Are you trying, and struggling, to be more productive? Technique is important, but let’s not forget technology has led to dozens of apps built specifically to help people be more productive by saving time and staying organized. Here are some of the best productivity apps for Mac users.
That's why we've rounded up a list of some of the best productivity apps to help you become organized (see our organizing tips!). Which also won an Apple Design Award back in 2017. The best office apps for Android SPONSORED BY Advertiser Name Here Sponsored item title goes here as designed 10 super-user tricks to boost Windows 10 productivity. https://ijodcim.weebly.com/blog/how-to-access-apps-on-mac.
1. Things
Things for the Mac is a task management app and virtual to do list. It can be overwhelming when we look at a page-long list of things we need to get done, which is why this app is absolutely essential for productivity. It helps you separate your to do list into things you need to do today, tomorrow, someday, and so on. Each of these sections appears as a tab, so if you are clicked into the ‘Today” tab, you are only able to see the things you absolutely need to get done today, and nothing else.
2. Hazel
The Hazel app for Mac is an automatic file organizer. Tell it how to sort things and it will follow patterns to learn how to do it on its own. Hazel will organize files by name, type, size – whatever your parameters. You can also tell the app to rename files or move them to different places without you having to do all the manual labor.
3. Postbox
Postbox is an email organization app that is meant to replace the Mail app that comes along with every Mac. Unlike standard Mail and apps similar to it, Postbox works with virtually any email provider and helps you stay organized instead of filling your inbox with dozens of unread email messages. It lets you tag and categorize specific messages depending on how you want to keep track of your messages and is the perfect app to pair with Dropbox, as it makes sharing Dropbox folder and file links fast and simple.
4. 1Password
If you hate trying to remember 20 different passwords, or are never sure where it is safe to store them, you need the iPassword app for Mac. Not only will it store all your passwords, but it can help you generate more secure passwords that you won’t have to try and memorize. This is also a great app for teams who all need to access the same password protected information, saving a lot of time and unnecessary exchanges.
5. FilePane
FilePane is a file management app that offers a window for users to drag and drop files into in seconds. Once dropped into the window, a file can be easily converted, such as converting a Word document to a PDF file without having to open the Word document and save it as a different file type. Users can also copy and/or move files to other destinations on their Macs right from the FilePane window. The app also makes it easier to keep track of and share files with others, especially when time is limited or you want to save time.
6. Dropbox
Dropbox is an app available for Mac that allows quick and easy file sharing between two or more people with a valid email address. When you download Dropbox onto your Mac computer, it exists as a folder in your drive. If you want to create files through Dropbox and drop files into a folder that you have previously shared with others, all you need to do is save it to that folder, right from your document, presentation or spreadsheet. Run two instances of same app on mac. Emailing attachments to someone is a thing of the past.
7. Skitch
Skitch is a free screen capture app for Mac. It makes demonstrations and screen sharing easier. Say you are working on a flyer for an upcoming event and need feedback from multiple people. You can take a screen shot of that flyer and send it to everyone on your team. They can then highlight, write and draw on that screen capture image to give quick and specific feedback using the app. This eliminates a lot of back and forth communication via email and saves a lot of time.
8. Simplenote
The Simplenote app for Mac is one of the best note taking apps out there. Mac how to add apps to dock. If you are someone who needs to write down ideas as soon as they come to you, this is the app you need to try. Writing and storing notes is simple, and if you have a note that includes a list or information you would like others to see, you can publish it publicly and share it with designated people. Notes within the app are searchable so you won’t ever have to dig through a confusing list of documents on your computer to find the few sentences you are looking for.
9. Fantastical 2
Fantastical 2 is a calendar app for Mac that makes checking and double checking dates and deadlines a breeze. The app remains open and is visible on your menu bar, so you can see it without having to stop what you are doing to click over to another window and back again. It is also a handy app for keeping track of dates if you have multiple calendars, such as the calendar you keep on your phone for personal use and the calendar from your work email. Keeping everything in one place makes it easier to plan and complete projects on time and schedule things in advance without taking time away from your current workload.
