One of the Quixotic quests I continue to waste energy on is the idea of “One Device to Rule Them All.” It’s completely impractical and fails to take in account what those devices excel at. Their core competencies.
I have three computers: My Mac, which for so long was the creative center of my life; my gaming PC which is where I pretty much just fly Microsoft Flight Simulator; and our VDI tool for work. I mention the VDI tool because while it is platform agnostic, that use case and its particulars take up 40+ hours of my week.
So, given how much I fly Flight Simulator and how much I work, using my gaming PC as my primary device seemed to make sense. So, I did. The whole thing kinda exploded with multiple monitors. That PC also gives off energy and heat, and consumes a ton of energy1.
An important aside is my microphone situation. For decades I am haunted by a weird ongoing issue with MacOS and USB headsets. After about 20 minutes it sounds like I am calling in from the far side of the moon. This has endured through four Macs and countless headsets. When we started the whole WFH thing in 2020 this became a glaring problem. To solve it I broke out my Shure SM58 stage microphone. Problem solved. In four years, I never have a problem with audio. I sound great as well.
Another factor was my short-lived YouTube channel. Switching the Shure SM58 between my Mac and PC was a huge PITA. On my Mac, I really need to crank the input to be heard; on the PC, that setting blows out eardrums.
About my Back Issues and Ergonomic Changes
I also suffer from back and neck issues. Once a month I get a treatment on my back to alleviate the pain. I missed February’s session and really felt it. As I was getting the treatment recently, I used that time to really think through how I can work on better ergonomics.
What I never really thought of is one issue with using the SM58 is you really need to be right on top of it to be heard. It is great that pretty much all background noise is eliminated, but I noticed as a result of this I was leaning slightly forward when I spoke. I hooked up my HyperX Cloud III Wired Headset.Now my microphone is at a fixed distance from my mouth and I can work on sitting up straight at all times. If the USB-headset issues arises, I have the Shure58 still hooked up ready to go2.
The monitors also contributed to this. The monitor to the side also required moving and holding my head and neck at an angle. So, off came the second monitor. My focus now is straight ahead. I have always used my iPad a sort of transient device. I might have a YouTube vide up while working for example. But that can now go under my monitor where an eye movement is all that is required to see the screen,
Now, these ergonomic issues don’t require a set computer. Mac or PC, it doesn’t matter. Both gain from it.
Back to the Mac
One of the challenges with the gaming PC as my primary is decades of Mac-based workflows and apps aren’t translatable. Sure, there are some cross-platform tools I use like Office and Photoshop, but others like Ulysses are MacOS only. I was trying to find different alternatives, but it wasn’t working.
I also prefer a cozy and minimal creating workspace. I can get that on Windows, sure, but that PC set up for Flight Simulator means the most efficient way of configuring it is a lot of Taskbar items3. A cluttered Taskbar and Dock offend my sense of elegance.
Look, I’ve never been a fan of the Cult of Mac stuff, but there are reasons people have hammers and power tools they like. The Mac and iOS are platforms that help me create. For decades, MacOS has been the central operating system to my life. For the last 6 months or so my MacBook Air sat off the side. I would bring it with me when I left the house or wanted to go downstairs and do something, but it wasn’t a computer I revolved my life around.
I had lost my way.
While I have shut down that YouTube channel for now, I also noticed that I had stopped creating completely. I’ve never been a prolific blogger, but I had stopped writing entirely. I was also missing tinkering with aspects of MacOS and iPadOS. One of my favorite podcasts is Automators. Because I was out in the wilderness on Windows I stopped listening to it. I was out of the loop on ways my favorite platforms could help me.
This isn’t a knock on Windows. I just get a good energy from creating on the Mac that was missing on PC. Switching to Mac also lets me use the gaming PC for its core competency: playing games.
Building a Live I Love
I am obsessed with desk setup videos. There is a subset category of desk setups that focus on cozy spaces. It’s not a complete contrast to the minimal setups, but the cozy spaces have more life than the stark, utilitarian setups. I am finding the cozy spaces help my mental health.
I found this setup video from Ying. The entire video is great, and the reflections section I linked to is the highlight of the video. She talks about how she has the items around the desk and her apartment and the meaning they have to her. There is one quote that really stood out to me:
“These are all the gestures of care that I’m showing to myself. To build a space that energizes and celebrates me.”
One of the sayings I use a lot when I am doing future me a favor is “this is a love letter to myself.” Self care is a huge focus item for me right now. Going back to my Mac as my primary computer is a huge gesture of care that I’m showing to myself.
- My wife is especially sensitive to these things. Today she came in my office. The PC was off and I was just working on my Mac. She said, “something feels better here.” ↩
- With my Stream Deck, it’s also just a one-button press to switch audio. ↩
- For example, it’s not just MSFS that runs when I fly. There are 4-5 supporting apps that run at the same time. The easiest way to launch, or check they launched is Taskbar icons. ↩
Mark Crump 