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

  • 14” MacBook Pro, M1 Pro, 32GB RAM (2021)

    My MacBook is like the stoic sunbather of the tech world. I’ll be out in the garden, pretending to work, with the sun beating down directly onto its aluminum chassis, and not a single fan will budge. It's as if it's saying, 'Oh, is that all you've got, sun? I'm powered by M1 magic, baby; a little solar radiation is merely a pleasant warmth.’ Meanwhile, my face is turning the color of a beet. It's the most powerful hotplate I've ever owned.

  • ASUS ProArt Display 27” Monitor

    This is basically the tricked-out greenhouse of my desk. I may have over-engineered this whole monitor thing a tad. It has more pixels than I have plants (which, granted, is saying something), and probably more color accuracy than a hummingbird’s eye. Do I need that much fidelity for a code editor? Maybe not. But will I use it to overanalyze my slightly wilted basil plant? Absolutely.

  • Keychron K2 Mechanical Keyboard

    My mechanical keyboard is a tiny titan of clack. It might look innocent enough—small, compact, minimalist even—but it has the decibel power of a thousand tiny, furious squirrels tap-dancing on a tin roof. I swear, when I get into a coding frenzy, it's like a miniature orchestra of clickity-clacks that can rouse my girlfriend from a deep sleep.

  • Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse

    Okay, I'll admit it: I bought a ridiculously expensive mouse. It's got more features than a Swiss Army knife, and it probably cost more than my last three houseplants combined. But hey, I told myself I deserved it. After all, precision is key when you’re building a sustainable future. Plus, the color looks really pretty next to my wilted basil. I swear I'll stop buying over-engineered peripherals…eventually.

  • Herman Miller Aeron 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

  • Cursor

    Cursor is like the coding assistant I never knew I needed (but maybe didn't deserve). It's incredibly efficient, but sometimes I feel like I'm cheating, or that it's going to start asking for equity. I'm pretty sure it's secretly judging my code while it writes it for me. But hey, who am I to complain if it means fewer bugs and more time in my garden. Now if only it could debug my over-watering habit too.

  • iTerm2

    I’m honestly not even sure what features I get with this that aren’t just part of the macOS Terminal but it’s what I use.

Design

  • Figma

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

Productivity

  • Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks & A Parker Pen

    I've officially gone full Luddite. I abandoned all productivity software and embraced the glorious chaos of Leuchtturm1917 notebooks and a Parker pen. Yes, I realize that a cloud-based, synchronized, AI-powered todo list might be more efficient, but there’s something so satisfying about physically scratching out a task with a flourish. Now, I have multiple notebooks filled with everything from important meeting notes to grocery lists and random thoughts about the meaning of life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

  • Glass Whiteboard

    If my glass whiteboard could talk, it would have a lot to say…and probably need a serious therapy session. It’s seen it all: bursts of coding brilliance, sudden insights about sustainable tech, and lots and lots of scribbled-out mistakes. It's basically a window into my brain, and let me tell you, it’s not always pretty. But it’s a glorious mess, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.