When you are looking to make the most out of your MacBook, you need certain apps that can help make your experience better, whether it is more productive or just making everyday things easier.
Here are the 12 kinds of apps that you should have on your Mac for sane work life and improving your work productivity in the age of virtual meetings and “work from home”.
Time Tracking Apps
If you are concerned about how long you spend on your device or you want to track the amount of time you spend on work to generate an invoice, you need a time tracking app. There are several that you can use – some native, whereas others are browser-based apps. These apps can track the time you spend browsing the internet for work and allows you to share this information when creating an invoice for billable hours.
Antivirus Apps
If you are serious about protecting your data, then you should think about having an antivirus program installed on your laptop. This can make your browsing safer and prevents you from accidentally downloading suspicious apps and files. This can also prevent malware attacks that may wipe out your data.
Productivity Apps
Apps that can help you focus and keep you on track are great for improving your productivity. You can make use of Mac’s suite of in-built apps as well to get more done. Apps like Notes, Reminders, and the Calendar help you create a simple system that keeps you accountable.
Meditation Apps
In an effort to calm your mind and have more headspace, you should look at installing some meditation apps that you can use every so often during the workday or before and after you end your work.
Password Managers
Do not make the mistake of using the same password over and over again or use a weak password. This can be problematic if the websites you use have a data breach or your information is sold on the dark web. Use password managers to create strong passwords and store them. These apps can also help you log in to all your accounts automatically, so it saves you time and effort.
VPN Services
A virtual private network is essential if you care about your privacy online. Your internet service provider can see all your activity, and websites can track your activity across the web. Using a VPN encrypts your data and gives you a random IP address that cannot be traced back to you. VPN apps also help you unlock content that is generally not available in your geographic location.
Virtual Conferencing Apps
Since remote work is on the rise, virtual conferencing apps are the need of the hour. Some apps are better for 1:1 meetings, whereas some have specific use-cases like webinars or live podcasts and team meetings.
Editing Apps
Whether you need to edit images and videos for work or for personal use, you can find a bunch of editing apps that can make your visual content richer. You can add text, crop, flip the image and clip segments from a video, and so much more using the in-built apps on Apple computers like Preview and iMovie.
Mail Apps
While the in-built Mail app is decent, you may have a preference for a different app or interface; you can download these apps or clients so that you have a native app to check your emails.
Storage Apps
By default, you should back up all your data to an external drive, the in-built feature on Apple computers, Time Machine. But if most of your work is stored online, you may want to look at having a cloud storage service instead. You can download native apps for these cloud storage services to make organization and searching for the files you want easier.
Gaming Apps
If you are going to use a Mac for gaming, you may install specific apps or you can use a gaming client that allows you to play several games online. Since most games are not designed for Mac, it may be wise to use a gaming client instead of gaming apps which will require you to run those at less than desirable graphics.
App Uninstallers
This is the kind of app that you should get if you have had your MacBook for a while. The main reason you need app uninstallers is to automate the process of uninstalling the app. Also, if you do it manually, there may be some installation files that do not get deleted and continue cluttering your system.
At The End Of The Day
These are the kind of apps that you should have on your Mac. But apart from these categories, based on your line of work or your needs, you may find some other specific apps interesting.