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
2023 Mac Mini
This thing is dead silent and so powerful I doubt that I have really pushed the limits of what this machine can do.
Dell UHD 28" Monitor
The only display on the market if you want something HiDPI and bigger than 27”. When you’re working on the things that matter most, every pixel you can get counts.
Apple Magic Keyboard
Nothing special, but gets the job done.
HP Mouse
Again super generic, but has yet to fail me and did not cost an arm and a leg.
Tempur-Pedic Office Chair
If I’m going to slouch in the worst ergonomic position imaginable all day, I might as well do it in an expensive chair.
Development tools
VS Code
My bread and butter! I've tried every IDE imaginable and always come back home to this one.
Warp
Love the WarpAI addition and that it's lightening fast built with Rust.
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.
Pen and paper notes
I have a daily notebook that I use to jot ideas, inventions, thoughts, musings and the sorts that I don't want to lose in memory. This has saved my sanity countless times!
Google Calendar
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.