A Good Personal Daily Planning App For Mac
Dec 09, 2019 We tested the remaining apps over two weeks—creating journal entries daily (or almost daily). In the end, these are the best journaling apps we've found for every platform. Day One (Mac, iOS, Android)—best for writing quick journal entries in a simple, intuitive interface Diarium (Windows.
- Jan 06, 2020 It may be time to create a to list with for all your daily tasks. And it’s not just free for your phone the Wunderlist app also works for your iPad, Mac, Windows, Kindle Fire, and the Web.
- The free version is super useful by itself, but the premium version is very affordable. They have apps for everything that all sync up magically (mac, pc, web browser, browser extensions, iphone, android, apple watch, etc). The appearance is very clean and modern. It super easy to set up all types of recurring tasks.
The built-in Calendar app on Mac is .. fine. Sometimes though, you need a few different features. That's where third-party calendars can be very useful. Check out my favorite calendar apps for the Mac and let us know which one suits you best.
Best overall: Fantastical 2
Fantastical 2 is a workhorse of a calendar app that can connect to your iCloud, Exchange, Google, Yahoo, fruux, and CalDAV accounts. It then imports all of your daily event information into one unified calendar, which can be displayed as a full month along with daily, weekly, or yearly options. You can also display a daily event list on the left side with detailed information on everything you've got going on today. Better still, Fantastical allows for custom calendar sets with specific accounts tagged in them, time zone support, and more.
All these features mean it comes with a $50 price tag, but the extra money's worth it.
Bottom line: Fantastical 2 is a robust, full-featured calendar with dozens of useful features for any and all productivity.
One more thing: It comes with a mini-calendar that sits in your Menu bar for quick access.
Why Fantastical 2 is the best
Does everything a calendar app should do!
Fantastical 2 works exactly the way a calendar app should work on your desktop: It's got a beautiful interface with customizable options for viewing daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly events. You can even set up customized calendar sets that only show certain events. Those different sets can be toggled to activate at different locations, too: When you get to work and open your laptop, you'll only see your work calendar, but when you take it home, you will only see your personal one.
When you select an event, you'll get the details, including a map for events with locations. You can also toggle between light or dark mode any time you like.
Fantastical's natural language event creation is where it shines. All you have to do is type out your phrasing as if you were talking, and Fantastical will automatically set dates, times, locations, and more for you. 'Have dinner at Morton's with mom tomorrow at 7' is transformed into an event, complete with location mapping.
Fantastical 2 works with a number of different calendar services, including iCloud, Google, Yahoo, and more. It also syncs with your Mac's built-in Reminders app so you can keep track of daily tasks while making sure you aren't late to any appointments.
Best Cal organizer: BusyCal 3
BusyCal 3 has a great setup feature: It automatically syncs up with the accounts you have stored in the Mail app on Mac. Any calendars you use with those email accounts will be updated in the BusyCal calendar. So, if you use Yahoo, iCloud, and Gmail, you'll be able to connect them all just by entering the account password when you open the app for the first time.
My favorite feature of BusyCal is the Smart Filter, which makes it possible for you to create rules for what events are shown. For example, you could set a filter that will only show you birthdays or only events that repeat. You can create multiple filters and then switch between them. It is ideal for keeping your calendar events organized.
Bottom line: If you have a lot of different types of events, or multiple calendars, BusyCal 3 will help you filter out what you don't need to look at right now so you can stay focused on what is important.
One more thing: There is a mini calendar that sits in your Menu bar so you can see a quick glance of the month ahead and current day's events without having to open the full app.
Best Cal companion: Calendar 2
Calendar 2 is a Menu bar widget. It stores all of your calendar information on the Menu bar so you can quickly access it. All you have to do is connect your Mac's built-in calendar and you're ready to go. Then, when you want to check your schedule, just click on the icon. You'll see a monthly view with dots next to dates that have events, plus a sidebar with a list of events taking place. If you want to see more details of an event, click on it to open your Mac Calendar app.
Bottom line: If you are happy with the built-in Calendar app on your Mac, but just want a different way to see what's on your schedule, check out Calendar 2.
One more thing: There is a premium upgrade that includes a lot more features, like the ability to connect your Google calendar and get cool looking backgrounds.
