Dr. Anurag Singh's Homepage

(1) Alfred: Free

Alfred is a launch manager. Never again will you need to dig through your applications folder after you install Alfred on your Mac. Just hit alt + space (the default shortcut key) and a beautiful search box pops up in the center of the screen.Type in the first letter, and Alfred will show you the most likely applications.

Type in the second letter, and Alfred will nail the application precisely 95 percent of the time. The most commonly used applications will pop up with a single key stroke; for applications used less frequently, you might need to type in a few more keystrokes.

(2) Growl: Free

Growl is another application that you can install and forget. Growl enhances the way notifications are displayed. You can customize the look and feel of the notification and also tweak other settings, but it just works perfectly out of the box. I personally use Growl in the default settings. The only change I’ve made is to remove it altogether from the menu bar and the dock as well, so that it runs quietly in the background.

(3) Sparrow: $9.99

When I first used “Mail,” the default email program that ships with the Mac, it was the best I ever used. But still a few things were missing.

When I switched to Sparrow, I was blown away by the simplicity, usability and overall ease of use. It pairs extremely well with Gmail, which originally supported only Gmail. It uses IMAP by default instead of the standard Pop3, which is an inferior technology in comparison. IMAP is a true and real-time reflection of your original mailbox; the changes you make to your messages in your email client get immediately implemented in your mailbox. In contrast Pop3 is a copy of your actual mailbox, and it tries to download all the email to your local email client, which is not only slow but wasteful as well.

Sparrow supports threaded messages (grouping emails that are sent back and forth) instead of displaying each email as an individual item. Also Sparrow smoothly folds down (if you like) to a smaller and narrower box, so it doesn’t block your entire screen, and you can continue with your other important tasks.

Note: There’s a “lite” version of Sparrow available in the app store, but the features that truly make Sparrow unique and productive are only found in the premium version.

(4) 1Password 3: $39.99 (single user)

There are several password managers available but 1Password is by far the best I’ve come across. 1Password integrates very well with Mac and feels like a native application. It’s very well designed both in terms of looks and performance.

From the browser plug-in 1Password can help you automatically fill up your saved login, or you can search from your entire catalog of logins and choose the one for 1Password to open and enter your login details automatically. You can also fire up the application (which looks like a digital safe) and access all your private details.

(5) Evernote: Free

Evernote is the external storage device for your brain, which you never had (if you haven’t used it yet). It’s an interesting app that lets you gather all the information you don’t want to necessarily remember but want to have available at your fingertips.

If you have never used Evernote, it’s confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes an indispensible companion of your digital life.

Imagine this: You go to a business convention and meet a lot of people. You shake hands and exchange cards and at the end you have a huge stack of business cards, most of which you eventually dispose of. However, six months down the line when you need to find a contact, you can’t seem to locate the business card.

What you can do is scan or take pictures (with your phone) of all the cards and dump them into Evernote. Evernote will take the painstaking chore of making all your cards searchable (automatically). Next time, when you need to find a contact, just type in the name, the name of the organization or anything else that was in text on that card. And voila! You have your card in an instant.

The possibilities of using Evernote are endless. You can use it to track restaurants you’ve been to, all the dishes you like, to write a book and even to manage a book. If you’re not using Evernote, you definitely need to give it a try. It also supports PDF files and even allows you to record audio notes. How cool is that?

Note: There are several other alternatives popping up that help you organize your information, but Evernote is still by far the best in its segment. You can also upgrade to a premium version for more space, more advanced security options and PDF search. (All your PDFs are searchable).

(6) Rescue Time: Free

Rescue Time is a tiny little application, which quietly sits on your menu bar, and you don’t need to do anything more after installing it. It tracks all your activity (both online and offline) and gives you monthly and weekly summaries on your computer usage. It also compares your usage to other users and gives you a comparative analysis so you can gauge where you stand.

You can dive deep and see exactly how you spend your time: how much time you spent on the social networks, shopping websites and everything else you do on your computer. Rescue time is a very efficient time-tracking tool that can help you analyze how you spend time and become more productive in your computer usage.

(7) Day One: $9.99

Day One is a minimalist journalizing application. It sits in the menu bar and every day in the evening (or any time you like) it prompts you to make an entry. The entire process is very much like Twitter because usually when we think about journaling, most of us imagine writing an entire log. This is probably the reason why most of us refrain from entering anything into our journals or even keeping one. We think it means writing a lot.

Day one shows you a small, cute box that you can type your journal entry into for the day. The reason I love journaling is that at the end of day it makes me think of my accomplishments for the day. If I have none to show, it pushes me to work harder toward my goals the next day. Day One helps out by offering a non-obtrusive, simple and quick way to make journal entries for the day.

