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)

    I was using an Intel-based 13” MacBook Pro prior to this and the difference is night and day. I’ve never heard the fans turn on a single time, even under the incredibly heavy loads it stays really cool and quiet.

  • Intel NUC 11 Pro (NUC11TNHi50L00)

    I use this as my router, internet gateway and homelab server for all of my personal projects. It’s a tiny little box that’s super quiet and stable. I have it running Proxmox VE and it’s been rock solid.

  • HHKB Pro 2 Keyboard + custom hacked BLE module

    Being an infamous keyboard brand, HHKB makes great keyboard for software enthusiasts. To be honest, I purchased this keyboard around 4 years ago and haven’t taken the chance to actually use it as my daily driver given its special layout, but I’d still recommend it for the design, build quality and the typing feedback.

  • 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. This chair fixes my back pain.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    You know, I actually tried to switch to Vim and Emacs and just can’t get used to CLI editors. Why using CLI when you’ve got a Mac?

  • Sublime Text 4

    Visual Studio Code can be slow when dealing with large files, and the good old Sublime Text is still the best choice for me when editing large files.

  • iTerm2

    This is the de facto terminal software on macOS. The funny part: not many people know the reason.

  • Tailscale

    Great software for managing WireGuard peers for your internal networks. I use it to connect my personal devices to my servers.

Design

  • Figma

    I’ve used Figma for a couple of projects and it’s become my first choice when it comes to prototyping a new idea. Never would have expected the collaboration features to be the real hook.

Productivity

  • Raycast

    I’ve used Launchbar and Alfred in the past. Being the newest kid in this space, Raycast comes out to be the best one for me. It’s fast and feature-rich, supercharging my workflow every day.

  • Arc

    Being a low-profile browser app, Arc Browser solves the problem of having too many tabs open in your browser. It also has a great command bar that you can do any action with your keyboard.

  • NotePlan

    I unclutter my to-dos with this unique app that associates your calendar with notes. You can take daily or weekly notes linked to your calendar.