Tools: the Mac Desktop
I spend the majority of my day on the computer in one form or another, either at work doing drafting and research, doing marketing, ordering and keeping up with my jewelry business, or just playing around for fun. Most people who spend any time with me know that I am never without my iPad and iPhone, so anything that streamlines my computer life is an absolute must.
I have made suggestions for programs to a few acquaintances on Twitter, and it occurred to me that it might be helpful to others to know a little about my favorite apps, those I really couldn’t do without. Today I’d like to focus on tools for the Mac - a few desktop apps that simplify and streamline both my workflow and basic communications for my iMacs at work and home.
Over the past months, I had heard quite a few mentions of TextExpander from Smile Software, both on blogs and in podcasts. I couldn’t imagine why people were giving something so simple such high praise, but as soon as I tried it, I was hooked! TextExpander (also available for iOS) allows you to create your own shortcuts for any text. You don’t realize quite how annoying it is to type in your full email address, business name, phone number and signature until you have a way to eliminate it. Not to mention quick setups for Markdown links and other oft-used text. It’s worth its weight in gold.
I used to be a big Quicksilver fan, but heard a lot of talk about Alfred when it came out, and decided to give it a spin. Alfred’s basic purpose is as an application launcher, but it has so much more to offer. I also use it for: calculations, drilling down through files to open or perform actions on them, pulling up contact information, beginning a Google search, emptying the trash, shutting down my computer and much more. You can run the iTunes mini-player on it as well, although I haven’t really tried that out. And its main developer, Andrew Pepperell and the team from Running with Crayons, has a big update coming just around the corner. If Alfred sounds appealing to you, be sure to pick up the Powerpack to get all the file system functionality.
I can’t imagine how I’d function without having full access to my files. Because I work at home one day each week, my time is split between two main desktop computers. I also spend quite a bit of time out and about with my iPad, so being able to open, read or work on a file from anywhere is a big plus. I actually work on all of my files straight out of Dropbox, and use Hazel to keep an updated copy of my Dropbox folder on my home computer for backup.
If you haven’t used Dropbox on the Mac yet, the great thing about it is that it behaves just like any other folder on your Mac, but it is being accessed from the Dropbox cloud. No special uploading or remembering to sync it up. Dropbox has completely taken the place of my Documents folder, and I can share any of the folders and files with anyone else, either through a link to a file in the Public folder, or by sending a share request with a friend or colleague’s email address. Our office shares files with consultants this way all the time. I’d be lost without it.
I am an avid note-taker, on paper as well as on the computer and iOS devices. Since I would forget my head if it weren’t attached to my neck, I need a note system that allows me to upload and access my notes from anywhere. nvALT, a fork created by Brett Terpstra based off the great Notational Velocity, is my note client of choice for the Mac. Synced with the use of the afore-mentioned Dropbox, I can access my list of notes anywhere. These text files include draft blog posts, team rosters, apps to check out, money my girls have borrowed, basically anything I want to remember or have access to that I know I’ll forget within two minutes if it’s not written down.
Hopefully you’ll find some of these programs useful if you don’t use them already. Because they’re a part of my daily workflow, I can’t imagine being without any of them. And they all seem to just be getting better and better, making the shift from desktop to iOS and back to desktop even easier.
