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Apps That I Use These Days

3/23/2019

 
Apps
Nowadays I use over 30 apps. Here is the list with links.

It has been a while since I have recapped all the apps that I use. I think there are 34 listed below. The number used to be higher. I wondered about that, and upon reflection I realized that Apple apps have added features and eliminated some. Other apps have grown in capabilities as well, making other apps less necessary.

To see what I used to use, check out the links at the bottom of the list.

The tag after each App Name/Link indicates which devices use the app. It may be available for other devices.

​
​BROWSERS
Browsers have not usually been a concern. However two of my key apps, Weebly and Knack, can be fussy about which browser you use. The other issue is privacy. 
​
Brave  - Mac
I have been using Brave for a few weeks. It uses the Chromium open source project, just like Chrome does, so it is very similar - except it does not track everything you do, it blocks other trackers, and it blocks ads. If you log into a website, you can authorize Brave to store the login credentials for that site making it easy to open the site next time. If this was Google, I don't think I would do that, but Brave is a different animal.

Safari  - Mac, iPad, iPhone​
Safari is my favorite browser because of the way it integrates with all other Apple apps and services. Unfortunately it occasionally falls behind Chrome for one or the other of the key browser-based apps that I use, Weebly and Knack. Everything else - I use Safari.
​
Chrome  - Mac
​The downside to Chrome is one issue and its consequence. Privacy. The consequence of all that collecting and sharing data is that Chrome is an energy hog. That matters on a laptop. That said, Chrome is always out in front with features and stability.

​ 
​WEBSITE & SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
These are the key apps that I use to build and maintain websites and software.
​
Weebly - Mac
Weebly is my website builder. I have never found an easier to use app. The free version may not have enough features to be a great solution, but the paid versions cost a lot less than a web designer and take a lot less time to use than a Wordpress site.
​
Knack - Mac
Knack is the app that I use to build my bookkeeping software, 
MyCorbu. You might have a need for your own app. After a 14 day trial, the lowest priced plan is $39/mo.

​
​TASK MANAGEMENT / PLANNING
These are the apps that I use to plan projects, work things out, and manage the tasks that I need to do. ​I’m glad I went back to Things. Rock solid! Managing work has shifted to Things being the scheduler of my focus. Trello is the organizer of my projects. Cardflow is the designer of my processes. Bear is my writing app where I clarify my thinking. 
​
Things​ - Mac, iPad, iPhone
I think Things has got the TO-DO list just right with the latest version. Compared to other apps it is expensive, but the value is greater than the cost. If you spend too much time messing with your TO-DO list app, take a look at how it should work.


Trello - Mac, iPad, iPhone
​When Atlassian bought Trello in 2017, I was concerned about the future of Trello. I shouldn't have worried. Trello is even better than it was before. Trello is part of everything I do. I have over 50 blog posts that mention Trello. 
​

Bear - Mac, iPad, iPhone
Bear is a writing app that is both simple to use and has capabilities that take it to a whole new level. I have posted about Bear here.

​
Cardflow - iPad
When I have a process or a design that I need to figure out visually, Cardflow is my go-to app. Check out some of the
ways that I use it here.

​
WORK - GENERAL
Apps that provide backup to everything else I do.
​​
Duck Duck Go​ - Mac, iPad, iPhone
This is a search engine that does not collect information about you. Google knows more about you than your mother does. As long as Google uses that info to make their software work better for you (their stated purpose), OK. But they also share that info with others to show you ads. And what else do those others do with your information? I don't know, so I use Duck Duck Go. 


Numbers - Mac, iPad, iPhone
Numbers is just a spreadsheet; but, when you want a pretty spreadsheet, Numbers is the easiest way to get there.
​

Pages - Mac
​When my writing needs to look good, I copy/paste into Pages and use the formatting tools to get the look that I'm after. 


Sheets - Mac, iPad
This is the spreadsheet app in Googles G Suite or Gmail. My main use is to store Tweets here because I can export them in the format I need. I also use it to store email addresses for certain projects because mail merge is possible with an Add On. 
​

MyCorbu - Mac, iPad
I use 
MyCorbu for my own bookkeeping.

