Chris Hufnagel - Creative Developer

Creative Thinker. Focused Coder. Energetic Learner.

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Tools I Use

I often get asked "what do you use?" So I created this list.

However, Don't let the tools you have right now keep you from getting started. You can always upgrade later.

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means that I might get a small amount of money if you make a purchase after clicking on any of the below links. Its a win-win and this costs you nothing extra.

Hardware

  • Macbook Pro
    13″ Macbook Pro Retina is my daily computer for all my development needs. Not a huge fan of the touch-bar, but the rest of the computer just works.
  • iPhone 11 Pro
    I have been a iPhone user since the iPhone 3g. It just works and I love how easy it is to sync everything with my other Apple hardware.
  • iPad Pro 11″
    Creating sketches, writing emails, and staying in touch while traveling are the perfect use cases for the iPad.
  • Input Devices
    Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard.
  • LG 34″ Ultrawide
    Most of the time that I am creating I am at my desk. When I am, I hook my laptop up to this monster.

Software

  • Figma
    Creating website designs, user-flows, and Instagram images are all created in Figma.
  • VS Code
    The only code editor I use these days.
  • CodeKit
    If you are like me and you hate messing with config files and just want to jump right in and start coding, CodeKit is for you.
  • Local (by Flywheel)
    Most of my clients use WordPress. This lets me spin up a new site in less than a minute.
  • Transmit
    My FTP client of choice. Looks great and always just works.

Services

  • ConvertKit
    This is how I send out all my Brainwave newsletters. I also use ConvertKit to deliver my mini-course.
  • Flywheel
    I don’t like messing with servers. So I let Flywheel do this for me. Pair this with local and you spend a lot less time in the server world and more time creating.
  • Notion
    I use Notion for all my notes, project management, and creating new content.
  • Grammarly
    I am a little self-conscious about my spelling and grammar. Grammarly gives me the confidence to put myself out there more often.
  • Zoom
    Meeting with clients and colleagues is important for me to run my business. Zoom works, most of the time 🤷‍♂️
  • Github
    Version control is super important. I enjoy using Github so that is where I host all of my repos.

Desk

  • Post-it Notes
    These are one of my most used tools. Whenever I am stuck, or have a long todo list I breakout the post-its.
  • Moleskine
    Big fan of using paper to figure out solutions to different problems. Moleskine notebooks are affordable and I have been using the dot grid version for years.
  • Gather
    Keeping my desk organized is important for my productivity and this desk organizer looks amazing and does a great job.

Fun

  • Nintendo Switch
    Sometimes I need a break. I have always been a huge fan of the fun and playfullness of Nintendo games.