Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I get asked a lot about the things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.

Workstation

  • 13” MacBook Air, M1 Max, 8GB RAM (2020)

    Nothing better a Mac, which I can carry anywhere from home to a coffee shop.

  • Lenovo 24' Monitor

    This Monitor has enchaned my creativity and life a lot.

  • Logitech Keyboard K850

    They don’t make keyboards the way they used to. I buy these any time I see them go up for sale and keep them in storage in case I need parts or need to retire my main.

  • Mouse M720 Triathlon

    Something about all the gestures makes me feel like a wizard with special powers. I really like feeling like a wizard with special powers.

  • A boring Leather Chair

    If I’m going to slouch in the worst ergonomic position imaginable all day, I might as well do it in an leather boss chair.

Development tools

  • VS Code: The Ultimate Text Editor

    When it comes to text editors, nothing compares to the power and versatility of Visual Studio Code (VS Code). With its extensive feature set and countless extensions, VS Code reigns supreme as the ultimate choice for modern developers. From intelligent code completion to seamless Git integration.

  • iTerm2

    I’m honestly not even sure what features I get with this that aren’t just part of the macOS Terminal but it’s what I use.

  • TablePlus

    Great software for working with databases. Has saved me from building about a thousand admin interfaces for my various projects over the years.

Design

  • Figma

    We started using Figma as just a design tool but now it’s become our virtual whiteboard for the entire company. Never would have expected the collaboration features to be the real hook.

Productivity

  • Alfred

    It’s not the newest kid on the block but it’s still the fastest. The Sublime Text of the application launcher world.

  • Reflect

    Using a daily notes system instead of trying to keep things organized by topics has been super powerful for me. And with Reflect, it’s still easy for me to keep all of that stuff discoverable by topic even though all of my writing happens in the daily note.

  • SavvyCal

    Great tool for scheduling meetings while protecting my calendar and making sure I still have lots of time for deep work during the week.

  • Focus

    Simple tool for blocking distracting websites when I need to just do the work and get some momentum going.