Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I get asked a lot about the things I use to build websites, 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

  • 13” MacBook Pro, M1, 8GB RAM (2020)

    I was using an Intel-based 13” MacBook Pro prior to this and the difference is night and day. I don't think you need a high spec for web dev, so I always buy the bottom model in the pro range to save £££!

  • Dell U2721DE Display (USB C Model)

    I love DELL monitors and have been using them for years. I find it the best bang-for-buck and I love that one USB cable will connect the display, USB hub and charge the laptop. The 27" screen gives plenty of room for splitting between code and web page preview.

  • Logitech MX Keys Keyboard & MX Master Mouse

    The MX Keys is a solid keyboard and a great companion for the macbook. Pair it with a MX Master mouse and it's perfect mix. They are both robust and the MagSpeed scroll on the mouse is great when you're bulk editing enless product spreadsheets!

  • Apple Magic Trackpad

    Something about all the gestures makes me feel like a wizard with special powers. I'm a lefty, but I keep this for my right hand to make it faster to navigate between windows.

  • Beats Solo 3 Wireless Headphones

    Great for listening to tunes whilst I work. Also, the inbuild mic is great for video calls. (Thanks for that, COVID-19).

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    I used to swear by Sublime Text until I tried VS code, now I don't think I'd go back. It's just great and I don't have to keep tabbing around to get to the console or git. Although, I have installed a Sublime Text 3 colour theme!

  • MongoDB Compass

    Brilliant desktop tool for viewing database structures. I love JSON style data structures.

  • TablePlus

    See above but some times I have to work with MySQL databases. Great visual database editor.

Design

  • Figma

    We started using Figma as design collaboration tool but now it's become my go-to vector creation tool and it also is great for rapid prototyping UX designs.

  • Affinity Photo

    Because I can't justify paying monthly for Photoshop just so I can resize images for the web! Also, the full Affinity suite is a great alternative to Adobe.

  • Davinci Resolve

    The most amazing video editor you'll find. The workflow is great and I love the audio mastering tools.

Productivity

  • Spark

    I have lots of different email inboxes and Apple Mail can be a pain. Spark gives me a great way to segregate inboxes and keep everything organised and synced accross devices.

  • ClickUp

    ClickUp is my go-to project management tool. It's the only one I've found that has an easy to use sprint management tool for agile software development.

Un-productivity

  • Playstation 4

    I like a single player game with a good story. I've been a playstation fan since I bought my first PS one when I should have been studying at university. Instead I was playing 'Alone in the dark'. I wouldn't recommend buying one a month before your main university project deadline - not a good idea!