10. OmniFocus
OmniFocus is a task management app for your Mac, iPhone or iPad (you can sync if you want to use the app for all three). Using this app, you separate all your tasks into folders, and even further within those folders to designate different kinds of tasks, such as projects or messages. You can create folders for personal tasks, work related tasks and things you don’t need to pay attention to now but don’t want to forget about for later.
Productivity can be learned, and the process is only made easier with apps. Download one or all of these apps to maximize your productivity in whichever way best fits your current needs.
Welcome to 2017, I hope you had a pleasant ending to a horrible, awful, very bad year. 2016 was an interesting year for me1. That said, my love of apps hasn’t diminished. https://ijodcim.weebly.com/the-best-pdf-app-for-mac.html.
This is part one of some standout apps and products from this last year. Some new, some updated significantly, some just so useful I can’t help mentioning them. I’ve done this every year since 2011, and they’re typically some of my most popular posts (among ones that don’t get linked from bigger sites), so I hope you enjoy them. The posts in this year’s series will include:
- Productivity and communication apps (macOS)
- Design, Photo, and Audio/Video (macOS)
- Utilities and Developer tools (macOS)
- Top iOS apps
- My favorite 2016 projects
- Probably a catch-all post for the less easily categorized picks
Without further ado, part 1: Productivity and Communication.
Mac Pro 2017
Productivity
Best Productivity Apps 2017 Macbook
I’m going to start with what we’ll call “the ‘obvious’ list.” They’re apps I love and absolutely deserve mention, but that I’ve talked about enough across my various channels that I probably don’t need to elaborate on too much. Any section in this series that contains such apps will have an “obvious list.”
The “Obvious” List
Apps I use daily and don’t function without:
The standouts:
- Reeder 3
- I’d been using ReadKit as my newsreader for quite a while, but ran into some bugs around the same time Reeder 3 was released. The bugs are fixed now, but I’d already switched to Reeder and and it’s been great.
- By the way, I settled on Feedbin as my primary RSS sync, though FeedWrangler and Minimal Reader both have their strengths.
- Spillo
- I mentioned Spillo in my top picks last year as well. Despite the proliferation of “read later” services and Instapaper premium features recently becoming free, Pinboard remains both my primary bookmarking platform and my “read later” workflow. Spillo is still the best native client for Pinboard on the Mac.
- Billings Pro
- I’ve used Billings and now Billings Pro for all of my freelance and sponsorship invoicing for years. Last year’s addition of Apple Watch features has been very cool, but mostly I love it as a time tracking and invoice management system.
- Paprika Recipe Manager
- I never get tired of talking about Paprika, especially because this last year has led to some very serious culinary endeavors for me. Excellent parsing of online recipes, tagging and rating, and shared shopping lists and meal calendars make it indispensable year after year.
- Brainwave Studio
- This one is new to me. I’ve experimenting with binaural beats for a while. After having my ADHD meds taken away last year, I began a desperate search for ways to compensate. I found isochronic tones, which pulse at specific frequencies like binaural beats, but don’t require stereo headphones. Brainwave Studio is a $9 app that lets you build your own sessions with isochronic tones, ambient sounds, and music tracks.
Communication
- Tweetbot
- Twitter’s native app on the Mac has been love/hate. Ever since they started shunning 3rd party developers, the latest features of Twitter often require using it despite its shortcomings. Tweetbot has kept up nicely, though, and is my default client.
- MailMate
- There has been a somewhat dizzying number of elegant and reliable email clients released/refreshed this year. Nylas N1 is fascinating, Postbox has added some amazing productivity features, and apps like AirMail have made email beautiful. Despite all of this, nothing has come close to replacing MailMate for me.
Stay tuned for the next “Best of 2016” post shortly!
Best Productivity Apps 2017 Mac Pro
- In Minnesota, “interesting” translates as “unusual and probably bad,” so… it’s definitely been interesting, but getting better day by day. I’ll write more about this when it’s appropriate.↩