Tools I use

Here’s a list of tools I use.

• For Development Work
• For Writing
• For Design
• For my Business
• For Streaming
• File Storage and Backups
• Mac Stuff

For Development Work

• Text editor: I recommend Visual Studio Code.
  • It’s easy for to setup and maintain.
  • I created a video series to help you get started with Visual Studio Code if you’re new.
  • I customised Visual Studio Code shortcuts to make my workflow more effective.
• Theme: I use Night Owl theme.
  • it has excellent contrast.
  • Sarah put a lot of work thinking about how she uses colors vs italics.
• Fonts: I use Operator Mono Screensmart.
  • Other good font choices are Jetbrains Mono (free) and Dank Mono (40 Pounds)

Here’s what my text editor looks like:

• Terminal: I like to use Visual Studio Code integrated terminal whenever I can.
  • If I need more space, I’ll whip out iTerm2.
• Git: I use Visual Studio Code’s integrated terminal whenever I can.
  • I whip out Tower when things get complicated. You can get 20% off the first year of Tower with zell20.
• Database: MongoDB Compass is great for checking data in MongoDB. It works for both local and remote databases.
• Hosting: I host most of my sites on Digital Ocean.
  • I use Netlify for sites that don’t need a backend.

For Writing

• Text Editor: Ulysses is the best text editor for Mac.
  • iA Writer is a good second choice.
  • Visual Studio Code works when I need to do code-related stuff
  • I purchased a Setapp subscription because Ulysses is in it. With this subscription, I get lots more tools to use (as you’ll see below).
• Emoji: Rocket is hands-down the best emoji picker for Mac.
• Editing:
  • Hemingway helps me prune sentences
  • Grammarly helps me check for grammar and spelling mistakes
• Screenshot: I use Cleanshot over Mac’s default screenshot taker.
  • It’s faster
  • It cleanups the desktop.
  • I get Cleanshot via Setapp.
• Annotation: I annotate screenshots with Skitch.
  • Skitch is easier to use compared to Cleanshot.
• Video capture and GIF makers: Kap is the best video capture out there.
  • It’s easy to use
  • It’s output (both .mp4 and .gif) are smaller than others I’ve seen
  • Kap doesn’t capture device audio
  • When I need to capture device audio in my videos, I use Capto (which comes with Setapp).

For Design

• Design: I use Sketch.
  • I’m considering Figma going forward.
• Font Management: I need a good font tool because I bought a huge number of fonts from Designcuts.
  • I tried Fontbase. It’s okay, but it doesn’t let me search according to Serif/sans-serif etc.
  • I also use Typeface because it comes with Setapp.
  • Still looking for a better font manager.
• Color Picker: Sip (via Setapp) is a great color picker tool.
  • It lets me check color-contrast against accessibility guidelines.
• Color Palette: I create color palettes with this method.
  • This Color shades generator is helpful as a starting point.
• Measuring: If I need to measure distance of stuff on screen, I use PixelSnap. (Comes with Setapp).

For my Business

• Email List: I use Convertkit to send emails. It has the best UX and interface compared to others I’ve tried.
• Payment provider: Currently I use Gumroad.
  • It lets me sell through in USD and keep $$ in USD.
  • Doesn’t handle limited subscriptions well (like 12 payments of $XX)
  • Looking for a better payment provider.
• Managing Money: Gumroad transfers money into Paypal.
  • I use Transferwise to convert USD to SGD because it has better rates.
• Scheduling: I use Calendly to schedule calls.
  • It lets people choose an empty slot from my calendar.
  • Works great especially if I work with people from a different timezone.

For Streaming

• Streaming App: I use Open Broadcaster Studio (OBS) to stream.
  • It’s the only decent app you can use on Mac.
• Camera: Logitech C920 because it’s cheap and good.
• Microphone: My setup contains 4 things:
  • Yeti Blue Microphone
  • With a shock mount (like this one)
  • And a  RODE PSA 1 Boom Arm 
  • Plus a cheap pop filter (like this one)
  • You need all 4 pieces for good audio 😢.
• Setup: I use Switchem (via Setapp) to open all my apps. It’s buggy though.

File Storage and Backups

• Dropbox: For files that require good syncing capabilities and speed
• Google Backup and Sync: For less essential stuff
• Google Drive File Stream: For syncing business related stuff
• Backblaze: To backup all my projects (because they have large node_modules folder). Backblaze backs EVERYTHING up.

Mac Stuff

Lots of stuff here.

• I use Endurance (via Setapp) to extend battery life.
• I use Tripmode (via Setapp) to save mobile data.
• I use Clean my Mac X (via Setapp) to remove unwanted files.
• I use Bartender (via Setapp) to cleanup menu bar icons
• I use Alfred over Spotlight
• I use BusyCal (via Setapp) as my calendar.
  • Fantastical was better, but they decide to start charging monthly so
    ¯_(ツ)_/¯
    .
• I use Moom to manage windows placement on Mac.
  • Setapp has Mosiac that does the same thing.
• Email: I used to use Airmail.
  • But they screwed it up with animations.
  • Looking for a better alternative
• Todolist systems: Major pain point here.
  • I tried Anydo, Asana, Notion, Things, Trello, Todolist, and many others.
  • But none of them work for me.
  • Thinking about building a Todolist system. Interested to hear more? Let me know!