I just picked up a new MacBook Pro 14" for personal use. Here’s what I’ve installed on my first day with it. In other words, these are my “essential items” for a comfortable macOS environment.

• 1Password, the keys to my digital world
• Aerial video screensaver
• Automounter to keep my NAS volume mounted
• Bartender to hide most of the Menu bar icons for the other apps on this list
• CleanShot X for better screenshot taking and sharing
• Fantastical to keep my calendar at my fingertips
• Homebrew for installing terminal apps/tools
  • asdf
    • NodeJS
  • Git
• iTerm2 a more powerful terminal
  • oh-my-zsh
  • Powerlevel10k
• LaunchBar to do just about anything with a few keystrokes
• Little Snitch to block unwanted Internet connections from apps
• Mona Beta, my preferred macOS Mastodon client
• Moom to keep my windows tidy (see my video)
• PixelSnap, which integrates nicely with CleanShot X to auto-size screenshot selections
• Pocket Casts to listen to podcasts
• Reeder to read feeds
• Rewind to never forget anything I see, hear, or say
• Spark Desktop to read email (see my review)
• Things, my to-do list
• Unsplash Wallpapers to keep my desktop background fresh
• Visual Studio Code to write code
• Yoink to make drag-and-drop nicer
• Safari extensions:
  • 1Blocker
  • 1Password for Safari
  • Homecoming for Mastodon
  • Kagi Search
  • Mapper to open Google Maps links in Apple Maps
  • Super Agent to reduce cookie prompts
  • Vinegar to clean up embedded YouTube videos