i find this to be a fitting metaphor for progress.

you can get it here

iOS / iPadOS

• 1password - paid subscription - the best password manager. nice passkey integration. always use passkeys when available. it's better security, but also a better ux. make sure you set 1password on iOS as the default password manager. instructions here
• apple calendar - i don't like google having my calendar data. you know, privacy.
• apple music - paid subscription - best music service. make sure you upgrade your audio quality to lossless for a better listening experience. the airpods pro 2/3 can handle the bandwidth. i have streaming and download quality set to lossless. pro-tip: download songs for uninterrupted playback to counter any potential networking issues. instructions for the music app on iOS can be found here.
• apple podcasts - free - smartless and conan needs a friend all day. like adam sandler said in his special, 'i love you': 'nothing beats the comedy'.
• bend - paid - stretching and flexibility app. really nice.
• chrome - free - i switch between chrome and safari. some websites still suck on safari.
• claude - freemium - better than chatgpt. helpful for research and finding information. the paid pro plan gets you access to their flagship llm models. totally worth it.
• google maps - free - works almost everywhere. almost. i also use it to to research restaurants, as it has the most data/photos to validate food quality. but you know, privacy.
• google translate - free - still the best. but you know, privacy.
• github - freemium - the best code repository management.
• gmail - freemium - still use it. for now.
• linear - freemium - modern project management with clean ux/ui.
• proton mail - freemium - not as good as the gmail app, but you know. privacy.
• proton authenticator - free - always use 2FA with an authenticator. never use SMS verification when possible. make sure to add icloud synchronization in case you lose/switch your device. not as good as google authenticator, but you know. privacy.
• safari - default - i switch between chrome and safari. some websites still suck on safari.
• shortcuts - free - i created a custom shortcut to toggle noise cancellation & transparency on my airpods. i added the shortcut to my lock screen for quick access. i don't always like to squeeze my airpods stems to toggle noise control. i also set up some custom automations to geofence caltrain stops for reminders. better than using 3rd party transportation apps for this functionality.
• ticktick - paid subscription - personal task management. i used to use omnifocus for gtd, but this is better.
• trello - freemium - organize grocery lists kanban style. easy to mark items as completed.
• waymo - available in more and more places. better than uber.
• youtube premium - paid subscription - i hate ads.

macOS

• 1password - paid subscription - the best password manager. nice passkey integration. always use passkeys when available. it's better security, but also a better a ux. make sure to add and use the chrome or safari browser extension.
• alfred 5 - freemium - better than apple spotlight. i like to not use the mouse as much as possible.
• apple calendar - i don't like google having my calendar data. you know, privacy.
• apple music - paid subscription - best music streaming platform. again, make sure you upgrade your streaming and download audio quality to lossless for a better listening experience. if you want to get real nerdy, get an apogee duet 3 with the apogee duet 3 dock and good headphones. the dock is useful to keep cabling to a minimum. for headphones, i recommend the beyerdynamic dt 1990 pro mkii. if you want the most elegant solution, get the apogee duet symphony desktop instead of the duet 3 + the dock. instructions for setting up apple music's audio quality for macOS can be found here.
• caffeinated - useful for when you want to keep your screen on and not have it dim/lock.
• chrome - free - the better browser. but you know, privacy.
• claude desktop app - freemium - better than using the browser. the paid pro plan gets you access to their flagship llm models. totally worth it.
• figma - i switch between figma and framer for website and app design. figma is better for app design.
• framer - framer has different strengths than figma. framer used to be good for designing and prototyping apps and their ui interactions/animations. no longer the case. solely for websites now.
• hidden bar - keep items in the menu bar, but hide them. more useful then just completely disabling them from the menu bar in system settings.
• linear - again, a modern project management with clean ux/ui.
• mimestream - the best native macOS gmail app. has push built in by default. almost all other options use polling, so there’s a delay compared to the instant nature of push.
• rectangle pro - paid - quickly move and position windows around your screen with your keyboard. good for people with ocd. again, i like to use the mouse as little as possible for speed.
• ticktick - personal task management. used to use omnifocus for gtd, but this is better.

dev tools

• claude code - cli version of claude code. enables faster development cycles. easier to set up mcp servers and other stuff.
• dash - offline api documentation.
• docker cli - container management. duh.
• github desktop - who likes actually using git? i still use this sometimes instead of managing git with claude or vscode.
• homebrew - the macos equivalent of linux's package manager. the best.
• iterm - macos terminal replacement. highly customizable.
• jupyter notebooks - the best way to experiment with code in a reproducible manner. you can break code down into chunks without running an entire file. pro-tip: use vscode jupyter notebook extension.
• pyenv - simple python version management. necessary for when you have a bunch of different python versions. easy to set projects with default python versions. pro-tip: use claude to help you set up pyenv and pyenv-virtualenv correctly.
• pyenv virtualenv - pyenv plugin to manage virtual environments. keeps global and project level dependencies separated and clean. perfect for people with ocd, or those who hate dependency hell.
• vscode w/ claude code extension - the best product microsoft ever made. pro-tip: use claude for managing anything with git. pro-tip: use ⌘+d for multi-cursor editing.