Apps

In my book GRIP, I mention a number of apps that can help you master the art of working smart. But as the app universe keeps expanding, a book isn't the ideal place to point out the many options you have.

So I've grouped the best apps for you here, highlighting their pros and cons. Then for each category, I share my personal favorite.

• Calendars
• To-do lists
• Email
• Notes
• Writing
• Reading
• Focus
• Habits
• Passwords
• Other

Calendars

The rock on which you build your workweek.

I like Google Calendar. There's no fee, it has a good web interface, and you can log in to loads of other apps with your Google account, so you're not stuck with Google's own apps when using your calendar.

• Google Calendar – The calendar from Google (free).
• Microsoft Outlook – Email and calendar from Microsoft (free).
• Fantastical – An app for Apple products that connects with the calendar you’re already using (iCloud, Google, Exchange, Office 365) and then adds all kinds of smart extras, like functions that make it easier to coordinate with people across time zones (€54.99 for Mac, €5.49 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and €10.99 for iPad).
• Calendly – Give a personal link to people you want to meet with, and they can schedule a time to meet using your calendar. No more hassle finding a time (free, Premium/Pro for additional features starts at $8 a month).

To-do lists

A to-do list is essential if you want to get the most out of your brain. So stop using your head as a storage device and start keeping track of things in a digital to-do list. It frees your mind to concentrate on the work before you.

I recommend trying Things. Not a Mac user? Then check out Todoist.

• Things – A beautifully designed app, for your Mac and your iPhone or iPad. Provides a nice overview of all your jobs and projects ($49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone, $19.99 for iPad).
• OmniFocus – I’ve used OmniFocus for years because it’s super-flexible. You can adjust just about everything. That does mean it can sometimes be a bit much for beginners ($39.99 for Mac, $39.99 for iPhone and iPad).
• Todoist – A nice and clear task manager, with good apps for your smartphone (free, paid options for more functionality).
• TickTick – A well-designed task manager. Like Todoist, TickTick is available for both Mac and Windows (but only in Premium), and for most smartphones (free, premium subscription costs $27.99 per year to unlock more functionality).
• To-Do by Microsoft – To-Do is a basic to-do list app from Microsoft, who introduced To-Do after they took over Wunderlist (free).
• Remember The Milk – Gorgeous and clear task manager. One of RTM’s unique features is the subtask option, even if you don’t break your list into separate projects. Full support for a range of platforms (free, premium with more features costs $39.99 per year).

Email

My choice is Gmail. I combine it with a priority inbox (I explain in this newsletter how that works), which makes Gmail a powerful tool for processing large amounts of messages with ease. And of course there's no better search engine.

• Gmail – The speedy email service from Google (free).
• Boomerang voor Gmail – A Gmail plugin that reminds you about emails you need to answer, lets you schedule emails to send later, and you can snooze email ($4.99 a month, free for light use).
• Microsoft Outlook – Email and calendar from Microsoft (free).
• Inbox When Ready – An alternative for Boomerang. You can hide your inbox plus use a number of other features (free with ads, $4 a month ad-free).
• Mimestream – A speedy and streamlined native client for Mac that works with Gmail accounts (free).
• Spark – A slick alternative to the standard Mail app on your Mac. Supports a whole range of email providers (free, paid version offers more storage and collaborative features for teams).
• Snailbox – Delivers email on a schedule ($5 per month per account).

Notes

• Roam Research – Roam introduced a new way to take notes. Rather than a collection of separate items, Roam helps you save your thoughts in a more networked style. It’s a little hard to explain, but think of it as a Wikipedia of sorts, where you can draw links between your notes ($15 a month, discount for annual subscriptions).
• Evernote – What once was a solid notetaking app has unfortunately become an unwieldy, sluggish tool. It does work with all kinds of notes. And Evernote supports notes made with Apple Pencil and lets you search handwritten notes (free, €6.99 if you want to use Evernote on more than 2 devices).
• OneNote – Note taking app from Microsoft (included in Office 365, which starts at €69 a year).
• Bear – Beautifully-designed notes app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Limited formatting options, but works nicely because you write notes in markdown (free, $1.49 a month if you want to synchronize the app across your devices).
• Agenda – This app takes an interesting new approach to taking notes. They’re linked to appointments in your calendar. That way, you always have notes for a specific meeting on hand (free, additional functions at the Premium level for a one-time fee of €19.99).
• MindNode – MindNode is a brilliant and incredibly well-designed app for making mind maps. I use it for my Year Plan sessions and quarterly brainstorms and am a huge fan. It’s pricey, but worth it (€43.99 for Mac, €16.99 for iPhone and iPad).
• Notion – If Wikipedia and Evernote had a love child, it would be Notion. A gorgeously-designed system for keeping notes. You can easily draw links between the different articles (free, additional storage and functions from $4 a month).
• Workflowy – A cross between Notion and MindNode. Workflowy is a simple yet powerful tool for getting your projects and tasks organized. You make quick and easy lists, which you can then dive into and flesh out or split up further (free).

Writing

• Ulysses – Great app to write in. I use Ulysses for writing my newsletter and longer texts. The way it organizes your documents is especially nice (€5.99 a month or €39.99 a year).
• iA Writer – Like Ulysses, a really nice app to write in. iA Writer gives you a more pleasant writing experience, but the way it organizes documents isn’t as nice as Ulysses (€32.99 for Mac, €9.99 for iPhone and iPad).
• Paper – I draw the diagrams in my book and my newsletter using this free app on my iPad. Couldn’t do without it (free, €9.99 for added features).

Reading

• Reeder 5 – A fantastic RSS reader for Mac, iPhone, and iPad ($9.99 for Mac, $4.99 for iPhone and iPad).

Focus

• Focusmate – An app that connects you with a total stranger somewhere in the world, for 50 minutes. You share what you’re working on at the start of your session and the open video link forces you both to get to work and stay focused for the duration. Incredible tool (free for 3 sessions per week).
• Focus – An app that helps you focus by blocking certain sites (free trial period, one-time fees start at $19).
• Noizio – This app (for macOS and iOS) helps you concentrate using sound. You choose your own combination of background noise (free, in-app purchases for additional sounds).

Habits

Habit trackers help you foster good habits or shake bad ones.

• Streaks – This app tracks your progress and encourages you to keep the streak going. Helps me form strong, new habits (one-time fee of $4.99, for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple watch).
• Habitify – A cross-platform habit tracker (free for 3 habits, €2.42 a month for unlimited use).

Passwords

A password manager is an essential tool. I use 1Password with a family account, so my wife Joan and I can easily share passwords for services we both use.

• 1Password – This is a password manager, so you’ll never forget access codes for apps and websites you use. You can also securely share passwords with others, and perhaps most important: use longer and more secure passwords with ease ($2.99 a month per person, $4.99 for a family account).

Other

• Noto – Lots of people use email to quickly send a note-to-self. Noto does exactly that, but quicker and easier: Jot down a note and Noto sends it to a pre-set email address. I’ve set up Noto to go to the same email address I use to add tasks to my OmniFocus inbox (free, $1.99 for some added features).
• TripMode – Want your data to last longer? TripMode switches internet access off at the app level based on the network you’re connected to. I use it to conserve data when I go online using my iPhone. TripMode also works great if you have a slow connection, by only allowing essential programs to connect (€7.99).
• Lungo – A little app that keeps your Mac from going to sleep. Handy when giving presentations or if you use your Mac in meetings ($2.99).
• Next Meeting – A simple tool that shows your next upcoming meeting in your Mac’s menu bar (free).