There are many tools one can use to improve productivity, however, its sometimes the simplest of changes/configuration to your existing tools that makes the most impact.
As an example: Bash Scripts. If you're writing more than 15 characters in bash multiple times a day with random IP's and tags to remember, write a simple shorthand function. Examples:
- Instead of typing
scp -P 5555 /some/path/to/file.php [email protected]:/var/www/project/current/some/path/to/file.php, I have a little script:scp{projectname} /some/path/to/file.php. It already knows our server details, and the path relative to the project (both locally for autocompletion, and on the server). It also sends out a HipChat notification that the certain file has been overwritten, so I don't have to worry about keeping the team in the loop. (Yes, I do push files directly to our live production server from time to time, sue me)
Also, being 100% comfortable with your IDE is extremely important. Set it up the way you want it. Change the shortcut keys to what YOU are used to. Look at plugins/tools that will allow you to work more effectively.
The one PHPStorm plugin that I simply can't live without is the Embedded Terminal. And assign a easy shortcut to it, so you can show/hide it at any time. Maximizing the code area and minimizing the clutter is important. Open the tools/side bars when you need them, and close them once you're done. Simple shortcuts can help streamline this.
Besides that, here are some cool tools I use in some of my projects:
http://wkhtmltopdf.org/ https://github.com/mikehaertl/phpwkhtmltopdf
https://github.com/Xethron/migrations-generator
https://github.com/Xethron/extended-array
https://github.com/tedious/Fetch
Small system for showing a very generic error message to your end-users while sending an email to yourself with all relevant information about the exception.
https://github.com/anlutro/laravel-4-smart-errors
https://github.com/barryvdh/laravel-ide-helper
https://github.com/barryvdh/laravel-debugbar
http://serverdemo.zend.com/laravel/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmcMLNyNwow
Improve code quality and find bugs before they hit production with our continuous inspection platform
https://github.com/rocketeers/rocketeer
(To swap out two symlinks atonomously (aka, no downtime), use mv -t newsymlink oldsymlink)
https://github.com/laravel/envoy
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wlxd.pomochallenge