Skip to content
Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.

Softbox LED light

Diffused LED panels set either side of the screen for calls and filming

An LED panel behind fabric that spreads the light and softens the shadows on a face. Two of them, one to each side of the monitor and a little behind it, is the standard arrangement for video calls and recorded talks. Prices fell a long way once meetings moved onto video, so this tends to be the cheapest fix for a bad-looking call.

Who backs it

Sorted by strength of stance

  • Seth GodinDoes it

    Author · Seth's Blog, published daily

    Writing in the first person about the technology in his studio, he lists soft-box LED lights alongside the camera, a Marantz microphone, a preamp and a mixer. That studio is how he works now: he stopped flying for business in 2020 and moved his speaking to filmed and live video.

    Source: seths.blog: Seth Godin's Rider

Other entries filed under productivity.

  • Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.

    Home gym

    A private training space at home, from a garage rack to a fully equipped room

    Backed by 7 of 62 stacks: 5 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

    Kindle e-reader

    Amazon

    E-ink reader that makes a daily reading habit easy to keep

    Backed by 6 of 62 stacks: 6 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.

    MacBook Pro

    Apple

    Apple's laptop, used as the one machine that runs the talk and the studio

    Backed by 4 of 62 stacks: 4 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

    Standing desk

    A desk that raises, so part of the working day happens on your feet

    Backed by 4 of 62 stacks: 3 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

    iPad

    Apple

    Apple's tablet, used here as the device the reading app runs on

    Backed by 3 of 62 stacks: 3 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.

    Paper notebook

    A bound notebook for thinking on paper away from a screen

    Backed by 3 of 62 stacks: 3 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it

Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.