5 Mac Apps to supercharge your productivity
When you get a Mac, most of the time, you want to get work done. These five Apps will help you do it.
Being productive can be quite tricky. There are a lot of distractions, messages, social media, and Netflix, for example, but there are some apps that will help you to be more productive. In the following list, you’ll find my favorite five apps, which I use almost every day, to work more efficiently.
Alfred
Alfred is basically the spotlight search function on steroids. At the core, Alfred is still an app launcher like Spotlight. But it is more powerful.
Alfred will find files, apps, and more for you. Instead of clicking and searching for things with your mouse, your hands can stay on the keyboard.
Alfred’s integration into the macOS runs deep; you can even control your music via Alfred. It is also possible to create workflows for repetitive tasks.
There are three versions of Alfred: the free version which is basically a slightly more powerful spotlight, the “Single License” for 25£, which gives you access to Alfreds “Powerpack” for once and the “Mega Supporter” for 45£ which will provide you with access to free lifetime upgrades for Alfred.
Alfred “Powerpack” gives you a lot more options and is what really exceeds spotlight. Alfred is like a lubricating jelly for my Mac, it reduces the time between thinking of doing something and actually doing it.
Things 3
Things 3 is my to-do list manager of choice. To have an application that will help you keep track of the things you want to get done is essential.
Things 3 allows you to do that. The app has a simple interface, which resembles the looks of an e-mail client. There is an inbox folder where all of your new to-dos land if you don’t sort them straight away, and there are different areas.
The default areas are your upcoming do-dos, the anytime area, and the someday area. You can also create your own areas that can have projects in them. For example, you can have your work area with the project taxes and then specific things you have to do.
The clear structure gives you an overview of your to-do’s with at a glance but also allows you to create more complex lists with a lot of boxes to check.
Things 3 also has an IOS and IPad OS app, and the integration is incredible. Your to-dos are synced over the Things Cloud, which requires a Things account, but it is free.
Even though the whole setup (Mac, iPad, and iPhone app)has a relatively steep entry price of about 80 dollars, I can only recommend Things 3.
WhatsApp is my go-to messaging app on my iPhone. So it’s only natural to have it on my Mac too.
Having it on my desktop allows me to message and chat while on the Mac without the need to have my iPhone near me. The interface is like on the iPhone, with your chat centered, and your recent conversations on the left.
To chat from your Mac, your Phone requires an internet connection, Drag & Drop also works with WhatsApp on Mac, and for sharing files quickly, it is one of the most comfortable options.
Of course, there is Messages on the Mac, but WhatsApp is the better messaging app on the Mac because you can chat with everyone who also has WhatsApp, no matter their device and OS.
Grammarly
This is my writing assistant. Whether I’m writing e-mails, a medium story, or a paper, Grammarly has my back.
It is a reliable tool, and it helps me get rid of the little mistakes that will happen while typing. Even if it’s something simple like a tweet, you don’t want to have typos. Grammarly simply helps to avoid them.
I personally use the pro version of Grammarly but mainly because I use it to correct my medium posts, too, and the pro version gives you just more feedback. But if you want to use it solely as a grammar check, the free version will be more than enough.
Time Machine
Everybody should back up their computer. And even though backing up your Mac does not immediately supercharge your productivity, having a backup when you need one is crucial.
My choice here is Time Machine. Apples’ own tool for backups is as simple to use as it is powerful. The only thing you need is an external hard drive or SSD.
Once you’ve set up Time Machine, it will automatically create an hourly backup for the last 24 hours, one daily backup for the previous month, and a weekly backup for all the past months. If by any chance, you run out of storage on your external drive, Time Machine will delete the oldest backups.
Time Machine also allows you to created encrypted backups and have a password for security. With all these features, I don’t feel the need for any other backup program other than Time Machine.
The 5 apps I mentioned won’t transform you into a productivity beast. Not unless you are also willing to give something into it to. But if you put your effort into learning to use them, they are undoubtedly powerful tools that will help you to be more productive with your Mac.
As always, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay kind out there.
Raffael
