#002 @mwilson_codes
Welcome to the second edition of the Product Workspaces newsletter. This is brought to you by @JacobOlenick on Twitter / @Jacobintech on Instagram / and the Minimal Desk Setups Facebook group.
My goal is to showcase awesome creatives/people who have amazing workspaces and help others gain inspiration for their own personal workspace.
Let’s Meet Maegan!
Name: Maegan
Pronouns: They/Them
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwilson_codes/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/mwilson_codes
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/mwilson_codes
Website: https://cctplus.dev
What do you do for a living and how’d you get into it? (Did you teach yourself or go to school)
I am a Front End Software Engineer at a start up. I have been here for a little over a year and my manager actually found me in a Facebook group for job seekers. I was looking to make a shift from product support to tech so I introduced myself on the group and the rest is history. I went to college for stage lighting, and while there I took a couple computer science classes, but ultimately I would say I’m self-taught.
What would you recommend to others to help them achieve their workspace goals to be productive?
Make sure you’re making your workspace work for you. A workspace that isn’t helping you is hurting you. A big upgrade I made recently was changing from stacked monitors on a monitor stand to monitors side by side on monitor arms. This actually helped me become more productive because I ended up with more desk space and don’t feel as cluttered anymore.
Items on your desk/in your office space
I keep a bit on my desk because I like to make my workspace work for me while I’m streaming, working, or developing iOS apps, so here’s the list:
3 computers
Work - 2019” MacBook Pro 16”
Personal - MacBook Pro 14” M1 Max
Streaming machine - M1 Mac Mini
LG 34WN750 34” monitor
Dell 24” Monitor
Keychron Q1 Keyboard
Apple Magic Trackpad 2
CalDigit TS3+ Dock
CalDigit Element Hub
Rodecaster Pro
Rode PodMic
Stream Deck
Mr. Coffee coffee warmer
Elgato Face Cam
Moleskin journal
Cup of pens
STM ChargeTree Swing to charge my phone, AirPods, and watch
Apple AirPods Max
Tools you use for your day-to-day + Hobbies (ex: Spotify, Slack, Figma, Github, VSCode, Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.)
Front End and iOS Development
Overcast for podcasts
Apple Music as my streaming service
Xcode for iOS development
VS Code for front-end development
Webflow for our website
Figma and Sketch
Slack
GitHub
Whimsical
Content creation
Final Cut Pro
Epidemic Sound
ArtList
Affinity Designer
Adobe LightRoom
Discord
Ecamm Live
What's one item on your desk that you can't live without?
Ohhh this is a tough one. I’d say my Magic Trackpad. I love the way macOS works with a trackpad. Also, using a trackpad to edit in FCP is a must. Being able to pinch and push to zoom in and out on the timeline is a game changer.
What's one software in your stack that you can't live without?
It would probably be ToothFairy. It helps manage Bluetooth devices on a Mac. I use it to get my AirPods connected quickly between my work computer and my personal computers.
Where did you gain inspiration for your workspace?
Instagram and YouTube are my go-to places. Instagram has all those profiles that just collect good workspaces. I realized that I can’t have a totally minimal space because I want to be able to live stream easily and quickly, so those only helped to an extent. Once I got into YouTube creation, I found Tom Buck’s channel and his studio/workspace is one I aspire to. There’s a lot in there, but it’s so clean and organized that his desk is clean and everything has a place.
How does your workspace help you stay productive?
There is a space for everything, so if I need to write something down, my pens and paper are within reach. If I need a cable to charge a device or pull off photos or videos from my camera, then I know exactly where to go and I don’t have to look around for what I need.
What's something that you'd love to have in or around your workspace in the future?
I’d really like another ambient light at some point. I only have one light source that isn’t a photo/video light so having something else that’s controllable like Hue would be great.