I keep my files in a repo on gitlab and use yadm to sync them.

Yadm is a wrapper around git, so you have all the standard git commands plus some extra to work with templating and encryption etc.

If you don’t want something completely different, PopOS is a great, snap free, distribution based on Ubuntu. It’s what Ubuntu should have been.

I use video game playlist when I need to get into the zone at work. Video game soundtracks are often designed to suck you in and keep you engaged without being intrusive.

Popos on my personal laptop and Debian on my workstation at the office.

If you like the command line but want something more user friendly than curl, I suggest httpie.