How I Work

Joe KarlssonBlog

How I Work

Updated: 03/11/2025

There are times when people ask me how I work and about what software or gear I am using. This page will serve as a living document for people to always know the latest and greatest.

My Desk Setup

  • My daily driver is a 2020 MacBook Air with an M1 chip and 8 GB of RAM.
  • Monitors:
  • An Ergotron LX Dual Monitor Arm supports both monitors. I like to be able to move my monitors around based on what I am working on and to free up space when I am working on hardware projects.
    • If I were going to pick up a monitor today, I’d probably pick up an ultra-wide one.
  • To use three separate monitors and all of my accessories, I use the Dell Universal Dock – D6000. I bought it used on eBay for under $100 bucks. As a bonus, this has enabled me to have a SINGLE CABLE DOCKING experience! All power, monitors, and USB accessories are connected via a USB-C cable.
  • My current mouse is a stock mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma – Multi-Color Ergonomic Gaming Mouse. This one is mechanical and super sturdy – it might be good if you want an upgrade.
  • I also use the Apple Magic Trackpad 2. I love to have swipe and pinch controls while using my MacBook.
  • My mouse pad is the Razer Goliathus Extended Chroma Gaming Mousepad.
  • I use a Luna Standing Desk Stool. It’s comfortable and stable and helps me be active while working at my standing desk or leaning on it if I need a break from standing.
  • I use Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones. They are affordable and comfortable, and they sound great. I upgrade the pads with velvet pads.
  • My desk is a custom-built standing desktop, an Ikea Desktop on industrial black steel legs.
  • I back up all my data with the Synology 4 bay NAS DiskStation DS918.
  • Backlighting is Philips – Hue Play White & Color Ambiance Smart LED Bar Light (2-Pack) – Multicolor.
  • Here are some more photos of my setup.

Recording

Keyboard

Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

The top keyboard is a Vortexgear Race 3 with Cherry MX clears.

My bottom keyboard is a custom-built Vortex POK3R with a custom wood case and Cherry Blues. I know that people have REALLY strong opinions about this, but I like clicky switches. I have blues, which are the loudest and clickiest but clears and browns are clicky yet not as loud. I would recommend clears as a good starter switch. My keyboard has also been customized with a custom keycap set from WASD keyboards.

Editor

  • Visual Studio Code is my code editor of choice. I was a die-hard Sublime Text fan before and even bought a license with my own money. So suffice to say I went kicking and screaming over to Atom, but honestly, I can’t imagine going back.
    • Monokai Seti is my font theme of choice.
    • Seti UI has been my theme of choice for a few years now. I try to switch to new ones from time to time, but this one has been a staple for me because of how many scenarios it accounts for.
    • Wakatime is like a Fitbit for programmers. Get automated time tracking and metrics about your programming.

Terminal

  • iTerm2 is my terminal of choice for now, but I have been eyeing hyper for some time as well.
    • oh my zsh with a custom theme is what I use instead of bash since the overall experience is more enjoyable for me in the terminal and makes everything visually pleasing to look at.
    • I use the agnoster zsh theme.
  • You can see most of my config files (.eslint, VS Code settings) over at my Dot Files, but please don’t just take these settings’ carte blanche – they work for me but might not be the best

Mac Desktop Apps

  • I’m a huge Alfred fan.
  • I use Google Drive for most files.
  • Window management is something I love. I use Magnet.
  • For my tech talks and presentations, I use PowerPoint.

Linux Desktop Apps

Apps for Linux and Mac

  • I use TickTick to manage my tasks.
  • Streaming music with Spotify.
  • Notion is my note app for managing all of my notes and thoughts
  • Rambox is used to manage all of my messaging clients.
  • I use LastPass as my password manager.
  • My VPN of choice is Private Internet Access.
  • I use Buffer to queue up my posts on social media. It works great for making a consistent posting schedule with minimal effort.

Other Gear

  • After a lengthy search for the perfect backpack for both traveling and schlepping gear around the city, I bought a black Incase Icon Pack. It holds everything, and it looks incredible (and very expensive 😑).
  • For travel to conferences, I use a Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack, with two small cubes, one medium cube, and the Tech Sling. I like this bag because everything is part of a system, and it fits perfectly!

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