8 essential apps to set up your Mac for perfect productivity
Apple’s laptops are more popular than ever. But when you find yourself with one, its default set-up could use some work. Luckily, thanks to its impressive app ecosystem, we’re able to change our workspace just by downloading the right software.
After using a Mac professionally for the last seven years, I’ve perfected a set-up that has everything I need to get work done. Let me share it with you.
Nylas Mail
If you’re a normal human being, you probably hate email. Unfortunately, you can’t really get around it — for all of it shortcomings, it’s still the de facto way to talk to people over the internet.
Nylas is the best way to manage your email — it combines modern features like read receipts and delayed sending with an open source framework. And because it works with every popular email service, anyone can start their race to inbox zero today.
Todoist
Some people like to use old-school sticky notes or paper for their to-do lists. But if you’re looking to be more productive, Todoist is the best way to do it.
It makes your tasks readily available on all of your devices, while adding powerful features like shared tasks and intelligent rescheduling make crossing them off even easier.
iA Writer
Pretty much every job that’s done behind a computer involves some amount of writing. And whether you need to do a lot of it or not, this app makes it a ton easier.
iA Writer is a powerful text editor that keeps things simple and focused. Its streamlined interface does away with distractions and keeps you fixed on your writing. Perfect.
Evernote
Throughout years of competition from other note-taking apps, Evernote has somehow been able to hold on to the crown.
Thanks to its powerful search, great interface and features like the ability to search for words in hand-written notes and photos, no other app comes close.
Slack
Back when the app was only a couple of months old, I couldn’t convince anyone at my company to switch to Slack. But when it finally happened, it was hard to believe we ever did without.
Before, we had to use a terrible mix of services to reach one another — some people would use Skype Chat, while other were only reachable via email. Slack is a great way to streamline communication, and with recent additions like video and audio calls it’s getting better every day.
1Password
If you use your computer for work, security should be your top priority. Too many account credentials are being trusted to an Excel sheet, which is a disaster in the making.
Thanks to 1Password you don’t have to worry about any of that anymore — you simply let it create ridiculously difficult passwords and they’re filled in automatically. All you need to do is remember your Master Password, making breaching your or your company’s information a whole lot harder.
Spotify
If anything’s able to fuel productivity, it’s music. And thanks to the rise of streaming services, there’s no reason to buy your music by the album anymore.
Spotify has all the music you want to listen to, neatly organised in playlists for any kind of mood. Need to concentrate? No problem. Looking for energy to get through the day? Consider it done. Listen to an ad-supported version for free or go Premium for $10.
Backblaze
Even though it might never happen, losing your data is easier than it looks. Your laptop might get stolen or a hard disk could fail, and that’s when you realise you’ve never made any backups.
With Backblaze, you don’t have to worry anymore. No matter how much storage you have, it’s all automatically backed up to the cloud. And when disaster strikes, you can either choose to download all your files or have a USB drive delivered with everything on it. You can finally rest assured.
That’s it — you now have everything you need for the perfect productivity set-up. To be totally on top of your game, be sure to check out how to get more work done in less time with this easy to learn technique.
