It seems like we are all chasing maximum productivity. However, our results often aren’t as satisfactory as we’d like them to be.
Simply put, the modern world comes to us with a plethora of different distractions. Going around them is often extremely difficult. And you should strive to make your life easier.
Some of these distractions come from the outside. Meetings, switching from one task to another, lengthy phone calls, for example. Others, on the other hand, can be solved with just a little help.
There are numerous mac productivity apps on the market at the moment. We have found the best macOS solutions.
Time Analytics
Are you unaware of where your time is going? This is a common issue for all computer users.
Those social media apps and websites are very distracting, after all. That is why the first of our productivity apps for mac is Time Analytics, a time management app.
Both teams and individuals can use Time Analytics.
This app’s primary function is to track work time. However, you can also use it to track different categories during the day.
Timesheets lie at the key features of this productivity software for Mac. Yet, they aren’t the only way to measure time. Namely, the app allows its users to track time manually and automatically. The application will consequently transform all information into timesheet entries.
The users can start tracking their time with a single click. Authorized users create projects and tasks within them. Additionally, all projects and tasks are connected to the clients you’re working for.
Once you click on a task, it starts measuring time and allocating it to the client. Since we all make mistakes, you can also create manual entries.
Finally, you can make changes to the logs as well.
The employers and authorized employees can create a template that requires specific data. This means the entries cannot be submitted without all important information. This information should reflect the most important KPIs your business is interested in.
Time Analytics makes scheduling and tracking paid time off extremely simple. Namely, the employees can request their vacations and other types of PTO in advance. Their managers can easily approve the leaves and avoid any scheduling issues.
Why is Time Analytics the Best Productive App for Mac?
The reports Time Analytics delivers are extremely in-depth. This means they’re not simple reports on who spent how much time doing a certain task.
Time Analytics reports are varied and give you useful information about the state of your business.
This means you’ll be able to make informed decisions based on clear, visual, and easy-to-understand reports.
For example, you will be able to see whether you should charge some of your clients more.
Simply put, you’ll be able to account for all billable hours and expenses related to their projects.
Going with this example, we need to talk about another interesting feature of this mac app.
Namely, you can set up every employee’s hourly fee on any task. Additionally, the employees themselves can change this fee for the tasks where you’ve settled on different ways to charge.
Features
- Time tracking – let your team track the time they spend on tasks as simple as possible. There are two available options – an automatic clock or manual entries. however, for the best accuracy, the users can combine the two.
- More accurate estimates – Time Analytics will help you learn how long a certain type of task and project takes. This means you’ll be able to create more accurate assessments for future projects of similar scope.
- Time off requests and tracking – let your employees make time off requests simply through the app. Their managers can approve them equally as easily. Plan the shift upfront and avoid scheduling issues.
- Reports – the platform’s tracking system is very simple. Yet, even though the reports can be filled in a few minutes a day, the reports you can get through the app are truly helpful. You will be able to make important business decisions, like whether you should charge for client communication or not.
- Billing and invoices – the app offers to export the data your employees log through Time Analytics into Excel. Then, create useful appendices for your invoices. Each appendix will show exactly what you’ve done for each client, and how much it costs. This will increase transparency and your business’s reputation.
Grammarly
Grammarly is one of the best productivity apps for writers. The application automatically checks the grammar and wording of your work.
You can use Grammarly online, or download it as a Word add-in. Both versions work by pointing you to both faulty grammar and rephrasing options.
The app’s developers were aware that there’s no such thing as a perfect language app. Thus, they have left the final decision to the writers.
In other words, you can choose whether you want to use the app’s suggestions or not. You can go through the text once for maximum productivity.
The Premium version offers many other benefits. For example, you’ll be able to rewrite entire sentences and make sure your tone is appropriate for the piece’s intention.
Features
- Grammar and spelling – check whether everything in your writing is correctly written. This is especially important for non-native English writers
- Sentence rewrites – rewrite full sentences to better fit your text
- Citations – automatically check and format citations
Todoist
Todoist is a mac app that combines the functions of a task manager and a to-do list. The app allows its users to create a productive daily routine that covers all their tasks, current and recurring.
This mac app has a great advantage of customizability. Namely, you can create tasks and simply check them off once you’re done. However, you can also assign each task (or some of them) due dates and priority levels.
In other words, you can organize your days in advance, and have a detailed overview at a glance. Reminders are another great optional feature, as they make sure an important long-term task doesn’t get lost.
Features
- Tasks and subtasks – create tasks and divide them for easier work and higher productivity
- Reminders – never move the due date again due to forgotten tasks
- Task priority – don’t get distracted by low-priority tasks and get into the meat of things
1Password
1Password is the most popular password manager app. The reason for this is the fact that it removes the unnecessary hassle when it comes to remembering and entering passwords. In other words, it increases productivity significantly.
You can use this mac app both for personal and business devices. That is to say, you can protect your and your family’s computers, but also keep all sensitive information regarding your business safe.
