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apps reviewed
why this exists
i’m illy, a longtime medical exec by day and digital creator by every other hour. after building a career behind the scenes in healthcare, i unexpectedly found a second life online, sharing tools, workflows, and thoughts that helped me stay focused and get sh*t done. i’ve grown an audience of thousands on social media by staying honest, a little chaotic, and obsessed with anything that makes life more efficient, expressive, or just a little better. notlilly.com is my personal shelf, a mix of productivity tools, journaling finds, writing obsessions, and anything worth bookmarking. it’s not perfect. but it’s real. if you’re an indie builder with something useful, clever, or just plain cool, send it my way. i love discovering tools that make sense and don’t waste people’s time.
about this site
this isn’t an agency, a brand collab hub, or a startup pretending to be scrappy. it’s just me, one person sharing the tools, systems, and setups that help me stay organized, creative, and moving. i built this site to house everything i talk about online in one place. if you’re into productivity, planning, journaling, writing, or indie tools, you’ll probably feel at home here
why this isn’t just another tools site
this site isn’t sponsored, outsourced, or curated by a team of interns. i personally test every tool, template, and app that shows up here. if it saves time, makes sense, and helps you get sh*t done, you’ll probably see it featured. if not, it doesn’t make the shelf.
i built this for creators, founders, and busy people who care more about results than fluff
how the shelf gets built
each tool goes through my personal gauntlet, research, testing, usability, and vibe checks. if it works in real life, solves a real problem, and plays nice with the rest of my stack, it gets added. if not, it doesn’t make the shelf. simple as that
i start by poking around the product, its website, docs, and vibe. good ux matters
i plug it into my content, planning, or work setup to see if it holds up over time
if it helps save time, reduce friction, or inspire momentum, it gets shared.
building something useful, clean, or cool? i’m always looking for tools that actually work. if you’ve made something you’re proud of, whether it’s a full platform or a scrappy little app, i’d love to check it out.
no gimmicks, no promises, if i like it, i’ll share it
real numbers
behind the scenes
this isn’t an agency. there’s no assistant, no intern, no strategy team. just me, testing tools at midnight, building dashboards on my lunch break, and answering dms between work and whatever’s burning on the stove.
if something’s featured here, it went through my actual workflow first.