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
Custom Built PC
Blood, sweat, and tears went into building this thing. It started around 6 years ago when I built the cheapest PC I could to play games on. Over the years I’ve upgraded it piece by piece until it’s become the beast it is today. CPU is an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and the GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. I use an ultrawide monitor to see more errors, I mean code, at once.
Surface Book 2
This little feller overtime has turned into my daily driver. In fact, my PC is mostly just a gaming machine now and I couldn't tell you the last time I booted up an old favorite. The Surface lets me draft ideas quickly which is vital for designing web apps and API architectures. It's also a great way to get away from my desk and work from a local coffee shop. It's a niche device and I happen to fit that niche perfectly.
Custom Keyboard
If you are not yet a mechanical keyboard snob, I highly recommend not going down this rabbit hole. It’s a deep one. I’ve built a few keyboards over the years but my current daily driver is a 60% keyboard with lubed Sunflower tactile switches and a brass plate. GMK keycaps too of course. They say the better the keyboard sounds the better the code you write. I’m not sure if that’s true but I do know that I love the sound of this thing.
Stack of Schiit
Modius, Magnius, Lokius. The Schiit stack. I’m not an audiophile but I do like to listen to music while I work and this stack is a great way to do that. I’m using a pair of Sundaras with it. As for albums, Mint Jams by Casiopea is my go to for quality. For personal taste though, MUSE wins every time. Anything is better than the voices in my head.
Costco Folding Chair
No joke, this is the most comfortable chair I’ve ever owned. I've tried a Herman Miller and a Steelcase and I still prefer this one. Best ten bucks I ever spent.
Development tools
Visual Studio Code
Are you a Vim user reading this that think's you're better than me? Well, you're probably right. But I'm not going to let that stop me. Vim keybinds work just fine in VS Code. Plus, I can have an extension for just about everything I need! For example, hiding the sacreligiously long lines of tailwind classes.
Git
Really need to read this one? I mean, it's Git. You know what it is.
Unholy amounts of caffiene
I'm not sure if this counts as a development tool but it's definitely a requirement. I'm a big fan of the Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew. It's like a beer but without the hangover. I also like to drink a lot of water. I'm not sure if it helps but it can't hurt.
Design
Whiteboard
Can't beat a good old fashioned whiteboard. If you're reading this far by the way, I'm impressed! Here's a fun joke as a reward: What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef.
Productivity
Obsidian
Markdown based note taking app that I use for everything. Either this or I just hope that I remember it. I’m not sure which is better. I mainly chose Obsidian because other programmers use it and I want to be cool like them. Markdown also happens to be my preference for writing everything so it works out.
ClickUp
If I had a nickel for every time I shilled for ClickUp I'd have exactly zero nickels because they don't pay me. I just really like the product. It's a great way to keep track of all of the things I need to do and it's flexible enough to work with my workflow.
iCal
Good old fashioned calendar app. If something is on my calendar it’s going to get done. I don’t know why but it’s just how my brain works. I use it for everything from meetings to reminders to when I need to take out the trash.