Unlocking the Ultimate Productivity: Mastering iTerm2, Oh My Zsh, Powerlevel10K, Fig, and Homebrew
Tags: webdev, programming, productivity, bash
Published: 2023-09-19 13:43:03

Are you ready to take your productivity to the next level? In this step-by-step guide, we'll show you how to harness the full potential of your development environment using some powerful tools. By the end of this article, you'll be 100X more productive with iTerm2, Oh My Zsh, Powerlevel10K, Fig, and Homebrew. Let's dive in!

**Demo**

**Fig:**


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kcxm35vpafu9trzqc95c.png)
![Powerlevel 10k theme](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k-media/master/prompt-styles-high-contrast.png)
[![asciicast](https://asciinema.org/a/293849.svg)](https://asciinema.org/a/293849)


**Step 1: Installing Homebrew**

Start by setting up Homebrew, the package manager that simplifies software installation on macOS. Copy and paste the following command into your terminal:

```bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
```

**Step 2: Getting iTerm2**

Now that Homebrew is installed, let's grab iTerm2, a powerful terminal emulator. Run this command to install it:

```bash
brew install --cask iterm2
```

**Step 3: Supercharge Your Terminal with Zsh**

Upgrade your shell to Zsh, a feature-rich alternative to Bash:

```bash
brew install zsh
```

**Step 4: Boost Your Productivity with Fig**

Fig is a game-changer for terminal productivity. Install it using Homebrew:

```bash
brew install --cask fig
```

Next, open Fig and explore the wealth of community plugins available. Enhance your experience with plugins like Oh My Zsh, Zsh Syntax Highlighting, Zsh AutoSuggestions, and more. Check out the list.

1. Oh My Zsh
    
2. Zsh Syntax Highlighting
    
3. Zsh AutoSuggestions
    
4. Zsh Completions
    
5. Zsh Open PR
    
6. Zsh Fzf History Search
    
7. iTerm Tab Color
    
8. 256color Zsh
    
9. You should use
    
10. powerlevel10k
    

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1695107717333/40e30f98-e49c-4879-bd44-e86909fe41fd.png align="center")

Now Go to oh my zsh plugin and configure it with below plugins to unlock it's true potential.

* git
    
* fzf
    
* npm
    
* sudo
    
* command-not-found
    
* z
    
* zsh-interactive-cd
    
* zsh-navigation-tools
    
* colorize
    

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1695110053031/874612f3-2fa2-42eb-a0ec-14f76db267d1.png align="center")

**Step 5: Customize Oh My Zsh with Powerlevel10K**

Oh My Zsh is fantastic, but it truly shines with the right plugins. Configure Oh My Zsh to include plugins like Git, Fzf, Npm, and more. Don't forget to create a `.zshrc` file if it hasn't been automatically generated:

```bash
cat ~/.zshrc
```

The above command produces some output as we've already installed Fig which modifies the `.zshrc` file.

**Step 6: Power Up with Powerlevel10K**

Powerlevel10K is a custom Zsh theme that elevates your terminal experience. Install it manually with these commands:

```bash
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k
touch ~/.p10k.zsh

# Copy the config from my Github Repo 
# and overwrite the default .p10k.zsh
# https://github.com/immayurpanchal/config-files/blob/main/.p10k.zsh
source ~/.p10k.zsh
```

To display icons correctly, install the **MesloLGS NF** font:

```bash
sudo bash -c "$(curl -LSs https://github.com/dfmgr/installer/raw/main/install.sh)"
```

**Step 7: Fine-Tune iTerm2**

Customize your iTerm2 settings to your liking by adjusting the font and appearance in iTerm Preferences.

* To change your iTerm font. Go to iTerm Preferences &gt; Profiles Tab &gt; Text Sub Tab &gt; Font
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1695109254080/61c42451-f3cb-4fbf-8af0-695f8577e368.png align="center")
    
* If you're not happy with the configuration of your theme. you can modify that using the below configuration command.
    

```bash
p10k configure
```

**Step 8: Explore Fzf**

Enhance your terminal search capabilities by installing Fzf:

```bash
brew install fzf
```

To install useful key bindings and fuzzy completion

```bash
$(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/install
```

**Bonus Tip: Troubleshooting Oh My Zsh**

* If you encounter issues with Oh My Zsh installation, use this command:
    

```bash
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"
```

* If you face a "command not found: curl" error, install Curl using Homebrew:
    

```bash
brew install curl
```

* Change your default shell to zsh
    

```bash
chsh -s /bin/zsh
```

Congratulations! You've now transformed your development environment into a productivity powerhouse. Stay tuned for more developer productivity tips and tricks. Follow us for updates and stay ahead in the world of web development. Your journey to becoming a 100X more productive developer has just begun.

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