Every metre I read about a unexampled Mac or iOS app in a category I use , I think to myself , “ Oh , cool . That could save me some clip and effort . ” I download the app and examine it out , but more often than not , I quickly conclude that my previous answer was just as honest , and leave the unexampled app sit unused . From then on , whenever I see the app , I find a vague , down - level anxiety . But still I pile up more apps , and the bicycle repeats .
Now I ’m on a mission to simplify my apps by prefer fewer , good puppet ; take them well ; and deleting the remainder .
Reduce decision-making
Steve Jobs wore the same thing every day to economize time and mental energy . Perhaps you could go for a similar logic to apps .
Why should it matter that I have so many apps ? Sure , the apps take up space , but I could always delete them . And yes , money is a factor , but I could just stop purchase raw apps and paying for upgrades I do n’t need . More important to me is the psychological cost .
Every prison term I go to edit a photograph , I cogitate to myself , “ Should I finally take the prison term to figure out if Flying Meat’sAcorn ( ) orPixelmator ( ) , both of which I bought months ago , will do a in effect line of work for me , or should I just stick with AdobePhotoshop Elements ( ) , since I have it away what I ’m doing there already and can get the business done quickly ? ” I invariably take the conversant course .
Steve Jobs picked dress he like and then wore the same thing every day , thus eliminating the time and mental energy required to make wardrobe determination and shop for new clothes . Maybe a similar system of logic can apply to apps : Think hard about what tools attend to you best , pass the necessary time acquire them , and then just stop think about it .
Go deep rather than broad
fence all you want about which of these or many other similar apps is the skilful , but my experience suggests that constantly bouncing between apps is risky for productivity . The more I use an app , the more I learn about it and the more efficient I become at using it . As soon as I switch to another product , I lose the those benefits of musculus memory and usage habits .
If I had nothing but sentence , I ’d force myself to use a new app for a week or two for learn it well , develop new wont , and see if my overall efficiency ameliorate over the previous app . But that process would never end , and I ’d consume tons of metre experiment . My tactual sensation is that it ’s good to make an informed conclusion establish on the useable entropy , learn an app deeply , and then stick with it until you encounter frequent bother or missing capabilities you ca n’t do without .
Think hard before investing time in a new app
I ’m not indicate you foot one app in each category and stick with it for life . computer software evolves , and it ’s reasonable to re - evaluate your needs from clock time to sentence — say , every year or two , or when you understand the pain - to - benefit proportion of your current solution has become too gravid . But make it a measured selection instead of just jumping at every unexampled , glazed toy that ’s getting some buzz .
For a long sentence , I usedMicrosoft Word ( ) for word processing , like most of the rest of the world . I did n’t like it much , but it was the only tool that could accomplish sealed labor for me .
At a sure point , Apple’sPages ( ) meliorate to the point where it that it became an even better prick for me , so I invested significant time in learning its In and out . A couple of years by and by , Nisus Software’sNisus Writer Pro ( ) , an sure-enough favorite , larn some newfangled features that made it superior to Pages for my demand , and I switched again . But I wo n’t kid you : switching a major putz like this can be sentence - consuming work if you want to learn it well , and it consume a while to pay off in increase productiveness .
Make the choice
If you ’re sold on the idea of simplify your apps , keep the following tips in intellect :
see for customizability : Extensions , plugins , and macro instruction can make a right app great . For example , even though there are other , more muscular email client , I employ Apple Mail because I have n’t yet find an email guest that correspond what Mail can do when play tricks out with the nine third - company reference I employ .
One of my preferent Mail extensions , Mail Act - On , have you custom-make numerous aspects of Mail ’s behavior . make rules that apply when you institutionalise messages or that file messages , but only when you campaign a user - delineate keyboard shortcut .
The multi - talented LaunchBar combines a launcher , calculator , clipboard history , and more into a unmarried , unobtrusive app .
Take reward of multipurpose apps : The fact that an app does many thing does n’t guarantee that it does them allwell , but in some cases an app with several potentiality can replace several smaller apps . For instance , BusyMac’sBusyCalreplaces both Calendar and Reminders for me ; and documentary Development’sLaunchBar ( ) can officiate as an app launcher , calculator , and Clipboard utility .
Sometimes you really do need two or more apps : Don’t toss something that ’s genuinely useful in favour of something less subject solely because it lets you reduce your app enumeration . Sometimes apps have essential feature that vindicate their use .
blue-pencil the relief : Once you ’ve narrowed your apps down , get rid of the ones you do n’t want . ( See“Stop drowning in apps”for baksheesh . ) Now does n’t that feel skilful ?
