While I don't fully subscribe to the above quote, since I think it's important to continually improve things that aren't explicitly broken, every now and then something I use works so well that I consider it a solved problem.
In this post I'll be listing items and tools I use that work so well that I'm likely to be a customer for life, or will never have to purchase another. I've split the list into physical and digital tools and will try to keep this list as up-to-date as possible. This is both for my reference, as well as for others. If something is not listed it means I'm not 100% satisfied with what I'm currently using, even if it's decent.
I'm not a minimalist, but I do have a fairly minimalistic approach to the items I buy. I like having one thing that works well (for example, an everything pair of pants), over a selection to choose from each morning.
Some of these items are inexpensive and readily available; while some of them are pricy (but in my opinion worth it). Unfortunately sometimes it's hard to circumvent Sam Vimes boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
Digital
Tuta mail — This email provider does one thing very well: Email. Yes, there is a calendar, but I don't use it. I use it for the responsive and privacy respecting email service, as well as the essentially unlimited email addresses I can set up on custom domains.
Apple Notes — I've tried the other writing tools, and Apple Notes wins (for me) by being simple, and automatically synced. I use this for writing posts, taking notes, and handling my todo list for the day.
Visual Studio Code — I've tried to become a vim or emacs purist, but couldn't commit. I've tried going back to Sublime, but didn't feel like relearning the shortcuts. I've tried all of the new AI-powered IDEs, but found it stripped the joy of coding. VSC works fine and I'll likely use it until humans aren't allowed to code anymore.
Trello — This is where I track all my feature requests, ideas, todos, tasks in progress, and tasks put on hold across my various projects. I'm used to the interface and have never had a problem with it. I'm not a power user, nor do I work as part of a team, so it's just right for my use-case.
Bear Blog — This goes without saying. I originally built it for me, so it fits my use-case well. I'm just glad it fits so many other people's use-cases too.
Physical
Apple Airpods Pro — This is the best product Apple makes. I could switch away from the rest of the Apple ecosystem if necessary, but I'd have to keep my Airpods. The noise cancelling and audio fidelity is unlike any other in-ear headphones I've used, and while they'll probably need to be replaced every 5 years, they're well worth the sleep on long-haul flights alone.
New Balance 574 shoes — New Balance created the perfect shoe in the 80s and then never updated them. These shoes are great since they were originally developed as trail running shoes, but have become their own style while being rugged enough to tackle a light trail, or walk around a city all day. They also have a wide toe box to house my flappers.
CeraVe Moisturising Lotion — I didn't realise how healthy my skin could be until Emma forced this on me. My skin has been doing great since switching and I'll likely keep using it until CeraVe discontinues the line.
Eucerin sensitive protect sunscreen — Similarly, all sunscreens I've tried have left my face oily and shiny. This is the first facial sunscreen that I can realistically wear every day without any issues. It's SPF 50+, which is great for someone who loves being outdoors in sunny South Africa.
Salt of the Earth Crystal deodorant — This may sound particularly woo-woo, but I've been using this salt deodorant for the past 8 years and since it doesn't contain any perfume, I smell perfectly neutral all of the time.
House of Ord felted wool hat — I love this hat. It keeps me cool in the sun, but warm when it's cold out. This is due to wool's thermoregulatory properties that evolved to keep the sheep cool in summer and warm in winter. While it's not the most robust hat, I suspect it'll last a few years if I treat it well.
Under consideration
These are the products I'm using that may make the cut but I haven't used them long enough to be sure.
Lululemon ABC pants — These are incredibly comfortable stretch pants that pretend (very convincingly) to be a semi-casual set of chinos. The only hesitation I have with them is that they pick up marks and stains incredibly easily.
Merino wool t-shirts — I bought my first merino wool t-shirt recently after rocking cotton for my entire life, and I'm very impressed. These shirts don't get smelly (there are instances of people wearing them for a year straight without issue) and are very soft and comfortable. I'm a bit worried about durability, but if they make packing lighter and are versatile I may slowly start to replace my cotton shirts once they wear out.
I like to be very intentional with my purchases. We live in an 84m^2 apartment and so everything has to have its place to avoid clutter. I understand how possessions can end up owning you, and so I try to keep them as reasonable as possible. A good general rule of thumb is that new things replace worn-out and old things, not add to them. This applies both digitally and physically, since there's only so much mental capacity for digital tools as there is for physical items.
Make things as simple as possible but no simpler.
— Albert Einstein
