This is going to be an extended series of articles to showcase the tools, workflows, and utilities that I use every day to be productive and get things done. I started drafting this last year, but never actually got around to publishing it.
We all have that list of favorite apps or utilities and I’m always curious about other people’s, so I’m sharing mine. Hopefully you can come away with at least one new thing to try out! (I’d love your suggestions as well)
In theory, I’m going to be just going over some of the things I’ve started using for each quarter, but this first one is obviously going to be much longer than usual, since this is my first post. I’d also like to categorize some of this by type, but I’m not sure if I’ll get there yet.
I’m aiming to use this series as an ongoing snapshot of the tools I’ve been using. This first post isn’t comprehensive by any means, so I’ll likely be adding another post soon with more of my current toolset.
Notion
I started using Notion way before it was cool for everyone to use (2018 is my earliest email from Notion), but didn’t make it a daily habit. Then the whole productivity wave/movement hit and it reinvigorated Notion as my daily go-to. I bought into the Second Brain idea, starting with a template from Mr. Notion, which I think is an old version of this one that he’s still selling. It took me a while, but it stuck with me for a bit. I still think it’s a fantastic system, just not one that I still use to this day. If you’re looking to get started with productivity systems though, it’s a fantastic starting place. However, it just doesn’t work for me as well as it used to, especially with a lot of my notes being split between work and personal now. I plan on writing something more in depth about my current productivity systems, but the short answer is: Obsidian.
Obsidian
Put shortly, Obsidian just reads Markdown files off your filesystem and displays them. I use Obsidian for everything now (except writing code). Task to do? Added to Obsidian. Thing to remember? Goes in Obsidian. Write an article? Done in Obsidian. It’s my go-to app for everything that’s not coding related. I’ll dive deeper into this topic and write about it more in depth, but that’s a lengthier topic for a different day. Suffice it to say, it’s much better just to use Markdown files for data portability so you’re not being vendor locked. Don’t get me wrong, I still really like Notion a lot, but with the introduction of Bases, a lot of what I liked about Notion is being eroded away.
Raycast
Last year I switched away from Alfred to Raycast just because licensing has become expensive and I wanted to try something new. I only use it as a launcher, clipboard history manager, and date snippet (expanding ;d to YYYY-MM-DD). I actually still use Alfred on my personal Mac just because I haven’t had the chance to reconfigure everything.
Mac Utilities
If you know me, you know I’m a die hard Mac user. A lot of this is due to these little productivity apps that I just can’t find on Linux or *shudder* Windows. Most of these are all open source with one notable exception.
ToothFairy
The one exception, but only because it’s so useful and without it, I’d be at least three clicks deep to connect my headphones. Worth the $6.99 I paid for it, but it’s the only utility on my list that’s not open source.
Ice
Menu bar manager for macOS. If you’re anything like me, you have too many menu bar items and most of them you don’t want to see (I’m looking at you, corporate spyware antivirus). Bartender is a great paid alternative if you need more features and want to support another great indie Mac developer.
Rectangle
I only use it for Windows-like window snapping. It does a lot more, but I’m simple: I just want the basic snapping. My main monitor is a 38” ultrawide, so it’s a must-have for window management.
Stats
System stats, in your menu bar. I’ve always had a version of this running on my computers whether it was this app specifically or something else.
DeskPad
This one is a little specialized but it’s incredibly useful. If you share your screen on calls, you need to try it out. It creates a virtualized monitor (with your choice of resolution) that shows up inside a window. It can get a little clunky and confusing sometimes, but it sure beats having to use another physical monitor.
Hammerspoon
Scripting and automation for macOS on steroids, Hammerspoon is incredibly powerful, but I only use it for one thing: turning on/off dark mode depending on the presence of my main monitor (it can’t handle dark mode very well). It can do a LOT though, so if you’ve ever wanted to run scripts and automation easily on your Mac, try it out. Lua was a bit difficult for me to grasp, but LLM-assisted coding helped clear 95% of all the hurdles I had.
Oversight
This probably deserves its own writeup, but at its core, it gives you notifications when your camera and/or microphone turn on. I use it to trigger automations that turn a status light on/off outside my office, but it’s great for its base purpose as well!
Lulu
Made by the same creator as Oversight, this gives you notifications about applications connecting to the internet. I don’t use it as much as I used to, but if ever you wanted to see what’s making outside connections, it’s worth giving it a shot.
I’m always looking for more niche utilities and workflows. If you have any recommendations, especially open source ones, let me know!