Library
A library of my favorite things. Use categories, collections, or tags when you want to narrow in.
I also write a weekly newsletter where I share a few of my favorite things. Subscribe to Ben Recommends.
Featured and Favorites collection items sort first, then A–Z.
$285
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.
$14
For meetings that I want to have a transcript for, I always use granola. It enriches my own personal notes, and gives me a chatbot to review the meeting with. It’s like being able to discuss the meeting with a colleague with perfect memory. The link will give you your first month free!
$37
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.
$14.99
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.
$15
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.
$16
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.
$29.99
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.
$99
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.
$39
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.