The application generates strong passwords and keeps them in one safe place. Hence, you will be able to log in to any account with a single click.
The employers using this app will have the opportunity to see just how safe their business information is. Namely, 1Password has the option of checking the company’s security in all fields from a single dashboard.
Features
- Password generation – generate strong passwords for all your accounts
- Simple login – log in through a single click
- Company safety – make sure all elements of your work are up to code
Alfred
Alfred is a mac application that offers many efficiency-related benefits. It allows its users to find and launch apps and files through a simple search system.
The app allows you to understand the time you spend on your device. However, this isn’t the only benefit. You can also create keywords and hotkeys, hence customizing the way your device acts.
You will obtain a clear overview of your activity history. This is a great way to identify issues with your device usage and nip them in the bud by creating new routines or editing the already existing ones.
Features
- Launch apps – get quick access to all apps you have on your mac device
- Activity history – learn where your mistakes come from and prevent them in the future
- Customization – create your own rules that make sure your device works just like you want it
Freedom is a great distraction-blocking app for mac. Its strength lies in simultaneous blocking on different devices.
To put it differently, you can block a specific website or app on one device. Then, the app will be blocked on all your devices for the time you’ve set.
You can create different blocklists depending on what you’re trying to achieve. Additionally, you can schedule distraction-free sessions beforehand.
We understand that there are some people who will jump through all sorts of hoops to get to a distracting site. Hence, Freedom has a lockdown feature. This option prevents you from making any changes to the session for as long as it lasts.
Key Features
- Multiple devices – forget about your phone and tablet distracting you while you need to focus
- Scheduling – create a routine where you don’t have to set up a productivity session each time
- Blocklists – adjust which apps and websites need to be off for maximum productivity
Omnifocus
Omnifocus is a mac productivity app that focuses on task management. If you are a busy professional looking for a way to get on top of an extremely chaotic schedule, it may be just the app for you.
The application captures all activities on mac devices and creates a comprehensive overview. In other words, you’ll never wonder what was the last thing or what’s next on your list.
The application synchronizes on all devices. This makes it great for remote employees or people constantly on the road.
All information you add to the app can be edited to contain due dates and tags. Additionally, you can create projects, tasks, and sub-tasks, prioritize and go through them with ease.
Features
- Activity overview – never worry about losing your place in your work
- Synchronization – synchronize activity on all devices. Perfect for remote or hybrid teams
- Tagging – add tags and due dates to different tasks to organize and prioritize
CleanMyMac X
CleanMyMac X is one of the best cleaning apps for mac. This means the app detects and deletes junk files. In other words, your device will be faster without all the unnecessary apps and files.
The application isn’t a simple cleaner either. Namely, it also detects malware and removes it, making sure your device remains healthy.
Do you want to make sure all the performances of your device are in top-notch condition? This mac app will allow you to do just so. That is to say, CleanMyMac X will delete old versions of apps and conduct automatic, yet safe updates.
Features
- Cleaning – remove all the elements that are slowing down your mac device
- Updates – automatically update all applications and system files
- Safety – search your entire system for malware and get rid of it
Hazel
Hazel is a smart organization tool for mac devices. This app is folder-based. In other words, it organizes your new files, marks their place in your computer, and makes sure you never lose anything important.
For example, this app can automatically name new files depending on their type and different patterns. If you want to stay up-to-date with how things are going, there is also an alert option.
The application is simple to use and can be a lifesaver for those of us who cannot organize our electronic data.
Besides automatic changes, Hazel can indicate older files by color-coding them. This is a successful, yet discreet way to get your attention. Hence, it is one of the best productivity apps.
Features
- Content tracking – know exactly when the content of a folder has been changed, and how
- File naming – let the app name new files and dedicate your time to more productive tasks
- Notifications – even if you miss a change in a folder, you will be alerted
TextExpander
Our final choice for the best mac productivity apps is TextExpander. We chose this application due to its usefulness. Namely, this application reduces the time needed to type repetitive text.
You only need to start typing to get several suggestions. Then, you can choose whichever fits your needs at the moment and edit the details.
Many studies show that emails take up a significant portion of many employees’ days. This mac application prevents this from happening. Employees can now dedicate their time to more productive activities.
The application also synchronizes between devices. This means you can save all your shortcuts once and have them readily available anywhere.
Features
- Shortcuts – create custom shortcuts that help you write exactly what you want, quicker
- Suggestions – a list of suggestions will show up even if you haven’t created shortcuts
- Multiple languages – The app is available in 8 languages at the moment
Conclusion
Many of us simply blink and realize our day is almost done. Yet, there are emails to check, files to save, reports to write, etc.
Fortunately, there are many different apps out there that can help you find your way through the noise.
Whether it’s a time tracking, needing to create to do lists, or a project management tool, we should use all the tools available.
There is a huge number of apps in the app store. Hence, it’s can be difficult to find the best productivity apps for mac. Simply put, the choice is too wide to be sure you’re using the best tool.
We found the 10 best mac productivity apps. See which ones you could use, and go ahead and give them a try.