Best for productivity: Informant for macOS
Informant for the desktop is more than just a calendar app. It's a task manager and note taker, all rolled into a clear and concise calendar. You can organize your calendar to see your to-do list on the same screen as your schedule and tasks are combined with daily events.
You can keep your to-do list right on top of the screen with upcoming and completed tasks clearly identifiable. You can create tasks using either GTD, Franklin Covey, or Simple mode, making your lists work for you.
Filters allow you to hide events from specific calendars. You can have multiple filters saved in your favorites and switch between them at any time. It makes it easy to keep your work and home life separate.
Bottom line: If having your to-do list and calendar grouped together are important and your daily schedule is the top priority, Informant for macOS is for you.
One more thing: It features a tabbed interface so you can work in multiple task windows without making a mess on your screen.
Conclusion: Fantastical 2 is the best
When it comes to desktop support, Fantastical 2 wins the day. It's a straightforward app with a beautiful interface and plenty of customizable features. The mini calendar, which sits in your Menu bar, is perfect for checking upcoming events at a glance and you can add appointments without having to open the full app. The natural language event creation makes it easy for you to simply jot down what you need to do and when. Fantastical takes care of the rest for you. If you just lost Sunrise and are looking for a replacement, try Fantastical 2 for Mac.
March 2019: Updated pricing and links.
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unprecedentedBreaking: Apple to close all retail stores until March 27
Apple has announced it will close all of its retail stores worldwide for two weeks until March 27.
In today's world, it seems that all of us are busy all of the time. It's hard to relax sometimes when you're responsible for so much, and keeping track of all of the tasks that need to get done becomes quite arduous! Fortunately, we are equipped with our iOS devices, and they've proven to be incredibly useful when it comes to keeping us on track when we need it.
For the record, while Apple includes their own Reminders app on all devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac), it's still pretty barebones when you stack it against the competition. Here are our top picks for reminder apps in 2019.
Due
Simply put, Due is one of the best options if you're strictly wanting reminders, without the complexities of a task manager. Due lets you add reminders for anything and give it a due date and time. Once the reminder comes, you can 'snooze' it for 10 minutes, an hour, or push it back to the next day if need be. Otherwise, Due will keep 'nagging' you with the reminder until you take action. Honestly, while the nagging bit is annoying, it definitely helps motivate you to, you know, get off your butt and do the thing you're supposed to do.
Due also looks great with the simple and clean interface, and it's easy to navigate with swipe-based gestures. There are a ton of different notification sounds and a few themes to choose from too.
Fantastical 2
While Fantastical 2 is a calendar app, it has great integration with the native Reminders app, if you choose to use it. Fantastical 2 is great because you'll be able to see your entire schedule for the week or month, along with any reminders that you've added. New reminders can also be created right from Fantastical itself, so honestly, there's never a need to jump into the Reminders app again. Plus, Fantastical 2 has a beautiful design and is easy to use with the natural language input.
Any.do
If you prefer another all-in-one solution for both your schedule and reminders, then Any.do is a good alternative. Any.do allows users to create a list for everything they need, and it organizes everything into a chronological timeline so it's easy to see what you have to do now and what's coming up next. It even uses geolocation so you can set reminders to go off when you're actually near a store, so it'll never slip your mind! And the best part is that Any.do is cross-platform, so you can access it on your iOS devices, Apple Watch, web, and even Android.
There is an Any.do Pro subscription that starts at about $2.99 a month, and unlocks all features.
Clear
For the ultimate in simplicity, Clear is it. Clear mimics the simple days where your reminders and tasks were just written down on paper, and when you were done with them, just cross them off the list. With Clear, you'll find that familiar concept redone for the digital age. Create an unlimited number of lists for everything, and add items with intuitive gestures. Every item can be assigned a due date and time, and when it comes around, you'll get notified. Just mark it off as done, and move on with your life. There are also a lot of gorgeous color themes in Clear, which act as nice eye candy for the mundane. It also syncs with Apple's Reminders.
