The end of the year is here and with that comes end of year mac app roundup posts of the best apps for productivity, games, and other popular app genres.
Here, at That Mac Nerd, itâs no different. I have moved from app to app this past year, looking for the perfect tool. Thatâs a foolâs errand: there is no perfect tool, just a perfect system [note]I will write a post about systems soon[/note] and that system is unique to your own needs.
Two Parts
While writing this post, I noticed how long it had gotten and that I had 16 apps I wanted to talk about. So instead of pumping out a very long article, I decided to break it up, two posts with 8 apps each. Same for the End of the Year iOS Productivity App Roundup.
My Best Productivity Apps This Year
So what apps I am using are the best this year? Hereâs my list.
OmniFocus - This is a workhorse for those busy folks that need to manage their tasks. This is a GTD powerhouse though you can use it for a simple list. OmniFocus is the best of the best and the app most entrepreneurs use if their on a Mac. Pricey, so make sure youâre going to commit.
Spark - I know I wrote about Spark before:
https://thatmacnerd.com/that-mac-nerd-10-best-productivity-apps-ios/
and then I switched to Airmail:
https://thatmacnerd.com/10-best-productivity-apps-mac/
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on Mac and iOS. Sparkâs Mac app was in beta and I didnât really want to test itâ I was pretty happy with the power of Airmail. Spark is powerful as well but not quite as powerful as Airmailâ the OmniFocus share extension is much, much better with Airmail. I switched over to Spark after I looked at their Mac app. Itâs beautiful and fast. On iOS I keep Airmail around just for that share extension but on Mac it doesnât make a difference. Spark is almost as good as Mail.app and itâs free.
Alfred - This is a must-have app. I donât know what Iâd do without it, and I am not even using its full power. Itâs an app launcher, a web and website searcher, and with web APIs, AppleScript, and things like Python and JXA, you can script workflows for the apps on your machine or access web services. And with the revised workflow maker screen, you can think up and create all kinds of relevant workflows for you. You will need to pay for the PowerPack, which is around $30. Upgrades are cheapâ I got my upgrade to version 3 for $10.
Keyboard Maestro - Keyboard Maestro is an app that once you play around with it, get a few macros made[note]or downloaded[/note] you wonât know what you did without it. I have made, and downloaded, 184 macros that do things behind the scenes that I no longer have to think about. It has a learning curve, so make sure you are doing repeated tasks often enough to justify the time and monetary costs of this app. But, if youâre willing to take a little time to learn it[note]It helps to know AppleScript, Ruby, Python of JXA but you really donât need to[/note].
Hazel - If you are constantly moving files across your Mac and maybe a few external drives, or even into closed file formats like Evernote[note]Katie Floyd has a great little Hazel rule that I will share[/note], Hazel should be your first choice for this. In fact, I am pretty certain Hazel is the only choice for this currently. Hazel saves me so much time, and it doesnât have to be a slog to setup. Just a few rules can get you going. I wrote about my Hazel setup on Mac Automation Tips blog:
http://www.macautomationtips.com/guest-post-how-i-use-hazel
Check it out for how to get started with Hazel. Check out Katie Floydâs Evernote Hazel rule as well.
Evernote - I absolutely love Evernote, despite the teamâs flaws, despite its warts, despite the uproar over their pricing model. Since Phil Libin left, the Evernote team has since regained focus, shuttling their ill-advised store and some other products that werenât at the core of who they are. I tried the plain text system of storing information, as well as a DEVONthink Pro Office system of storing info, but at the end of the day, nothing is as malleable to GTD and productivity as Evernote. I keep and use DEVONthink Pro Office as an archival database for books, videos, and pdfs that I may need to refer to later. But for my everyday, I still use Evernote. I am currently writing a book on Evernote so stay tuned.
Scrivener - With the recent release of their iOS app, Scrivener is back on my radar as a worthy tool to write non-fiction in, as well as the sundry school research papers Iâll need to write. It is, in all its cluttered glory, a behemothâ it does so much, so many bells and whistlesâ but it does it in ways other software canât match. When Scrivener launched for iOS I immediately bought it and have since started two book projects. It syncs with Dropbox only: for some reason the developer said iCloud Sync didnât work correctly, however Ulysses, which also uses package files, works flawlessly with iCloud Sync. In any case, this is a must have if youâre doing any type of long-form writing.
Ulysses - Ulysses is the markdown app for serious writers. I write practically everything in Ulysses that isnât going to be extremely long form or things like journal entries or goals. You can put that stuff in Ulysses, but thatâs really not taking advantage of its power. I am currently writing this blog post in Ulysses on my iPad Pro with Logitech Smart Keyboard but the Mac app is always in my dock, always accessible. I write all my blog posts, newsletters, and scripts in Ulysses. Itâs an App Store app and quite pricey, like Scrivener but one of the best apps on the store.
Stay Tuned for Part 2
Part two has some web apps that have integrations locally on your Mac and a few utilities. The next post should be out by the end of the week.
In the meantime relax, stay motivated, and keep productive.