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

  • Mac mini (Apple M4 Pro, 24GB RAM)

    Compact, silent, and extremely powerful for its size. It handles large React/Next.js codebases, parallel builds, Docker containers, and video rendering without breaking a sweat. A reliable daily driver for both development and content creation.

  • LG 27UP650-K 27” 4K UHD Monitor

    A sharp 4K IPS display with excellent color accuracy and ample screen real estate. Perfect for multitasking—code editor, browser, dev tools, and documentation all visible at once—while maintaining crisp text and UI clarity.

  • Apple Magic Keyboard

    Minimal, precise, and comfortable for long coding sessions. The low-profile keys and consistent travel make it ideal for writing clean, focused code for hours without fatigue.

  • Apple Magic Trackpad

    Gesture-driven workflows at their best. Smooth, accurate, and deeply integrated with macOS—significantly improves navigation between apps, desktops, and complex development workflows.

  • Workspace Philosophy

    A minimal, distraction-free setup focused on performance, ergonomics, and efficiency—optimized for full-stack development, system design, and technical content creation.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    My primary editor for day-to-day development. Fast, extensible, and dependable, with a carefully curated set of extensions for JavaScript, TypeScript, React, and Node.js that support clean architecture, consistent formatting, and high-quality code reviews.

  • Cursor

    An AI-assisted development environment that significantly accelerates problem-solving and refactoring. I use it for exploring complex code paths, generating boilerplate safely, and reasoning about large codebases without losing architectural context.

  • macOS Terminal

    Simple, reliable, and always available. Used extensively for Git workflows, package management, build scripts, Docker commands, and production debugging—keeping full control over the development environment without unnecessary abstraction.

Productivity

  • Alfred

    It’s not the newest kid on the block but it’s still the fastest. The Sublime Text of the application launcher world.

  • Reflect

    Using a daily notes system instead of trying to keep things organized by topics has been super powerful for me. And with Reflect, it’s still easy for me to keep all of that stuff discoverable by topic even though all of my writing happens in the daily note.

  • SavvyCal

    Great tool for scheduling meetings while protecting my calendar and making sure I still have lots of time for deep work during the week.

  • Focus

    Simple tool for blocking distracting websites when I need to just do the work and get some momentum going.