Sometimes I get asked about the things I use to build, stay productive, or buy to pretend I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating (master procrastinator here). Here’s a list of all of my favorite stuff.

Paid tools are marked with an asterisk, though most of my apps are free(mium).

Highly Recommended Apps (MacOS)

• Notetaking: Obsidian
• Flashcards: Anki
• Task Manager: Apple Reminders (Used to be: TickTick)
• AI Assistants: ChatGPT and Claude macOS and CLI apps
• Browser: Google Chrome (Used to be: Perplexity Comet, Arc and Zen)
• Password and TOTP 2FA Manager: Bitwarden
• Screenshot, Editing, and OCR Tool: Shottr
• Window Management: Raycast Windows Management (Used to be: Rectangle and Swish)
• MacOS Utilities: Raycast
• Clipboard Manager: Raycast Clipboard Manager (Used to be: Maccy)
• Text Shortcuts: Typinator (Used to be: Expanso)
• Compression/Unzip Tool: Keka
• Terminal: CMUX (Used to be: Warp)
• Auto File Optimizer: Clop
• Menu Bar Manager: Barbee
• AI Voice Dictation: Flow by Wispr
• MacOS Hyper Shortcuts: Karabiner-Elements
• AI Code Editor: Cursor
• Academia Manager: Zotero
• Email Client: Superhuman (testing Notion Mail)
• PDF Viewer: Skim
• Teleprompter: Textream Teleprompter

Other

• AltTab: I love how Windows handles AltTabing, so let’s move that feature to MacOS as well! Works wonders if you have 20 applications open at the same time.
• BatFi: Extend your MacOS battery life. Charging your MacBook battery to 100% is bad for the battery – BatFi will limit the maximum battery percentage to 80%. Good enough for most people.
• Latest: A simple app that keeps all your other apps updated. No more manually updating apps, and no more annoying update notifications.
• AppCleaner: Thoroughly uninstalls an app and all its associated files. No more leftover files from an app you deleted.
• Folder Peek: Put folders in your Mac’s menu bar. It’s a great way to quickly access your most used folders, especially if you nest folders deep.
• Command X: Cut and paste files using Cmd+X like in Windows. Should’ve been a feature in MacOS from the start.