​
GRAPHICS
Graphics used to take a lot of time. Part of that time was inexperience; the other part of the time was using about five apps. 
​ ​
Canva​ - Mac, iPad, iPhone
I have never used Photoshop, but I have tried. Canva requires about 5% of the learning curve required by Photoshop. It isn't a fair comparison. You can't create artwork with Canva, but you can turn out very nice graphics with very little resistance if you already have an idea. If not, you can search millions of images to get you started. More about Canva is posted here.

​Preview - Mac
Preview is the image / PDF viewer built into the Mac OS. I was using about three different apps to convert file types, crop images, resize images, and markup screenshots. Nowadays Preview takes care of all of that. 

​
STORAGE
Where everything ends up so you can find it again.
​​
Notes​ - Mac, iPad, iPhone
Notes has replaced Evernote in my workflow. I can store websites, screenshots, links, text, writing, photos, PDFs, and I can scan documents with my phone to save them. Search or folders help find things. It is iCloud based so every device has access. You can even password protect your Note.
​
Dropbox - Mac, iPad, iPhone
​I use Dropbox for file storage using an 8GB free account (I got 5.5GB of extra space for referrals). My architectural firm used one paid account and everyone else had a free account so we could share work-in-progress and archive everything else. It is hard to imagine an easier storage system.

​
Files / iCloud  - Mac, iPad, iPhone
I use a 200GB 
​iCloud Drive that I share with family to store photos, archived files, and backups. $36/yr solves my mass storage needs.

​
COMMUNICATIONS
These are the apps I use to distribute my work.

​Mail​ - Mac, iPad, iPhone
This is the Apple Mail app. All my G Suite and Gmail accounts are commingled here with my Apple Mail. I wouldn't mind more features, but I am not a big email user. 
​
Mailchimp - Mac, iPad, iPhone
Mailchimp stores email addresses for you, helps you design HTML email templates, and helps you set up a 'campaign', a mass mail-merge. I explain more about Mailchimp here.
​

Messages - Mac, iPad, iPhone
Messages is Apples app for texting.
​

LinkedIn - Mac, iPad, iPhone 
​Eventually all my blog posts get posted on LinkedIn. So far that is all I can think to do with LinkedIn. The fact that Microsoft bought LinkedIn is concerning.
​
Twitter - Mac, iPad, iPhone
I am not sure Twitter is here for the long haul. Nevertheless everything I write gets tweeted through an automatic Weebly process. I also write tweets from time to time and post three per day using Buffer (next).
​
Buffer - Mac, iPad, iPhone
​Buffer lets you store tweets that will be posted on the schedule that you set up. I use a paid account that holds 100 tweets. My Twitter presence (@Architekwiki), which is very modest, requires just 20 minutes a month using Buffer.
​
G Suite - Mac, iPad, iPhone
I have three G Suite accounts. Occasionally I use a mail merge Add On with sheets to do a large mailing. Otherwise these are the accounts associated with my old firm, with 
Architekwiki, and with MyCorbu.

​
MISCELLANEOUS
These play an incidental role, but they get used almost every day.

​Dark Sky - iPad, iPhone
Simple accurate weather without ads and without the drama.
​
Home - iPad, iPhone
​This is the Apple app that controls lights and other devices. Easy to use. Dependable. Check on your house on your phone from anywhere.
​
Fantastical - iPad, iPhone
This is the calendar app that adds a few features to Apple's Calendar. More robust repeat options, move events, duplicate events. 


1Password - Mac, iPad, iPhone 
My password management app. I wrote about it here.
​
Serenity  - iPhone
I try to meditate daily. This is the app I use. It is basically just a timer, but it creates a record through its connection to Apple's Health app.​

Shortcuts  - iPhone
I am new to Shortcuts, but I have set up a few simple tasks that I do frequently. I really like this type of automation.
​

CleanMyMacX  - Mac
​This is an app that scans my Mac Book monthly and finds useless junk to delete. It always finds between 2GB and 6GB to delete. That is about 40+GB per year that isn't cluttering up my hard drive.
Past similar posts:
  • My Favorite 59 Mobile Apps
  • MOBILE APPS THAT I USE
  • ​Useful Mobile Apps - Updated
  • Some Handy Tools In The Form Of Software Apps
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