As I get older I try to be increasingly mindful about the products that I use. I’m a big fan of whittling down and paring away at long lists of tools and software, instead opting to go deeper and narrower into certain things.
Some of this is in flux – I’m always re-evaluating the services that I use. In mid-2019 I stopped using Google services, almost entirely. I still use search, but no longer have anything that requires an account that I actively use outside of Ads and Analytics.
This page is inspired by all of the people who have done it before me.
Software & Apps
FireFox - My web browser of choice. I’ve spent significant time with pretty much every other major browser. I do, however, use several for testing websites.
TeuxDeux - My task manager of choice. I used to use Things, but alas, I’m no longer in the macOS/iOS ecosystem and therefore have selected this simple cross-platform app.
1Password - Been using 1p for password management for several years at this point. If I had to do it all over again – I’d still use it. I spent several weeks earlier this year looking at and trying all of the reasonable products on the market. Still the best.
Figma - Anytime I need to work up a mockup or design.
Spotify - Been using it for years. Both desktop + mobile. I listen to a lot of music.
Focusmate - Virtual co-working. Weird idea, but it totally works for me. I wrote a review on it here.
Endel - I listen to endel pretty much every day while I work. I wrote a review of endel and an exploration of generative music here.
Website Infrastructure
Laravel - When I have the option, I typically use Laravel for rapid development of custom web apps.
NextJS - My front end js framework of choice, but I’m also happy to use vanilla React. It’s so widely used, I’m not sure I’d choose anything else for a while.
Hugo - Static site generation is nearly always the best option for content sites, and this is the best static site generator I’ve ever used.
Gandi - I’ve recently moved all of my domains over from Namecheap. I like how there are no dark patterns or ridiculous upsells. h/t to henshaw for the rec.
Digital Ocean - For hosting everything that isn’t Wordpress.
Github - For source control and code collaboration.
Stripe - I use Stripe wherever possible to accept credit cards online.
