It is simple though getting there was not. I know that that sounds like a contradiction. Let me explain.
Reading this forum and listening to MPU, Connected, Apple Insider, and similar podcasts have been a two-edged sword.
On the one hand, I have learned a lot. I’m closing in on being a “power” user despite my lack of technical coding knowledge or interest in automation. And everyone on this forum has been accommodating and kind. As I’ve said before, this forum is what the internet ought to be.
On the other hand, reading and hearing about all of the latest and greatest apps, the advantages, and disadvantages of markdown, the power of OF, the beauty of Things, the “efficiency” of Keyboard Maestro and Shortcuts, the awesomeness of Craft, NotePlan, Obsidian, and more, has led me down rabbit holes. While rabbit holes can be fun and educational, they have resulted in lost productivity and cost me money.
Going down rabbit holes is entirely my fault. No one forced me to keep trying new apps or spend money on them.
While I’d never presume to speak for others, the fact is that for me, most of the touted apps and productivity systems are not necessary. I’ve concluded that I/we are in danger of making things far more complicated and expensive than necessary. Again, speaking only for myself, here is what I’ve concluded:
- The key to productivity is setting aside time to work on what needs to be done and being disciplined enough to do it consistently with minimal distraction. The tools, while important, are less critical than the dedicated work and time.
- We can accomplish most of our work with free or non-subscription apps. For example, I need:
- a calendar (Apple Calendar)
- a word processor/text editor (still working on this one)
- a place to store and access files (Finder and Obsidian)
- a mind map app and outliner (iThoughts and OmniOutliner)
- note taking app (Apple Notes IF I can trust it with sync–but per my prior post, I’m not confident; I’m still wrestling with this. Notes is syncing perfectly and immediately now–I still have no idea how Apple fixed it).
- communication tools (Apple Mail, Messages, phone)
- a project/task manager (Reminders)
- a few specialized apps, e.g., password manager and possibly an app specifically designed to handle something like a book. Though even in this case, the “need” is questionable given that books have been written for thousands of years with everything from a quill pen to a typewriter.
Although I’ve been providentially blessed to afford as many subscriptions as I like, I am responsible for being a good steward of what I’ve been given. I’ve concluded that some subscriptions reflect good stewardship (1Password being an example), while others may be unnecessary and wasteful.
For my needs, most of the stock and non-subscription apps allow me to accomplish what I need to get done. They may or may not be as powerful or as beautiful as “app. x,” but they are sufficient for the tasks and, once mastered , are efficient. Generally speaking, the fewer apps, the more efficient we become with them.
So, aside from my struggle to decide on the app to finish my book (Ulysses, iA Writer, or Pages), I’ve settled on mostly stock and non-subscription apps.
As to Ulysses, it is a great app–I enjoy using it. But it is an intermediary app. First, I write the text and add my references to it. But, then the text must be sent to another app, e.g., Pages/Word, for final formatting and to correct conversion issues (Ulysses sometimes produces hyphenated words in the middle of sentences and incorrectly formats some footnotes when sent to Word).
That said, here is what is in my dock:
I accidentally allowed my Craft subscription to expire because I never received a notification that it was about to expire or needed to be renewed. I suspect that is because it is set up as an educational discount. Given that the subscription had expired. I decided not to renew it and see if I can in fact, stay with Apple Notes as I had originally planned.