(8) MindNode: Free

MindNode is a mind-mapping tool. It helps you brainstorm and branch out your ideas locked up in your brain. Like other apps featured in this list, MindNode is designed to feel live a native Mac application.

MindNode may not be the best mind-mapping application available (in terms of features), but it is the most intuitive and easiest to use, so it helps you transfer your thoughts into mind maps quickly.

Note: There is a premium version of MindNode available but for most users, I believe the free version is sufficient.

(9) Dropbox: Free

By now this application needs no introduction. Dropbox is an application that helps you share and access all your important files across multiple computers and devices. You can use it to synchronize files within a team working on a project or to access your personal files across all your devices.

(10) Calendar Bar: $4.99

Most people use iCal for scheduling and maintaining tasks and to do lists. Calendar Bar is a nifty tool, which helps you transform your iCal into project management software. It’s another application that resides on the menu bar and shows all your upcoming events at the click of a button. It even syncs with Google calendar and Facebook events and help you organize them all in one place.

(11) Things: $49.99

Things is a full feature task management software that also doubles as a project management application. It synchronizes with the iPad and iPhone versions of Things, so you can you see all your data on the go. Things has also won several awards for excellent design and even Apple appreciates the design and integration.

In terms of technology Things is one of the most technologically advanced and easy to use. The synchronize option it provides is again seamless and far better than the competitors.

Note: Lately, there has been some criticism around Things development. Some users have complained about the lack of features and slow development. If you plan to use a task management program across many devices, it would be worthwhile to take some time and analyze the competition since it’s a significant amount of both money and your precious time. I would still recommend Things over the other applications.

Other options: Firetask, OmniFocus

(12) Paperless: $49.95

I use Paperless in combination with my ScanSnap S1300 portable scanner. Paperless and my Fujitsu scanner are the only two tools I needed to go almost paperless. You can scan all your documents, business cards, even manuals and neatly organize them in a digital library with Paperless. I use it organize all my bills and other documents efficiently.

(13) Bento: $49 (single user)

Filemaker calls its program a “database application for humans,” and that phrase nails it. If you use any form of database (customer lists, recipes, addresses, you name it), Bento will help you visualize and manage it in a much easier and effective way. The newest version (Bento 4) even lets you print address labels. So if you want to send greetings to all your customers or clients just stack up the address labels in your printer and let Bento do the rest.

Microsoft Office has been long available on the Mac, but it still doesn’t have Access. Bento should be both a great relief and a pleasant surprise for people used to other database applications.

Note: Bento is meant as a personal database application and will fill the needs of most users. For advance and enterprise use there are several other database application available.

(14) aLaunch: Free

The aLaunch app is a small tool that lets you quickly see all the active applications and access them. It helps save time if you have several windows open and want to search your application quickly. It can also be used to launch most open applications quickly.

(15) F.lux: Free

F.lux dims you computer screen in sync with the sunrise and sunset timing. This helps computer nerds and other people who stick to their computer screen for extended periods control their circadian rhythms.

(16) Twitter for Mac: Free

Use all the functions of Twitter without leaving your dashboard. Twitter for Mac is a definite time saver, especially if you use multiple accounts. It helps you track all updates on all the tweets and interact with people with minimal fuss.

(17) Skype for Mac: Free

Stay in touch with friends, customers, clients and freelancers. Skype needs no introduction; the name says it all. Skype is a highly recommended productivity application, which helps you connect with multiple people in real-time and stay in the loop. I use Skype most of time to interact with all the freelancers I work with across multiple time zones.

Note : Microsoft has recently bought Skype. This is an indication of more good things to come for Skype users.

(18) Caffeine: Free

This application helps you prevent the screen from dimming. You can use it while watching a movie or during a Skype video call. Just as caffeine helps you stay awake in the real world, this application prevents your computer from going to sleep.

(19) OmmWriter: Free

If you do any writing from blogs to research papers, OmmWriter is an application you must have. It disables all your notifications and gives you a simple, full screen area where you can write your heart out. To add a spark to your creativity, it comes with several relaxing and inspiring sounds and backgrounds, which help you zone in and focus on your writing.

Note: The free version of OmmWriter is available only from the developer’s website; on the Mac app store there’s only the paid version. You can use the free version of the application, which is completely functional, but for more sound and background options you can purchase the premium version, which is well worth the price.

(20) GrowlVoice: $4.99

If you use Google Voice, you’ll love this application. It lets you quickly access all your text and voicemail from the menu bar. It even notifies you when you receive a new message. It’s definitely a recommended time saver for all Google Voice users.