My laptop died.
It was a faithful workhorse for 7 years. And now I’m elbow deep in setting up a new laptop. Which is hard when you’ve been using the same laptop for that long you get everything just the way you like it. Sure, it was a mess, and had lots of digital bloat and an ungodly amount of unused applications, but it was my mess.
So I thought in this edition of THE GOOD STUFF I would list the essential first things, for me, that I put on to my new laptop that help me keep productive and working faster.
DROPBOX
This is were work is done for my job. Lost of personal stuff there too. But most importantly I have a lot of applications that sync their settings and info using dropbox so it’s essential to get that installed first and downloaded.
Put your creative energy to work
https://www.dropbox.com/
1PASSWORD
I’d be lost with out this APP. Not only does it keep track of my passwords but also a lot of secure data I need from time to time. So now that I have my passwords at my fingertips I can start installing and liscencing all the other Apps I need.
Password Manager for Families, Businesses, Teams | 1Password
https://1password.com/
EVERNOTE
This is where I live. Evernote is where I organized all my projects, todo lists, notes, inspiration, and information.
Evernote | Feel organized without the effort
http://evernote.com
TEXTEXPANDER
Life sucks with out this app. I have so many text snippets I use everyday that when I don’t have TextExpander working I grind to a halt.
TextExpander | Communicate Smarter
https://textexpander.com/
ALFRED 3
I’ve been using Alfred 3 for a long time, but before that I was using Quicksilver. I started using an app launcher way before Apple had Spotlight. So It’s become second nature for me to have it. Can’t live with out it. Plus with Alfred I have a few workflows I use to make life easier.
Alfred – Productivity App for macOS
https://www.alfredapp.com/
HAZEL
This little app is great for keeping me organized. I set up rules for different folders to either move files, delete files, or do other things to keep my computer from looking like a mess.
Noodlesoft – Noodlesoft – Simply Useful Software
https://www.noodlesoft.com/
BARTENDER
I really hate seeing a bunch of icons crowding all the space in my menu bar. Bartender is a great little app that keeps those app helpers up in the menu bar but lets me control which ones I see or don’t see.
Bartender 3 – How to hide menu bar icons on Mac
https://www.macbartender.com/
KEYBOARD MAESTRO
When I want me computer or some application to automatically do something it wasn’t really designed to do the Keyboard Maestro comes to the rescue.
Keyboard Maestro 8.2.4: Work Faster with Macros for macOS
https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD
And now that I have all the little things out of the way the real stuff gets installed. Adobe CC apps is where creation happens for me and most of my time is spent making digital things.
Adobe Creative Cloud | Software and services for creative professionals
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html
This thing is with me all the time. Great flathead screwdriver for attaching or detaching tripod plates to cameras.
