Gents Weekly: 11 Essential Items Every High-Performing Man Needs to Have
Issue #30: The manliest newsletter on the internet • August 10, 2026
Welcome to issue #30 of The Gents Weekly, a newsletter for the modern man. New issues posted every Monday. Brought to you by the men of Gents Journey — Dean Bokhari, Stephen Seidel, and Matt McManus.
For this week’s issue of the Gents Weekly, we’re going to try something different.
The world’s going analog again. And we’re here for it.
Film cameras are outselling expectations. Vinyl keeps climbing. Paper notebooks are back in style.
And “dumb” phones are a genuine category now.
Something’s shifting.
Men who spent a decade optimizing every app and automating every habit are starting to crave friction again — the kind that makes you slow down and actually feel present.
In today’s issue, we’re stripping away our usual structure—and replacing it with a simple list of the 11 essential products every high-performing gent needs to have.
Here at Gents Journey, we live by the 7 Pillars of Manhood, which are: Friendship, Faith, Fun, Fitness, Family, Freedom, and Focus… The products you surround yourself with either support those seven pillars or work against them.
We spoke with over a thousand high-performing men to put this list together—so you don’t have to.
Enjoy.
11 Essentials For High-Performing Men
You’ll find three product recommendations for each of the eleven categories listed below: Dean’s pick, Matt’s pick, and Steve’s pick. (Please note that we may receive affiliate commissions when you purchase a product we recommend—we appreciate your support.)
1. A quality time-piece
A watch is the one accessory a man wears every single day, and it says something about you before you ever open your mouth. It’s also a daily reminder that time is the one asset you can’t buy back.
Dean’s Pick: Omega Seamaster (fun fact: it’s James Bond’s time-piece of choice.)
Matt’s Pick: Seiko Sport (fun fact: It’s the same watch Arnold Schwarzenegger sports.)
Steve’s Pick: MVMT Mulholland Racer for a fresh look at a decent price point.
2. A premium paper notebook
Writing by hand slows your thinking down enough to actually think — and most of the leaders we know still do it. When you write something down, you’re forced to choose your words instead of just letting them spill out… It’s why Tarantino still writes scripts with a typewriter.
Dean’s Pick: reMarkable Paper 2 e-ink tablet is next level for productivity.
Matt’s Pick: Yellow Legal Pads with no spines to help southpaws write effortlessly.
Steve’s Pick: Moleskine Classic Notebook for simple notetaking.
3. A high-quality pen
Dean’s Pick: Montblanc Meisterstuck Classique Black Rollerball Pen
Matt’s Pick: Parker Jotter original Ballpoint Pen
Steve’s Pick: PaperMate markers to color code my journal entries.
4. Headphones
High-performing men embrace the power of deep work — and deep work requires focus… something that’s getting harder to protect by the day.
The right pair of headphones eliminate distraction whether you’re on a plane, in an open office, or just trying to think in a house full of noise. We’re also seeing a huge trend in this arena: many men are going back to wired headphones to protect against the potential long-term negative impact of bluetooth waves.
Dean’s Pick: Apple EarPods Headphones
Matt’s Pick: Bose QuietComfort Ultra EarBuds
Steve’s Pick: Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones
5. Fitness equipment
Fitness is one of our 7 Pillars of Manhood for a reason — it’s the foundation everything else stands on. If you’re a regular gym-goer, you’re safe to keep scrolling. Otherwise, take heed: a home gym setup removes the excuse of “I didn’t have time to get to the gym.”
Dean’s Pick: Olympic Barbell with Bumper Plates
Matt’s Pick: Go to a local gym and try my workout, Ultimate Gents Journey workout.
Steve’s Pick: The Bowflex All-in-One 50 lb Adjustable Dumbbell Set
6. Quality clothing basics
Trends fade. Fit doesn’t. The men we respect most aren’t chasing what’s new — they’ve built a wardrobe of neutral colors, excellent fit, and fabrics that hold up. Less decision fatigue in the morning, more polish by the time you walk into the room.
What we like: crisp solid tees and versatile blazers that work for every occasion you didn’t plan for.
Dean’s Pick: Crew Neck Tree Shirt by One Golden Thread for the eco-conscious gent.
Matt’s Pick: Levi’s 501 Jeans for the classic look.
Steve Pick: Calvin Klein White V-Neck t-shirts to go with any outfit.
7. Coffee
What we use: a pour-over setup for the slow mornings, or a proper espresso machine when there’s no time to slow down. And if you’re drowning it in milk or sugar, you might want to rethink your day and read up on “bulletproof coffee” from Laird Hamilton.
Dean’s Pick: Nespresso Lattissima One Original Espresso
Matt’s Pick: Dunkin Donuts Original Blend takes me back to childhood.
Steve’s Pick: LaColombe from my fellow Philadelphian Todd Carmichael.
8. Books
Rather than treating books as decoration, high-performing men build a reference library of tomes with a wide-range of titles from various genres: leadership, psychology, personal growth, negotiation, biography, philosophy, finance, and more.
Books we keep coming back to: Atomic Habits, The Psychology of Money, Can’t Hurt Me, Meditations, Essentialism, and The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Continuous learning compounds.
What we like: a physical shelf for the books you’ll reread, and a Kindle for everything else.
Dean’s Pick: The Way of the Superior Man
Matt’s Pick: On the Road by Jack Kerouac for a great story about brotherhood.
Steve’s Pick: No More Mr. Nice Guy to take your power back as a man.
9. Recovery + nutrition
High-performing men treat recovery as part of performance, not separate from it. Sleep trackers, cooling mattress systems, foam rollers, blackout curtains — none of it is glamorous, but all of it protects the energy you need for the other six pillars.
What we use: an Eight Sleep cooling mattress cover, or a simple silk eye mask and white noise machine when you’re on the road.
Dean’s Pick: AG1 Greens Powder Superfood, 75 Vitamins and Probiotic Blend
Matt’s Pick: Clean Simple Eats Whey Isolate Protein Powder, Simply Vanilla
Steve’s Pick: Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask, which my wife bought that I use.
10. Everyday carry (EDC)
What you carry says a lot about how prepared you are for the moment in front of you.
Slim wallet, portable charger, a multi-tool, an organized key holder — simple, functional, no bulk.
What we like: a Ridge wallet, a Leatherman multi-tool, and pock-sized productivity cards for getting things done.
Dean’s Pick: 1-2-5 Daily Productivity Cards
Matt’s Pick: Listen to what Matt carries in his pockets on Spotify.
Steve’s Pick: Tea Tree Therapy Toothpicks
11. Footwear
Your shoes say a lot about you, whether you’re a Dad, sporty, fashionable or simply need solid comfort.
Dean’s Pick: Allbirds Men’s Tree Lounger Slip-ons for easy, versatile, casual comfort.
Matt’s Pick: New Balance Men’s M2002RCC Sneaker are the ULTIMATE DAD SHOE.
Steve’s Pick: Rainbow Sandals Flip Flops for great support in sweaty weather.
Until next week,
—The Gents
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