Granola

Although it took a fair amount of time to make a new habit, I now use Wispr Flow for almost everything. Prompting while I write code, sending communicational-ly kind text messages, and even drafting this newsletter right now. Wispr Flow lets you use voice dictation and it nicely formats and synthesizes your messaging. It’s like having a scribe that gets your context and communicates it… rather than just writing down your verbatim ramblings.

My wife got this for me for my birthday a few years ago, and it has by far and away become my favorite backpack! Its overall structure, the way the compartments are laid out, works amazingly well for me. I use a MacBook Pro 16-inch, have a handful of cords, and often times a canvas drawing tablet with me, along with a water bottle, my journal, and so on. This just works out amazingly well.

You don’t have to buy an expensive fountain pen. This is my favorite pen and it elevates my writing experience. This one comes in may colors. I prefer the extra-fine nib over the other sizes. This is a great travel pen. You can buy disposable or refillable cartridges depending on what works best for you.

Setapp is a single subscription that grants you access to over 200 MacOS and iOS apps. I love it for two reasons. First it’s, full of genuinely useful apps that I use everyday. Secondly, they are frequently adding more apps to their répertoire, which provides a nice dose of novelty and exploration. It scratches a bit of my curiosity itch.

I have a deviated septum, so I use these to open up my nasal airway to get the benefits of nasal breathing- blood vessel dilation, nitrous oxide intake from the sinuses, carbon dioxide optimization. It’s a big deal. I especially use these for sports and sleep.

I use my AirPods in all sorts of different settings. In my office, when I go on a walk by the river, at the coffee shop. I don’t like to stuff them in my pocket or in a bag, as the earbuds are just thick enough to fit a little funky. I really like this case because I can clip it to my backpack or car keys. I can easily add it to whatever else I’ve got with me for the day. I also have my gym’s check-in barcode attached to the keyring so it’s easy to punch-in since it’s clipped to my bag. It also doesn’t need taken out of the case to charge on my charging pad.

I use this coffee grinder everyday to make our drip coffee. It’s a little quieter than any other grinder we’ve had up to this point. The burr apparatus also comes apart easily which is great for cleaning.

My favorite daily-wear T-shirt! Natural fibers are far superior to synthetic fabrics, and I like merino more than cotton. It dries faster and feels more breathe-able.

Both my wife and I use SoundSource. It’s really helpful for getting the audio mix right between computer sound and video meetings. This is especially important for her as a Speech Language Pathologist with virtual clients. It helps her prevent vocal strain and ensures she can hear her clients well.