Remember the Milk
With Remember the Milk, you'll never forget the milk (or anything) again! This minimalistic app lets you quickly add in the tasks that need to be done and when they're due by. When the time comes, you'll get notifications by mobile, email, IM, text, and even Twitter, so you have no excuse to not get the thing done. Your RTM account syncs all of your data across devices too, and you can share lists with others to make sure that they stay in the loop. RTM also integrates with many other services, which is convenient.
Remember the Milk Pro is a subscription that costs $39.99 a year and unlocks a lot of premium features, such as unlimited storage, file attachments on tasks, subtasks, color tags, and more. The core features of RTM can be used without a subscription, however.
Todoist
Todoist is the app where you spend less time organizing and more time actually doing things. In Todoist, reminders and tasks can easily be added with natural language input through the 'Quick Add' feature. As you add due dates and complete things, Todoist learns your habits and helps you stick with them, since it gamifies reminders and tasks with a streak system. You'll also see when you were the most productive in the past week, and hopefully, that motivates you to do even more the following week. Todoist lets you prioritize certain items over others too, and lists can be shared with others.
Todoist is free to download and use with some limitations, but going Pro grants you unlimited access to all features.
Things 3
Things 3 is more of a complete task management system like OmniFocus, but it's much more simple to use and I think it's a great option for reminders.
You can create various Areas (categories) and Projects to go under those areas. Tasks can quickly be added to projects and organized with headings if you need structure. Everything can have notes attached, tags, checklists if there are more steps required, and assigned deadlines or due dates and times.
By default, Things due times are more like time frames, but you can be more specific and add 'reminders' to get notifications at a certain time. Things also pulls in data from your Calendar, so you can see your entire day in a single glance.
Things also uses Things Cloud for syncing data across all platforms (iPhone, iPad, and Mac). It's free, and syncing is invisible and seamless.
Microsoft To-Do
Microsoft acquired Wunderlist several years ago, and eventually, Wunderlist will be shut down and replaced fully with Microsoft To-Do down the line. Still, Microsoft To-Do is not a bad app itself. Microsoft To-Do will be able to work anywhere, whether it's your iPhone, iPad, or computer. You can create lists for whatever you need and quickly add items as you go. The Smart Suggestion feature learns your habits and helps you fill out your items over time, reducing time spent.
Microsoft To-Do even features subtasks, and you can add detailed notes to every task, turning it into a pseudo-note taking app as well. All of your lists may get shared with others, and you can prioritize things with colors if needed. Due dates and times can be assigned, sending you notifications when they're supposed to be done so you stay on top of your tasks. Outlook users will be pleased to hear that Microsoft To-Do integrates with your Outlook tasks too.
It may still need some time to get up to Wunderlist, but since the latter is going to be shuttered down the line, this is the next best option. Plus, it's completely free to use with no subscription model.
Capsicum
If you tend to set up reminders for things like forming habits, then Capsicum is a great contender. It also works nicely for your other to-dos as well, and even note-taking. Think of Capsicum as your digital planner.
With Capsicum in hand, the app will help you plan out your day, track your good habits (and remind you of them), and even tell your story. The app is reminiscent of a digital planner, as you can set up different notebooks for various subjects, and each one can be customized to suit your personal style. Capsicum also integrates with your calendar, so all of your important appointments, tasks, reminders, and habits are in a single place.
Capsicum is free to download and will give you a 2-week trial. Stuffit expander mac 10.8 free download. After that, you'll need to subscribe for full access to the features of the app. Subscriptions start at $2 a month or $20 annually.
Google Keep
If you're a Google user, then you should look into Google Keep. It's an all-in-one app for your notes and lists. When creating lists and reminders, you can even make them so that they're location-based and remind you as you're near the intended location, or you can opt for the standard time-based reminder as well. Google Keep also lets you share your lists and notes with other people, so there's no need to text each other back and forth.
Google Keep is free to download and all of your data will be synced with your Google Account. There are no in-app purchases, and it's fast and easy to use.
Become more productive
These are some of our favorite apps for reminders on our iPhones and iPads. Personally, I use a combination of Things 3 (work and other big tasks) and Due (small reminders for bills, medications, and whatnot).
What are your favorite apps for simple little reminders? Let us know in the comments!
May 2019: Added Capsicum and Google Keep to the list. These are the best options for reminder apps for your iPhone and iPad!
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