These are the things I’ve been using and can only recommend. If you sign up or make a purchase, I may receive some benefits at no cost to you.
What I value with my picks:
Last updated on February 11, 2023.
No-fuss email service provider that respects me and my privacy. At $50 per year, I can use it with all the domains I own, and create hundreds of aliases as I need.
Fastmail has personalized spam filtering that actually works. You can set up forwarding and filing rules based on a myriad of factors. You can also go crazy with Sieve Script if that’s what you want. It works with your email clients via IMAP or JMAP, and supports Apple Mail push.
My go-to domain registrar since 2016. It stays out of my way after each purchase. Its backend is easy to use. It doesn’t charge you for optional-but-actually-quality-of-life add-ons such as WHOIS privacy.
It’s just good business.
Timing App automatically logs how I use my Macs, both for my day job (on a separate Mac) and for my side projects.
Timing App automatically assign projects based on which Mac I’m using, what app is active, and the file name of the document or the URL of the webpage. It helps answer questions like How much time have I spent on this version so I can evaluate my input’s worth.
Backblaze backs up my Mac for a flat price, and works continuously in the background, requiring no input from me. It’s the offsite component for my 3-2-1 backup plan.
I don’t have external drives, but Backblaze backs them all up, too, with unlimited storage, so you have peace of mind knowing all of your data are backed up to the cloud.
to-do list app that needs no introduction. Quiet by design, Things helps me focus on the day ahead, not on a handful of deadlines at certain times of the day.
Things is truly the hero that keeps track of stuff as little as bill payments, chores, and errands; or as big as a home modeling or app development project.
Bear has been my personal knowledge management tool since 2019. Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac with great native app experience. It’s overdue for an update but I have found no good replacement.
It doesn’t work in a browser; neither does it connect to fancy automation tools via the web. But it’s dependable for what it is, with content available locally when you’re offline.
My favourite text editor for when I’m not working on my iOS apps (I use Xcode instead). Nova provides the best text editing experience on the Mac, and is lightning fast for the tasks I do.
It feels like a premium Atom—extensible and versatile—that’s supported by a good team and a great community, without the Electron bloat.
Ulysses helps me write human-facing stuff like blog posts or copies for my apps. It provides by far the best writing experience on my Apple devices: quiet, versatile, with the right set of features. Recent updates also brought spell and style checks for both Chinese and English.