Translation Bureau is a translation team under 36氪, focusing on science and technology, business, workplace, life and other fields, focusing on introducing foreign new technologies, new perspectives and new trends .
Editor’s note: Apple’s operating system itself has a very good user experience, but there are still some drawbacks compared to Windows systems. Fortunately, there are many good applications that can enhance the user experience and make up for the shortcomings of the Apple system itself. The 5 tools offered today can significantly improve your work efficiency. This article is translated by Medium, author Abhinav Chandoli, and original title is “5 More macOS Apps for a Productive Life”.
Photo credit: Unsplash. on Gabriella Gonzalez
Apple’s Mac operating system can be one of the most powerful and efficient operating systems out there. The recently released version of macOS 12 hasn’t updated much, but stability has been slightly improved, and functions like general controls and shortcuts have been updated. Apple always tries to make the user experience as good as possible without sacrificing performance, making it easy to use.
But that doesn’t mean macOS doesn’t need improvement. Like other operating systems, macOS also has disadvantages. But we can install some applications to overcome these shortcomings and get a better experience. This article will introduce you to several applications to make your work and life easier.
switch
The shortcut key commands provided by Switch allow you to switch applications easily. Its user interface highlights keyboard operations, and you can switch between applications quickly and spend less time using just the keyboard. It also has a very convenient task bar (dock), which is used for the resident applications you use most often, and you can add and manage applications at any time.
For example, let’s say you are now using 4 applications in the Dock. All you need to do is press and hold “⌥+⌘+2” on the keyboard to open another application on the dock. That way, you don’t need to focus on the taskbar that comes with the macOS system, just focus on the few applications that are most important to you. Switch is a very useful tool for those who have only one monitor and need to run multiple applications at the same time.HereCan be downloaded for free.
meter
The meter helps people solve common problems while working remotely. It can centrally display all the conferences you want to attend and the phone numbers of frequently used contacts on a simple and clear interface. On this interface, your waiting meetings are at a glance. And it also fully integrates with the Calendar application, which is convenient for you to call your contacts directly or join a meeting from the menu bar.
Meeter’s meeting management is great, you can choose whether to open the meeting link in the browser or in the native app. From the menu bar you can see the theme and countdown of the next meeting in the schedule. It will display a notification when the meeting is about to start, you have to click on the notification to join the meeting directly. Meter supports almost all mainstream meeting applications.
Meter can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store.
pause
Health is as important as work. Intermission is an application that can help you stay healthy. It helps you stay away from electronic devices and prevent eye pain, job burns and computer vision syndrome. It shields your screen regularly so that the eyes and mind can take a break. Its design concept follows the 20/20/20 rule recommended by most eye health experts.
Every 20 minutes, the interval will give you a “take a break” reminder. You can also choose to force a full screen interrupt or a gentle reminder. You can customize the duration of the break, and even add custom messages to motivate yourself to take a break from the screen.
The application can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store.
coverdesk
CoverDesk is an application that allows you to hide all items on the desktop with a single click. For example, if you want to use a computer for a presentation, you’ll need to share a screen, but the various icon files on your desktop are arranged in a mess, so I’m ashamed to show it.
CoverDesk is useful at the moment. All you need is one click to hide or show applications and files on desktop. It also has a function called “window focus”, which can highlight one window, and the rest of the windows will be darkened.
Other features include window colouring, multi-screen mode and display mode. Display Mode allows you to quickly check the available display resolution, and you can open Display Mirroring with just one click.
This productivity application can be said to be concise and simple, and it is also a smart presentation tool for everyone.
CoverDesk can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store.
Deepdan
DeepDown is a great offline Markdown editing suite for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It can edit Markdown files and manage files easily.
You can add tags and categories to files, and use search and filters to find files. It has some great productivity-boosting features, such as full-screen, non-interference mode, and typewriter editing mode, which can help you focus on creating.
Through real-time preview, you can instantly see the effect of a Markdown document you create, and store the file as version control or store it in the cloud. You can add tables, lists, links, pictures, diagrams, code blocks, flowcharts, sequence diagrams, etc. to the document to fully express your ideas. It also has a built-in spell checker and Vim mode.
The app downloads a one-time fee of $9.59. If you have financial problems, you can also use Deepdown for free through the Deepdown community. (https://www.deepdwn.com/I
There are many similar productivity tools. For example, SelfControl is an application that helps you avoid distracting browsing websites, Control Plane is an open source application that allows you to automatically act on where you are and what you are doing. There are, and status-bar-todo, a simple macOS application that can stay in the TODO list in the status bar.
Some of the above applications, such as Switch, Meter and Deepdon, can also be used for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Hope these applications can make your work life easier and more enjoyable and more efficient.
Translator: Zhang Momo
