The Setup: Brad Coates

Who are you and what do you do?

I'm Brad Coates, a Director of Product for Mobi.

Be honest, did you clean this up before taking the photo?

Nope, I never keep much on my desk.

What tools do you use every day?

As far as hardware goes, I use a 2018 13-in MacBook Pro, an iPad Pro 11-in, and the iPhone Xs. On the software side - I’ll generally be consumed with Slack, Gmail, and Asana. I also dabble in Wordpress along with Shopify. Without fail I'll always have a Spotify playlist going in the background, often times playing instrumental movie scores.

Where do you work from?

I work out of my home about 2-3 days a week, the other 2 days I’ll head into my office at a WeWork in Toronto.

What could you not live without?

Internet.

How do you do todo lists?

I was previously doing everything through an app called Taskful. More recently though, with my iPad Pro, I’ve began using the pen and handwriting my notes for the day. I start everyday by writing the date at the top of the page and lead with my to-do’s. I look at what I didn’t do the previous day and carry it on if needed. Any additional notes I have from meetings or other thoughts will go below. I find it best to have a fresh note each day, even though I handwrite the notes on the iPad - the ‘Notes’ app by Apple will still let you search for keywords.

What do you want to change about your setup?

I honestly can’t think of anything right now, I think I’m pretty spoiled with the equipment I have, this should last me for a while.

If you were going on a trip and could only bring one item, which is it and why?

I think it would have to be the iPad. I never used one prior to now and I have to say it’s fantastic - especially for travel. The screen is amazing and its ultra portable.