# Building for myself: simple tools, real use

I don’t usually trust online tools- but they’re just too convenient.

Whether it’s editing PDFs, converting files, or tweaking images, you name it.

So, to keep things private, I built a few simple ones myself.

## Why toolou?

I needed a place to host these tools, so I've created [toolou.com](https://toolou.com/)

Silly name, basic layout, pretty much vibe-coded with v0 and Copilot Edits.

My favourites so far: Word to markdown converter, JSON formatter, and LinkedIn date finder. Let’s take a look!

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1747311039924/fce3ae9c-d51e-430c-a1d5-1a418b075f58.png align="center")

## Word to markdown converter

I wanted to paste documents into LLMs. Some of them, including OpenAI thinking models, do not allow document upload.

I wanted a quick way to go from .docx to markdown, without uploading them into shady web tools.

So I just created a tool on my own!

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1747311090543/becde1d0-bf89-4d36-887d-ebcb680e3328.png align="center")

## JSON formatter

It’s as simple as they come, but easily my most-used tool.

Especially helpful when I’m already in the browser and for some reason don’t feel like opening a code editor.

It was also the first one I built, and the one that got this whole thing started.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1747311319681/25172e7c-22a0-4b45-8d72-564bdae046d0.png align="center")

## LinkedIn date finder

Definitely the weirdest one.

I built it because I wanted to see when posts were actually published. Sometimes a post felt oddly outdated, but LinkedIn only shows “1y”- which can mean anything from 12 to 24 months.

I also wanted to get a sense of the best times to post.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1747311489049/f46d4c8d-592c-4433-a08a-43ce967a0a0b.png align="center")

I even made a chrome extension based on it!

This was a fun little project on it's own.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1747311534649/9a73cc7c-77e4-4141-95dc-4941abc420a6.png align="center")

## Summing up

Are any of these revolutionary? Not at all.

Did I have fun? Absolutely.

Building something just for myself was surprisingly satisfying. You should give it a try too!

If you liked this content, please support me by sharing this post and subscribing to my [**Newsletter**](https://horosin.com/newsletter)**.**

You can also find me here:

* x/twitter: [**horosin\_**](https://twitter.com/horosin_)
    
* [**linkedin**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/horosin/)