Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I think a lot about my workflow and how I most efficiently get things done. Ironically, I'm probably less efficient from all the thinking about that that I do. In any case, maybe my workflow can inspire someone elses' as well.

Workstation

  • 16” MacBook Pro, Core i7, 16GB RAM (2019)

    This has been my work horse for the past 3 years. The 16" screen allows me to use it as a desktop so I don't have to switch from laptop to desktop. I am planning on upgrading in the near future to a MacBook Air M2, since I need to be more mobile and also find that the added screen space of the 16" isn't all that necessary. In fact, a smaller screen helps me focus on the task at hand.

  • Coffee Shops and Librairies

    My setup is extremely minimal because I'm working from a variety of coffee shops and librairies. They have everything I need and are completely free except for my coffee fee which I would pay for anyway.

  • Soundcore by Anker Life Q30 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones

    I wouldn't be able to concentrate in most coffee shops sometimes without some good noise cancelling headphones. These do the trick. Sometimes I even put them on without any music as a sort of "Do Not Disturb" signal.

Development tools

  • VS Code

    I've been using VS Code for awhile now and it's been satisfactory. The extension ecosystem has been the best part about it. Although recently I'm encoutering a lot of CPU hogging and am considering switching to something more efficient.

  • iTerm2

    It's a terminal a step up from the built in MacOS terminal. I've dabbled with Warp as well but it doesn't seem super stable yet.

  • 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.

Writing

  • iPhone with Portable BlueTooth Keyboard

    Most of my writing is done on the go, at random times and in random outdoor places. I used to carry around a notebook but I'm just way too slow writing without a keyboard. Since I always have my phone on me, I also carry a foldable pocket bluetooth keyboard that I connect to my phone and write.

Organization / Productivity

  • Apple Reminders

    This is my dumping grounds. I filter through it at the end of the day, but every thought gets indiscrimately dumped here while I'm moving through my day.

  • Obsidian

    Once I start going through my reminders, I copy what I can over to a folder of markdown files I have hosted on the iCloud. I use Obsidian to edit them. I've always found myself defaulting to text files as my way of self-organizing, so I just doubled down on that method.