My Top 5 Mac Applications
Efficiency
I feel like that describes my pursuit when I open a computer. Every task I complete should take as little of my time as I can. I already wrote a post talking about my Mac setup guide hosted on GitHub. Here I’ll walk you through some highlights of that guide. Specifically, we will be looking at general usage.
Alfred
Should it come as a surprise that my top application is a tool that can literally manage everything you do on your Mac. Alfred is a spotlight replacement on steroids. You can search google, start emails, search your files, and create custom workflows to fit your needs.
Not only that, but this app has a vibrant community of people sharing knowledge and tweaks to get you started. You can also change everything about the user interface to fit your personal style and aesthetic. Overall definitely would recommend!
Ulysses
I only recently discovered this application and man do I love it. Ulysses is a markdown writing application that is not only gorgeous but feature rich. If you haven’t tried markdown yet, you’re missing out. The idea is that you have a series of notations that indicate the format of the text. For instance, to add a title you use a # as shown below.
# Title
It simplifies the writing experience and helps eliminate distractions. In addition, it even has a focus mode. It has many export options such as PDF or even to websites such as WordPress. I am using it right now to write this article!
It will cost you a monthly subscription of $5 a month, but I feel that the price is justified for the amazing experience. In addition, they also have a student discount that significantly cuts that already small price down even further.
Microsoft Outlook
Call me old-fashioned for sticking to Microsoft Outlook, but this email client is fantastic. It has full support for Google accounts and has tons of integrations with other applications. With this, I can create Zoom meetings and link emails to Trello, a Kanban utility I use to organize my schedule.
The default mail app that comes with macOS is already pretty good. I used it for a while but once I switched to Outlook, I couldn’t turn back. It won’t be for everyone but as I use the Microsoft suite of apps very frequently, I feel right at home.
Trello
Trello is a Kanban management system I use for keeping track of all my school assignments. Kanban is defined as…
A Japanese manufacturing system in which the supply of components is regulated through the use of an instruction card sent along the production line.
In this case, I use Trello’s implementation of Kanban which is pretty awesome! It goes above and beyond just cards that you move around. There are tons of automation and integrations. It also automatically adds all due dates to my Outlook calendar which helps me not forget to submit assignments.
Bitwarden
There are a bunch of password managers out there and all of them have their merits. I chose Bitwarden as it has an excellent free version and has had less security issues compared to other managers. It also just added Touch ID support to its browser extension.
Bitwarden is a daily driver for me. I use to on all my devices to fill in my password. It has 2FA and full encryption that even the company can’t decrypt without my password. On the one hand, it’s a bit nerve-racking that if I forget my password I’d lose access to my account. However, I’d rather be secure and have to write down a password than have backdoors put in.
Speaking of backdoors, Bitwarden is open source which means the code can be read by anyone. If there were any backdoor, they would have been spotted the instant it came out years ago. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone. Especially if you don’t want to be locked into Safari autofill and would rather use Google Chrome or Firefox.
Conclusion
Every app I recommend here I use every single day to increase my productivity. It’s my hope that perhaps they’ll also help you! If you have more recommendations be sure to comment below!
~ Harrison