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
16” MacBook Pro, M1 Max, 32GB RAM (2021)
I was using an Intel-based 16” 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.
Herman Miller Aeron 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
Visual Studio Code
I don’t care if it’s missing all of the fancy IDE features everyone else relies on, VSC Text is still the best text editor ever made.
Hyper
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
Focus
Simple tool for blocking distracting websites when I need to just do the work and get some momentum going.