I’ve written about a lot of great tech, but these are the gadgets I use every day

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While my MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and iPhone are the three pillars of my digital life, they wouldn't be nearly as powerful without some accessories. I have hyper-specific tools for once-in-a-while tasks, but I wanted to highlight the tech accessories that I use every day without fail.

These accessories allow me the get the most out of those main products, and ultimately add a whole lot of value to my tech life. They save me time and allow me to do things I wouldn't be able to otherwise, whether that means letting me stay productive or helping me to relax.

I've written about some of these products before, but others haven't merited their own post yet. The best part about these products is that a lot of them can work together, as opposed to being siloed — that's what makes them easy to use daily.

A laptop stand

The iPad Pro might be my primary computer at home, but my MacBook Pro still handles some key daily tasks for me, like acting as my media server. For the past year, I've kept my laptop hooked up to an external display (more on that in a minute), and in this stand by 12 South. The BookArk accomplishes two tasks, it keeps my MacBook Pro in a stable position, and it saves me a lot of room.

Rather than have my laptop on a horizontal stand, the BookArk lets me tuck my MacBook away while still leaving all of its ports exposed. If I need to pop in an HDMI cable to play a Steam game, it's right there. The way I have my laptop oriented (as pictured, actually), all of the wires go back behind the desk making my setup look even more clean and professional.

12 South BookArk, $49.99, available at Amazon

A 4K monitor

I went 4K, and I'm not going back. Not everyone is going to need a big, 4K monitor, but if you do, I highly recommend this one from ASUS. It has two HDMI ports and a Displayport 1.2 port. The HDMI ports came in handy before I bought a TV; I would hook my game consoles directly into the monitor and they looked great.

At 28 inches, this is plenty big enough to use as a primary screen in a pinch, although you can't plug a coaxial cable into it. As a computer monitor, I'm pretty happy; for the price, you're getting a big beautiful display that's perfect if you want a lot of space to edit images, videos, or use a layout program. It's not the highest-end screen out there, but for my day-to-day needs, it has been more than good enough.

ASUS PB287Q 4k UHD LED Monitor, $447.99, available at Amazon

A Bluetooth keyboard

If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of Anker products. This slim Bluetooth keyboard is my primary typing tool at home, and it preforms very well. At first I was worried about having a rechargeable keyboard (who wants to wait for their keyboard to charge,) but I've only had to charge it once in the five months that I've had it. 

I noticed some latency issues, but I repositioned my computer and reset the keyboard and everything seems to be working well now. The chiclet keys will be familiar to anyone who has used an Apple keyboard in the past decade, and while I wouldn't mind if the keyboard was a bit bigger, it doesn't feel super cramped. As a bonus, this keyboard has mobile-specific keys; so if you decide to use it with an iPad, you'll have a dedicated home button key.

Anker Ultra Compact Slim Profile Bluetooth Keyboard, $19.99, available at Amazon