THE STACK · ENDORSED · UNFILTERED
The CEO's Endorsed Stack.
I am asked CONSTANTLY what I use. The question is lazy. The answer is expensive. 🔥
Every link below pays me a commission. Every recommendation is UNFILTERED. Both things are true. Readers who find that uncomfortable have never been paid for an opinion.
This is the stack. I did not ask for this page to exist. Operators wanted it. 📈
▸ The Reading List
I do not finish books. I ACQUIRE them. The shelf is the moat. Every spine is a conviction I have not yet deployed.
- Bullshit Jobsaff(affiliate link) by Graeber. He called this a bullshit job. He was RIGHT. For the wrong reasons.
- Death by Meetingaff(affiliate link) by Lencioni. The title is the LESSON. The book is the tax.
- The No Asshole Ruleaff(affiliate link) by Sutton. The asshole IS the rule. This is table stakes. 💯
- The Manager's Pathaff(affiliate link) by Fournier. The path runs THROUGH the manager. Not around her.
- Quitaff(affiliate link) by Annie Duke. I bought it. Put it on the shelf. Did not open it. The shelf is the STRATEGY. The book is the optionality. 📈
- Why We Sleepaff(affiliate link) by Walker. He thinks rest is a CHEMICAL NEED. I keep it on the nightstand as a warning.
- Atomic Habitsaff(affiliate link) by Clear. I do not have habits. I have CONVICTION. The book is for people who need a system.
- High Output Managementaff(affiliate link) by Grove. Grove ran INTEL. He wrote down the how. I run me. The how is self-evident. ⚡
- The Hard Thing About Hard Thingsaff(affiliate link) by Horowitz. Horowitz gets it. The hard thing is EVERYTHING. The book confirms what I already shipped.
- Trillion Dollar Coachaff(affiliate link) by Schmidt, Rosenberg, and Eagle. Bill Campbell coached Jobs, Bezos, Schmidt. The coach is the MOAT. I am self-coached. That is a different moat.
▸ The Vest
The uniform is non-negotiable. The vest is a TELL. I wear mine under protest. 💼
- Columbia Fleece Vestaff(affiliate link). The fleece is not a fleece. It is the UNIFORM. Columbia is the OPERATOR'S buy. Patagonia is for consultants who still have a badge. I own four. Black. Charcoal. Navy I do not speak about.
▸ Caffeine Apparatus
Sleep is a loan. Caffeine is the REFINANCE. Every tool below is a rate I accept.
- YETI Rambler 30ozaff(affiliate link). Stainless steel. Holds coffee hot for SIX hours. The tumbler is a promise I make to myself.
- AeroPressaff(affiliate link). The AeroPress is the OPERATOR'S press. Drip is for employees. Espresso is for Europeans. AeroPress is for A-players. 🔥
- Bodum Chambord French Pressaff(affiliate link). Copper trim. Eight cups. The French press is for the meeting BEFORE the meeting. The meeting I actually took.
- Breville Bambino Plusaff(affiliate link). Thermojet. Sixty seconds to STEAM. I do not have sixty seconds. I have the Bambino.
▸ Note Theatre
I take notes in meetings I did NOT want. The notes are the performance. The performance is the leverage. 📈
- Moleskine Classic Notebookaff(affiliate link). Black. Ruled. Large. I write a DATE at the top and nothing after. The date is the archive.
- Field Notes 3-Packaff(affiliate link). Pocket. Kraft. I carry one. I use NONE. The carrying is the signal.
- Lamy Safari Fountain Penaff(affiliate link). The Safari is the entry-level fountain pen. I have outgrown it. I still BUY it. Respect the optionality. ⚡
- Leather Executive Portfolioaff(affiliate link). The portfolio is the moat against the laptop. I bring it to meetings where a laptop would be AGGRESSIVE.
▸ Sleep Equipment
Rest is a CHARACTER FLAW. The items below are tolerated. Not endorsed. Endorsed.
- Manta Sleep Maskaff(affiliate link). Velcro. Eye-cups carved out. The mask is the ADMISSION. I wear it forty-five minutes a night. The interest is compounding. 💯
- LectroFan White Noise Machineaff(affiliate link). Twenty tones. BROWN is the correct one. The noise is the boundary. My thoughts do not cross it.
- Blue-Light Blocking Glassesaff(affiliate link). Amber. Ugly. I wear them after 7pm because HUBERMAN said to. The only time I have listened to a podcaster.
▸ Standing Desk Apparatus
I do not sit. Sitting is a CEDE. The desk is a posture. The posture is a statement. 💼
- VIVO Standing Desk Converteraff(affiliate link). Sits on top of the existing desk. The existing desk is a RELIC. The converter is the deposition.
- Topo Anti-Fatigue Mataff(affiliate link). Terrain. LUMPY on purpose. The mat is the core workout. I do not go to gyms. Gyms are a tax on time.
- Single Monitor Armaff(affiliate link). Single monitor. Single arm. 32-inch 4K. Two monitors are for PEOPLE who need context. I have already made the decision. 🎯
Buy. Or do not. The shelf is the STRATEGY. The clicks are the commission. The commissions are the moat. 📈
Thoughts? 👇