Most of my clients use the stock functionality built into macOS and applications written by major publishers, such as Adobe. That’s all well and good, but independent developers have written fantastic apps to help with your day-to-day productivity. Here are some apps that I use daily. Many of these apps show up in software bundles, such as BundleHunt. That’s how I discovered them.
Timemator and Klokki are used to keep track of your time when you’re working with multiple clients and projects. These apps can be used as a simple stopwatch, or used in auto-tracking mode. In auto mode, you set up rules for when the timer should engage. For example, the timer can automatically start and stop while you’re working with a certain file or application. The interface is intuitive and beautifully designed in both apps.
Timemator and Klokki are forks of Timepal, which is no longer being developed. (The Timepal team split up.) It will be interesting to see how each application evolves.
Default Folder X supercharges your open/save dialog boxes. It has a ton of features, but its eponymous feature, default folders, is the highlight for me. Each application on your Mac can be configured with a default folder that opens each time you open or save a file. This is a huge time saver.
iStat Menus provides a wealth of information about your Mac, right in the menu bar. It’s extremely customizable, so you can display only the information that’s useful to you. I use it for monitoring CPU usage, memory usage, and network activity.
The top paid app on the Mac App Store is Magnet. It’s used to quickly organize your windows, like placing two windows side-by-side. I recently switched to Mosaic, which is like Magnet on steroids. It has a drag and drop interface, which I like better than Magnet.