My Favorite Productivity Apps in 2022
Being that it is 2022, there is now a huge selection of apps available for almost any desire, interest, or hobby. From productivity, medicine, music, news, fitness, and entertainment. Chances are if you think of a subject, there is an app for that.
So, to shed some light on the best apps for my development workflow and day-to-day operations, I will be listing my current selection, and why I choose to use them.
Task Management — TickTick
I could not cope every day without TickTick at my side. I store multiple tasks from chores around the house, medications, workouts, work tasks, etc. I have repeating tasks for my bills which allows me to control my budget better as I can see upcoming payments with ease.
I also store Read Later web page articles. On my Mac, I get constantly bombarded with interesting tech articles, and some I may just want to read later. I know there are other apps out there such as Instapaper, GoodLinks, or Pocket. However, I find it simpler to store those links in TickTick and cross them off when I am done with them.
I also track upcoming events (such as the Artemis Launch or WWDC) and release dates of films and TV shows. It is so simple on MacOS to add a task, just press command + shift + a and type away. I filter these directly to a task inbox, and then I move them to the appropriate lists at the end of each day.
I have purchased a year subscription, and I find it well worth the money. Highly recommended.
See my full To-Do List Apps for 2022 article for a full comparison. I previously used Apple Reminders, but I now use TickTick for the full cross-platform experience.
Email Management — Spark
I have been using Spark for several years now, and I have seen it grow into a very capable alternative to Apple Mail, Outlook, and other email clients. I initially started using it as it seemed like a good replacement for the Google Inbox, which was unfortunately discontinued in 2019. It offers a simple and intuitive inbox, with powerful tools to manage every aspect of your email.
I still use Microsoft Outlook for my business emails, but Spark handles all my personal emails, of which I have 7 different accounts. One feature I truly love is this. If you configure your accounts within your spark application, that configuration is stored as part of your Spark account. Then, when you install it on your iPad, Mac, or Windows PC, you sign in to your spark account, and BOOM, all your email accounts are loaded, fantastic! No more configuring accounts on multiple platforms.
Recently there was an overhaul of the app, and now it features a slimmed-down UI but with an even more advanced set of features. They are still working out some minor issues with the new version of the app, but in my view, it is a step in the right direction. Also, the app is now available on Windows, which is awesome.
There is a paid tier for this app which allows advanced collaboration features, but for the most part, everything you need comes for free. Can’t recommend it enough.
Note Taking — Apple Notes
https://support.apple.com/guide/notes/welcome/mac
For many years, I was a premium member of Evernote. Evernote was great and still is, but they have now built such a huge variety of tools within it, that I feel it has become cumbersome and overly complicated for a notes app. I have tried many others, from Microsoft OneNote, Apple Notes, Notion, and others. At this point, I use two, one for personal use and one for business use cases.
Apple Notes is my go-to for my personal notes. The app is as simple and as complicated as you make it. It allows you to organize your notes in a multi-tiered folder system, add hashtags for easy search and organization, add rich text, embed photos, and hyperlinks, and so much more. I can use my Apple pencil to create handwritten notes also. I use it to store receipts, doctor prescriptions, user manuals, journal entries, and so much more. It’s simple, it’s fast, and it’s available on my iPhone, iPad, and mac. You can even access your Apple Notes from iCloud.com which is helpful if you are on a Windows PC. I will do a separate article on how I use Apple Notes soon.
Now for business use, I use Notion (https://www.notion.so/), and it is a truly versatile application, that works across platforms and is free in most use cases. You could go to YouTube and search for Notion, and you’ll find a ton of tutorials and details on how Notion can work for you, and it does a vast amount of things. I use it to store code snippets, development ticket details, articles, configurations, etc., all related to work. It is brilliant, and it comes highly recommended.
Music — Apple Music
OK, this may not be a productivity app, but it helps me be productive, so it has been included in this list.
As a web developer, getting into a full concentration mindset is a key skill to master to be productive, and music is what helps me achieve this, in fact, I am listening to music as I type. I remember the days of audio cassettes and mix tapes, CDs, Sony Mini-Discs, iPods, Zune, and cheap knockoff mp3 plays you could buy on eBay. But today, online streaming music is king, and there are many services out there. However, the ones I am familiar with are Spotify and Apple Music. Other services, such as Deezer, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, and others, may be great too, but I have not experienced them myself.
My family and I have had a family membership to Spotify for many years, and still, do to this day, and have enjoyed the membership immensely. It is easy to navigate the app, easy to create playlists and has an extensive catalog of music. I particularly enjoy the ability to have the Spotify app open and playing on the mac, but control it from my iPad. I would love Apple Music to have that feature. I am aware you can airplay, but is not so seamless. Spotify also offers the ability to add your music to your catalog which they do not have. This is also possible on Apple Music, as long as you have your music in iCloud.
The reason I choose Apple Music over Spotify is Lossless. Lossless music is the original uncompressed music, so it is as crisp as if it were from the recording studio, and the difference is significant. I have listened to the same track on both Spotify and Apple Music, and it is stronger, crisper, and more punchy on Apple Music, and overall a more enjoyable experience. Add to that, Apple Music offers Spacial sound too, which in my mind is a little gimmicky, and sometimes results in a weird soundstage. But, that is just my opinion.
Apple Music is available on most platforms, including Android, and is coming next year to Windows. Unfortunately, it is unavailable for Linux.
Both Spotify and Apple Music are great, but for me, Apple Music wins, because of lossless, but it is a close victory.
Calendar — Google Calendar
So, calendar apps are a mixed bag, and most apps offer similar services and features. I have experimented with a few of these apps and I always seem to come back to Google Calendar.
Loaded with intuitive but effective features, Google Calendar simplifies your daily schedule and allows you to create meetings with ease. All you need is a Google account and your Google Calendar is all set up and ready for you to use. Google Calendar allows you to create an event, a task, a reminder, or a goal. All of which help you to organize your busy schedule. The interface is simple but packed with slick designs, colors, and transitions.
You can create an event, specify its details, make it recur, and add attendees. You can also share your calendars with others so that they can go through your schedule and request a meeting at a mutually convenient time.
The meeting can be either in person, or you can meet with your guests virtually through Google Meet. When canceling an event, the guests will automatically receive an email informing them about the change.
I have Google Calendar configured in the Apple Calendar, and it works seamlessly.
As I mentioned before, I have tried others, including Fantastical, Digical on Android, Outlook Calendar, and Apple Calendar. There are many others. These all work pretty similarly out of the box and offer the same fundamental functionality. My personal preference though is Google Calendar.
Wrapping Up
I have experimented with many apps over the years, and have found many of them have some features that you cannot live without, making them easy to use and with an intuitive UI and functionality. This list is but a small selection of apps I use the most in my day-to-day. My favorite app at the moment is Apple Notes, it is so versatile, and simple, and it is free…
If you have any suggestions for other apps that you would recommend please note them in the comments, and I’ll be sure to check them out. Thanks for reading.
That is all for now, I hope to post more in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned, share with your friends, and follow me on Scoping-Tech Medium page, and read my other articles.
Paul Jacobs — December 6, 2022 — scoping-tech.com
