you never get ads. I use Betterfox for privacy and Tridactyl for Vim keybindings. The add-on Simple Translate is convenient for pages in other languages.

• If you're having difficulty falling asleep, reducing blue light in the evenings is a great help. I use KDE's canned solution called Night Color. Terminal enthusiasts can try redshift, but I found it to be much more finicky.

• This website is powered by Zola. It is less clunky than e.g. Hugo or Jekyll.

Phone

All the apps I'll list are for Android, which is more customisable than iOS and has better file management and file transfer.

• PipePipe – A front-end for YouTube which disables the ads, allows you to download videos, and can play music in the background. It's like NewPipe, but it's faster and I get fewer errors.

• AnkiDroid – Does what it says on the tin (i.e. Anki for Android). Converting Anki to a mobile game helps you to be more consistent with spaced repetition. If you're learning a language or cramming for an exam, using Anki is mandatory. Unfortunately, the learning curve is dreadful, but this tutorial for the desktop version is good.

• Microsoft Lens – Perhaps surprisingly, other scanning apps still don't come close.

• RealCalc – For your scientific calculator needs. I've been using it for about ten years now. Simple interface with big buttons means you can do calculations with astonishing speed.

Vim

Vim is a very powerful editor which is well worth learning. Here's how:

• Type vimtutor in the terminal and follow the tutorial.

• Just for a week or two, force yourself to use vim for all your text editing needs. If you need help, search online. This will feel very uncomfortable, but persevere!

• By then you should be ready to work through the examples in Practical Vim.

• After you're done with the book, you're safe to go out into the wild. You'll find additional tips on vimcasts.org or /r/vim. You might also enjoy playing vimgolf.

Vim is extremely customisable, and this allows for wizardry. For example, I've copied a workflow that makes working with LaTeX trivial via the plugin VimTeX and the pdf viewer Zathura. See it in action on Elijan Mastnak's website.

Other tips

• Learn touch typing if you haven't yet. This will be very frustrating in the first month, but you will see substantial returns. Consider how many hours of your life you have lost because you couldn't transfer your thoughts to text quickly enough. Note that you shouldn't ask me for tips, as I sit at a measly 65 words-per-minute.

• With great power comes great responsibility. In Linux, you can break your whole system with a single command. If you want to mess with the plumbing, make sure you've backed up your computer first.