426 - Austin Blake

Austin Blake is the Founder and CEO of Mity, where they are building iOS apps that help you to get inspired to reach your goals. They are currently focused on an app called Stuff, a new to-do list for iPhone and iPad that focuses on being as simple as you need, while also being extremely powerful and flexible.

He was previously a Software Engineer at Apple.

Twitter (X) → x.com/austboston

Austin's Workspace Tour

Typically try to stand for 2-3 hours per day while working. The 58" Ergonofis “Cable Management Solution” keeps everything organized and looking clean underneath.

The huge oak desk has been an item on my wishlist forever - a huge space to work on top of and focus in on. The desk is 36x72 inches, and is a custom order from Oakywood. It’s about an inch thick of solid oak. I love the natural patterns across the top. It’s great to have such a large space to think and set things on when I have multiple things running at once.

Light mode setup with the desk mat from DeltaHub, Magic Trackpad, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Mouse.

The desk features the AirPods Max, M1 Pro MacBook Pro in the BookArc from TwelveSouth, the tilt-and height adjustable Studio Display with Standard Glass, the Forté MagSafe Charger from TwelveSouth holding up my to-do list for the day on Stuff, a succulent known as “Lord Zim”, an Owala water bottle (my favorite and longest-lasting water bottle I’ve had), the original Apple HomePod, and my 2021 11-inch iPad Pro.

The SKÅDIS pegboard from Ikea houses the TwelveSouth Curve, my dark mode/light mode keyboard/mouse when not in use, an metal Apple logo that I removed from the back of a dead iPad, the “Tidbyt” live display that my wife got me for Christmas, my Sony A7IV, and some dog treats for Rovee when she’s hanging out in the office with me.

The aforementioned Tidbyt. Really fun device that displays customizable information throughout the day.

I’ve had the Haworth Fern for about 6 months now and absolutely love it. Very comfortable. I typically like a lot of lumbar support, but I actually prefer this one without the additional (optional) lumbar support. The Digital Knit material is super comfortable and I love sitting in it.

The sideboard is the 72” Lena from Poly & Bark. It houses all sorts of tech gadgets, a printer, a bin of cables, and some other books inside of it.

The three photos are all from different mountain ranges in the place where I live. From left to right - Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, Mount Timpanogas, and Brighton Ski Resort.

The authentic leather gun case belonged to my grandfather, and I like having it in my office to remind me of him.

The pinboard houses a collection of my warmest memories over the last ten years or so - with everything from a collection of my favorite pins, to logos I thought looked cool, to tickets from memorable sporting events or movies, to notes from loved ones while I was away from home on a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s a board of things that inspire me.

The backpack is the Aer Tech Pack 2. I purchased it in San Francisco at my first WWDC (2019) and have just loved it ever since.

The back wall houses a couch (mostly for Rovee the dog to sleep on while I work), a teardown of the iPhone 4s, my degree in Advertising, and a couple shelves with a collection of what I consider to be terrifically-designed products, or things that just have a nice color to them.

The whiteboard is pictured selectively, because it’s where I write all of my personal goals for the year/month/week/day. But workspaces.xyz! And themitycompany.com!

The CalDigit TS4 helps power things behind the scenes. A bit overkill for my current setup (I used to do more video work, and used this more), but still really appreciate the ability to plug in a lot of peripherals at once.

And last but not least... this is Rovee the dog. Other than me, she spends more time than anyone in the office. She’s an Aussie Doodle, just over a year old.

What is the most useful item in your workspace?

I’d have to go with the obvious and simple M1 Pro MacBook Pro. It’s a beast of a machine that I’ve had no problems with, that can always accomplish what I need it to do. Also love the Studio Display that I picked up just a few months ago, it’s been a terrific addition with its bright, 5k display. Working on a Mac just feels like home.

How do you spark creativity?

I tried to setup my space in such a way that inspires me and gets me excited to work. Being in the space feels naturally creative for me. Other things looking through design inspirations I’ve collected, reviewing my goals, listening to music, and going on walks outside. Each of these things seem to get me jazzed about what I’m working on and get me in the zone to build cool stuff.

What does your typical day look like?

I work as a Product Manager during the day, then work at nights to build out Stuff, the new to-do list app for iPhone and iPad.