Why do so many people use Safari, the jarring black VSCode colour theme and Overleaf? Because it’s the default option.

Switching to a non-default option requires conscious effort. First, you need to realise that your current setup is suboptimal: the probability of your current setup being the optimal one is infinitesimal. But if you knew about the benefits of making a few small changes, you’d already have made them. So you do need to believe that switching is worthwhile, which, indeed, is a leap of faith.

The pros are all believers. Most software engineers customise their code editors and terminal shells heavily. If you spend all your working hours working on a computer, spending one Sunday improving your working environment is well worth it. Similarly, I know some professors at ETH are particular about their writing tools, only using fountain pens and high-end chalk.

But if you’re neither a software engineer nor an ETH professor, tinkering with command-line interface (CLI) tools and splurging money on fountain pens might feel indulgent. This makes up another psychological barrier towards switching from the default. In fact, you might question whether you’re even entitled to use the tools of the pros. And to some extent, this sentiment is valid.

However, I still think most people err on the side of customising too little, especially when it comes to tech. Most of us are heavy tech users; the average screen time globally seems to be over 6h. When I say someone has a good tech setup, I mean that they use appropriate software for their computer-related tasks efficiently. It is much like having a good office with a comfortable chair and a proper desk. However, it need not require expensive purchases.

Adding a few selected tools to your setup can massively improve productivity. There are some general programs useful to any computer user, like Google Drive, Google Calendar and Raycast. I also think having a dedicated note-taking system, whether it be in Obsidian, Notion or Apple Notes, pays off. However, you’ll get the most leverage from finding the tools relevant to the tasks you’re doing and mastering them.

For example, I mostly use my MacBook for typesetting, writing and coding. For typesetting, I use NeoVim with custom snippets, inspired by Gilles Castel’s iconic VimTeX setup. Nowadays, I also use Typst rather than LaTeX. Although I don’t necessarily type faster in Typst, I spend much less time debugging cryptic error messages. All in all, I estimate that these changes have doubled my writing speed. There are also ergonomic benefits to this setup, as opposed to just writing in Overleaf. As for coding, I’ve found Cursor to be a complete game changer, allowing me to implement experiments in about a tenth of the time. Other than that, I’m “just” using NeoVim keybindings in VSCode and a few CLI tools allowing me to navigate between folders more easily. As can be seen from this post, I have a lot to learn here.

Furthermore, customising your computer makes for a much better user experience. I value good design, so having my preferred colour scheme in Obsidian, VSCode and WezTerm makes my computer a joy to use. I also use the Zen Browser for a cleaner user interface.

Regardless of whether you’re a software aesthete or not, it’s worth exploring tech tools relevant to your work.