This is just a quick write up about the tools I use everyday for productivity, development, entertainment, etc. I've read through lots of these write-ups from people I follow and admire (Taylor Otwell, Freek Van der Herten, to name a couple) and now that I've developed a productive workflow of my own I'd like to write about it! It might also be cool in a couple of years (or months lol) to look back at what apps/tech I was using at the time.

Equipment

Hardware I use, ordered by most valuable to me.

• MacBook Pro 13" 2016 (despite the failing screen 😬)
• iPhone X
• Kindle (for reading books and articles)

Development

At the moment I'm a freelance software developer full-time, so these really are my most used tools.

Sublime Text

Sublime was the first IDE I felt was extremely responsive and it's where I really embraced keyboard shortcuts. And since I first started using it it's been my go-to for all web development projects.

iTerm

I think I learned this trick from Jeffrey Way of Laracasts; I've got iTerm hooked up to the tilde (~) key. Don't have to tab around for it, it's just one key away. I've also got Oh My Zsh installed. It has loads of handy features. I don't notice it that much, but I notice when I'm using a terminal without it.

Productivity

Notion

I only very recently discovered Notion, but it has already replaced all the note taking apps in my life. I usually write blog posts on Notion as well, then copy the markdown to jack.kiwi.

Todoist

Another handy app to have on a global shortcut. I used to use Trello to organise my projects but I've found that using a todo app based around deadlines encourages me to actually complete the tasks instead of staring at them on a board.

1Password

I really resisted using 1Password as it seemed like more hassle than it was worth. After seeing it mentioned all the time on Twitter as a 'necessary' app for anyone even remotely security conscious I buckled. Though I am very keen to buy one of the Yubico security keys and I'm looking forward to the adoption of WebAuthn!

Preferred Stack

For client projects the technologies used obviously depend on what's most appropriate for their requirements. For my personal projects this is my preferred stack.

• Tailwind for CSS
• Vue.js for front-end
• Laravel for back-end
• Laravel Forge for server management
• Digital Ocean for hosted VPS
• Cloudflare for free caching
• Namecheap for registering and managing domains

Entertainment

Spotify

I listen to music on Spotify for about 10 hours every weekday. Mostly house and dub, which I find is perfect for intense focus. According to Spotify Wrapped I spent 1,773 hours listening to music in 2018. I'm not sure if I'd recommend any of my playlists in particular, but they should all be public!

Pocket Casts

Another recent addition, Pocket Casts on iOS and desktop is brilliant. I follow lots of start-up, solo developer podcasts, yada, yada. I've also been into a few DJ podcasts which are nice to listen to while coding. Here's the full list:

• 99% Invisible
• Alexey Sonar
• Anjunabeats Worldwide
• The Anjunadeep Edition
• The Art of Product
• Beats In Space Radio Podcast
• Build Your SaaS – bootstrapping in 2019
• Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
• Darin Epsilon presents PERSPECTIVES - Progressive/Tech/Deep House Mixes
• Deep Sunset House and Progressive Podcast - The Melodic Sessions by Prototype
• 202
• devMode.fm
• The Documentary Podcast
• Duolingo Spanish Podcast
• Founder’s Journey: Building a Startup from the Ground Up
• Full Stack Radio
• Growth Mindset Podcast
• How I Built This with Guy Raz
• The Indie Hackers Podcast
• The Laravel Podcast
• The Laravel Snippet
• Late Night Grooves with Enlusion
• LCD Sessions by Airwave
• Lore
• Making Sense with Sam Harris
• No Such Thing As A Fish
• Patterns
• Paul Thomas presents UV Radio
• PHP Town Hall
• Product People
• RA Podcast
• Refresh Radio
• Reply All
• Sasha presents Last Night On Earth
• Saturate Audio Podcast
• Slideways Sessions
• StartUp Podcast
• Startups For the Rest of Us
• Stuff You Should Know
• Sugar Free Radio
• Think Again – a Big Think Podcast
• The Tim Ferriss Show
• The Tip Off

Netflix

I use my family's Netflix account and I do watch a lot of TV but I'm trying to cut down! Or at least be more selective. Some of my favourite shows are below:

• After Life
• The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
• Bodyguard
• BoJack Hoseman
• F is for Family
• Homeland
• Maniac
• The OA
• The Office (UK & US)
• Ozark
• Rick and Morty

I've never kept track of stuff like this before and I think it'll be interesting to see how my favourite tools change over time. If you want more detail about anything I've mentioned above, just give me a shout!