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

  • 15” MacBook Pro, Intel, 16GB RAM (2019)

    One of my favorite computers to use. I really like the performance output and responsiveness. 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.

  • 15” Lenovo Legion Y550, Intel Core i7, Nvidia 1050Ti, 32GB RAM (2019)

    As much as I love my mac, I am also a big open source guy. I love using Linux as my main OS. It does require a bit of hands on experience but it's worth it.

  • 11” IPad Pro (2020)

    I am a big fan of writing all of my notes & thoughts. Whether they are work related or personal, I love writing them down on my IPad. Side note, if you are going to use IPad for writing, I highly recommend using the Apple Pencil and a paper-like screen protector.

  • Herman Miller Embody 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

  • Jetbrains Suite

    I am a big fan of the Jetbrains suite of tools. I use PHPStorm, PyCharm, DataGrip, and CLion as my main IDEs.

Design

  • Figma

    I started using Figma as just a design tool but now it’s become my virtual whiteboard. I never would have expected the collaboration features to be the real hook.

Productivity

  • GoodNotes

    I use it for taking notes, writing down ideas, and keeping track of my daily tasks inside a yearly planner.

  • Freeform

    I really love this free app from Apple. It allows me to freely jot down my thoughts and ideas without any distractions. It basically a really big whiteboard for you to write on.

  • Trello

    Simple UX and great collaboration features. I use it for keeping track of all of my tasks. I really love the fact that it's free and extremely easy to use.