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, 64GB RAM (2021)

    I was using an Intel-based 16” MacBook Pro prior to this and the difference is night and day. I have 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

  • MSFT Visual Studio

    Sublime Text is nice too, but I need my fancy IDE features.

  • Postico

    Great software for working with Postgres databases.

Design

  • Figma

    I started using Figma as just a design tool but now it has become my virtual whiteboard for basically everything. Pair it with the Magic Trackpad and I can sketch ideas live.

Productivity

  • MSFT Notes

    It is not the newest thing but it is still my favorite due to the color coding I can do.

  • Calendly

    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.