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, M3 Max, 18GB RAM (2023)

    Company-issued laptop, but couldn't be happier with this machine. It never left me hanging and the OS is a joy to use. Can never look back to PCs or Intel-based macs.

  • DELL U2723QE 27” Display

    An upgrade from my previous LG, won me over with its thin bezels, non-reflective screen, fantastic image, and single USB-C cable to connect and charge my laptop.

  • Keychron K2 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard

    I love keyboards, the the Keychron is just the latest in my collection. Noisy as I like it and looks great.

  • Logitech MX Anywhere 3

    Tried all the fancy mice out there, but keep coming back to the MX Anywhere line. Small, comfortable, and the battery lasts forever.

  • Herman Miller Sayl Chair

    I find the famous Aeron too ugly and too expensive. The Sayl looks cool, is cheaper, and as comfortable as I need.

  • Fully Adjustable Height Desk, Bamboo top

    I take all my video calls standing up. My Fully desk is small and sturdy, and I love the bamboo finish on top.

Development tools

  • Zed (Vim Mode)

    After some time learning Vim motions on VSCode, then moving to NeoVim (and loving it), I decided to give Zed a try. Found it through Thorsten Ball's excellent newsletter and love how good it looks and feels.

  • iTerm2

    I have been using iTerm for a while, so it is second nature to install it in every new computer I get. Lately I have been thinking about giving Terminal another try, though. Or wait for Ghostty.

  • tmux

    Every one of my projects have their own tmux configuration, and it is second nature for me: Lazygit on 1, ZSH on 2, NeoVim on 3.

  • Lazygit

    As much as I love git on the command line, Lazygit makes working with git so much nicer. And it is still command-line...like!

  • TablePlus

    Haven't yet found a database GUI as well done as TablePlus.

  • Postman

    Call it bloated, call it slow. After having tried everything there is, I always come back to Postman for its powerful features. Maybe I am just used to it.

Productivity

  • Yabai + skhd + Spaceman

    I can no longer imagine using a Mac without yabai/skhd. When I see my colleagues flipping around spaces with the native MacOS animations, I get a headache. It is like tmux for me, on OS-level: Arc on 1, Zed on 2, Slack on 3, iTerm on 4, TablePlus on 5, etc.

  • Raycast

    Raycast started a fast and beautiful application launcher. But with time, I have added to many commands and shortcuts and workflows to it, that is quickly became an essential part of computer usage.

  • Cleanshot

    The best screenshot tool there is. Period.

  • RoamResearch

    When I first started using Roam, it was a revelation. Since then, I tried so many other note-taking tools but now I'm back and invested.

  • Calendar, Reminders, Mail, Notes

    Lately, I have been giving Apple's default apps a try. While not as feature-rich as alternatives, they get the job done, are fast, free, and present on all my devices.