I did want to mention before I get into this that most of my old Workflow post still holds true. I still use Scrivener and Curio so I’m not going to write about them again. But to follow up on my 2009 iPhone Apps list, here are the rest of my desktop all-stars.
WriteRoom: It was recently a MacHeist freebie, and if not for that, I likely never would’ve spent the money to try it. It’s instantly become my favorite app for writing blog posts. Admittedly, I still think $25 is pricey for a one-trick pony, but it’s the simplicity that makes the app better than its competitors. I tried myTexts when it recently went on sale at MacZot and while it has extra saving features (including auto-save and a database of your writing), it curiously leaves out customization of the interface and font formatting (no bolding or italicizing!!!). You have to spend an extra $9 to get the app that turns your workspace white. WriteRoom is basically a TextEdit or Notepad that’s much easier on the eyes and customizable to fit your viewing preferences. It is the O.G. and most reliable app as far as distraction-free writing goes.
Concentrate: There are free apps you can use together to basically get the same effect as this app (notably Freedom, which just blocks your internet for a certain amount of time), and you probably don’t need it if you have any discipline or self-control. I, however, find this app indispensable in thwarting the call of Facebook and other crap when I’m trying to get stuff done. You can set profiles for different activities, and it will quit and block applications or websites, launch applications automatically, set a different wallpaper, change your chat status, run a script, and do all sorts of other things that help you get to your activity more quickly. So very helpful in shutting out all the noise.
MacJournal: I already wrote my praises about this app, and just wanted to mention that I’m still using it and don’t anticipate leaving it anytime soon. I still use the WordPress dashboard as my normal blogging platform, but MacJournal is great for archiving and regular journaling purposes. It’s probably one of the most used apps on my system.
And just to throw in other services that keep my head together and make my life work:
Dropbox: On your system, it looks like just another folder, but you can log into Dropbox anywhere and get access to those files when you need them.
Evernote: Similar to Dropbox, you can access your notes anywhere. I keep the “send to Evernote notebook” email address in my contact list on my iPhone so I can send Dragon Dictation and FastFinga notes directly to my account. One pretty dope feature is that you can take pictures of stuff, like a handwritten note or hard-copy document, send it to Evernote, and as long as the picture (and your handwriting) is clear, it can search the text of that picture. And later, you can pull all this stuff into Curio.
iGoogle: I should just admit right now that my entire digital life is basically kept together by Apple and Google. I have MobileMe, which I’m still trying to figure out how to fit in my life (outside of contact syncing and the Find my iPhone feature), but since I spend a good chunk of my time at the office on a Windows computer that only runs IE6 which sucks and therefore can’t properly render half of the internet, I have to use Google Calendars to set appointments and keep them together while I’m at work. After all, business hours are the only time I can actually call doctors, hairdressers, daycares, etc. to actually make appointments. Also, I failed to mention this in my iPhone apps post, but Pocket Informant has entirely replaced the Calendar app for me. Getting Google calendars to sync with my phone, iCal, and anything else was kind of a pain in the ass, but once I got it to work, it worked really well.
Hope it helps you stay on top of your game, yall.
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