The Physical Tools and Hardware I Used to Write and Ship Built Young

Writing a 60,000-word book while managing high school classes and running Ryla Labs was the most demanding creative project I have ever undertaken.

When you are writing thirty chapters on early entrepreneurship, you cannot afford friction in your tools. Every keystroke, notebook, and backup drive has to work without fail.

Here is the exact hardware setup I used to write Built Young:

1. The Machine: A 14-inch MacBook Pro running Scrivener for chapter drafting and Markdown for technical appendices.
2. The Keystrokes: A custom 65% mechanical keyboard with Boba U4T tactile switches. The physical tactile feedback kept my typing rhythm steady during 4,000-word weekend writing sprints.
3. The Analog Capture: A pocket-sized Field Notes grid notebook and a Pilot G2 0.5mm pen carried everywhere to capture book ideas between classes.

Good tools do not write the book for you, but they get out of your way and let your mind focus on what matters.