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

  • 14” MacBook Pro, M1, 16GB RAM (2021)

    I was using an Intel-based 13” MacBook Pro prior to this and the difference is night and day. I’ve never heard the fans turn on a single time, even under the incredibly heavy loads I put it through with our various launch simulations.

  • Lenovo G Series 23.8 inch Full HD LED Backlit IPS Panel

    Lenovo G Series 23.8 inch Full HD LED Backlit IPS Panel Gaming Monitor (G24-20) (Response Time: 0.5 ms, 144 Hz Refresh Rate)

  • Logitech POP Keys Mechanical Bluetooth Multi-device Keyboard (Daydream)

    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.

  • Offbeat® Bluetooth 5.1 + 2.4 Ghz Wireless

    This is an amazing mouse, I like big size mouse, which can be fitted properly in my hand.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    It gives me all of the fancy IDE features everyone else relies on, VS code is still the best text editor ever made.

  • 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 my virtual whiteboard for everything.

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.