5 Best Mac Apps For More Productive Writing Sessions
These apps will remove a lot of the obstacles that make you procrastinate because writing is ‘hard’
Writing is a difficult but rewarding process depending on what your goals are. But despite the benefits, it's very challenging to meet your writing goals, from the business of life to time-consuming barriers to research to plain distraction and procrastination. These apps are tailored to provide you with distraction-free writing, seamless editing, and project organization, so you can focus on your creative process.
1. Ulysses
If you’ve explored any writing apps or social media pages, you’ve likely encountered Ulysses, and there’s a reason for the buzz. Ulysses is an all-in-one platform for writers to compose, format, and publish to WordPress or Medium without the hassle of copy-paste reformatting. Additionally, whether on your phone or laptop, the app transforms your screen into a distraction-free writing zone, making formatting a breeze. No more disorganized note-taking or random scribbles lost in your note's app. You can create as many notes as you want for when ideas come to mind or add to existing notes that are easily accessible in categories.
2. TextSoap
TextSoap is a one-of-a-kind editing tool. It mass-edits your document through commands, cleaning up your text, fixing errors and punctuation, and allowing mass changes to the format or even colors of any word or sentence by highlighting a feature. For stress-free, efficient, and faster editing, download TextSoap.
3. iThoughtsX
Are you writing a book or a blog post? Start with a brain dump and brainstorm in iThoughtsX. When you’re done, map your thoughts into an organized and structured hub for your writing project. You can add actions, set deadlines, and track your progress.
4. Clear VPN
As a writer, you may need to access global resources or communicate with a global audience for research. Unfortunately, many of these sites are geo-restricted. With Clear VPN, not only can you access any content you need, saving time and money, but your data, search history, and IP addresses remain anonymous. Moreover, Clear VPN is fast and does not slow down or interrupt your Wi-Fi.
5. Focus
Know your weakness when you’re connected to the internet? Focus will block the sites you tell it to, redirecting you to a message or quote that reminds you to stay on task. You can’t control being distracted, but at least you’ll be grounded whenever you try to indulge in any distractions.
After downloading and setting up the apps above, I’d structure my day by allocating 30 minutes to write. A crucial tip is to avoid using social media or your phone before completing any work. Then, I’ll:
- Clear external distractions in my environment
- Get water and a snack
- Turn on the laptop
- Launch Focus
- Launch VPN
- Launch iThoughtsX and check daily tasks or brainstorm
- Launch Ulysses and write
- Use TextSoap to edit the document
- Give me a pat on the back
Individually, these apps can cost around $10-$20 each, which adds up. The best option is to get an app subscription platform like Setapp, which includes all these apps and 240 more for just $9.99 monthly.
To ensure these apps meet your specific needs, get a 7-day free trial for all of the above apps here.
