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 Pro, 16GB RAM (2021)
I was using an Intel-based 15” 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.
Apple Magic Trackpad
Something about all the gestures makes me feel like a wizard with special powers. I really like feeling like a wizard with special powers.
Development tools
Visual Studio Code
It's been my go-to for years, and I doubt I'll ever change it. It has the best plugin ecosystem I've seen in an editor.
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.
Design
Figma
I love Figma, but with the recent acquisition by Adobe, I'm not sure how long I'll continue using this one. Hopefully it gets better over time and I can stick with it.
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.
Notion
This is much less a note taker than it is a personal life management tool. I use it for keeping track of meeting notes, life goals, managing recipes, tracking business ideas, and anything else that keeps me moving forward.
Bear
Sometimes I just want a simple way to take notes and have them show up everywhere. This tool does just that.
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.
Session
Simple pomodoro timer tool for keeping track of all the work I do. I love that in syncs across all my Apple devices.