Here I will outline the tools and workflow that I've found works best for me. I'm always interested in other people's setups, so I thought I would offer mine as well. I will update this page over time sharing any changes.
I've used Arch Linux since the start of my use of Linux as a whole and have no intentions of using anything else as my primary OS for the foreseeable future. I benefit the most from workspaces that are as free of clutter as possible, and Arch Linux offers an excellent balance of minimalism and sanity.
My window manager is i3wm, because it's what I was initially drawn to and has never let me down since. I pair it with py3status for the ability to use and write custom status bar scripts. To simplify window switching, I also use the i3-easyfocus script. There are lighter weight WMs out there worth checking out, but I don't have the desire to change currently.
I use the URxvt terminal emulator with the Bash shell. I use the vi editing mode for Bash so that even my command line has familiar keybinds. I use tmux for terminal multiplexing, which is a vital task for my workflow. The fzf fuzzy finder is another tool I make considerable use of on the command line.
For text editing I prefer Neovim with many plugins that each contribute to creating a fluid workflow that works for me. I really like my screen to be free of bullshit and interactions to be simple, logical keyboard mappings. I use nano when I want something more simple, but this is not very often at all.
The ranger file browser is one of my most used programs, and I greatly appreciate it's contribution to my desire of fluidity and motion in program design. It uses familiar Vim-like keybinds, and has nice shell integration.
I use mpd with the ncmpcpp front-end for my music. In the future I would like to set up a server that each of my devices can connect to and share the same back-end. I would be curious to try other mpd front-ends, but for now ncmpcpp doesn't give me much to complain about.
For PDF viewing I use Zathura and it's made me question how I've ever used anything else (previously MuPDF).
mpv is my video player, and sxiv is my photo viewer. Both "just work".
I use the Weechat IRC client. Weechat supports a plugin system that can enable its simultaneous use for other protocols.
Firefox and occasionally Lynx are what I use for web browsing, but every browser seems to annoy me nearly equally. For Firefox I use an add-on that provides Vim-like keybinds for page navigation, and various other, likely redundant, privacy add-ons. Read this for advice on how to secure your browser.
rtorrent is my torrent client. It can be quite shit at times, but it's still my favorite option.
I use dunst for notifications.
I might update this post another time going more in depth about my vim config.