work from home

Mac apps to boost the productivity of your home or remote office

Photo: Domenico Loia

By Tom Twardzik

Sometimes, the difference between a successful day of work and a frustrating one is a set of efficient, uncomplicated tools. For someone working from home or otherwise away from the office, the primary tool set is often a computer. A standard word processor, a default email client and the desktop sticky notes might be enough to complete your tasks, but a more personalized and powerful desktop will boost your productivity and overhaul your creative process. The Mac apps below highlight the best ways to upgrade your tool set for a more efficient home or remote office.

Basic productivity

What are some of the most basic actions you perform on your computer? Copy-and-paste and resizing and arranging windows. Saving a fraction of a second every time you perform these actions adds up quickly, and several apps will help you do that.

Magnet.

Magnet has been at the top of the paid apps chart for months. This $0.99 utility gives your desktop more than a dozen shortcuts for resizing and arranging the windows on your screen. Whether you're on an 11" laptop or a 27" iMac, Magnet snaps any window into size and position with a number of keyboard shortcuts. It makes decluttering your digital workspace much simpler than decluttering your desk will ever be.

iPaste is another must-have utility that lives in the background and automatically stores your recent clipboard. It saves what you ask it to save and makes it available in a pop-up menu through a keyboard shortcut. And it does it for free. So you can copy three separate sentences of an article and paste them separately instead of flipping back and forth between windows, copying and pasting three times.

It's the little things.

Idea-sketching and planning

There are hundreds of brainstorming, note-taking and to-do list apps available on and off the app store, but there are few standouts who do it all in one. Fed up with Evernote's subscription model but still willing to pay? Try Notability, the Mac version of iPad's ultimate idea space. Type, draw, annotate, record audio, add photos and PDFs—it does everything. For $10 and no subscription, it'll quickly replace all of Evernote's functionalities.

OneNote

Or, for a free alternative, go for Microsoft's OneNote. The only catch here is that you'll have to create a (free) Microsoft account. OneNote offers a toolset similar to Notability (if a bit less polished and more… Microsoft). It offers a powerful notation space, especially for anyone already in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Agenda.

For a more structured planning app, Agenda is a great alternative to Trello. It's a date-focused notes/journal combination that incorporates your calendar to offer a to-do list, note space and calendar on one screen. Seeing previously completed to-dos and past dates in the same line as future events is surprisingly helpful. It adds temporal context to every glance at your upcoming tasks and notes. $25 gets you all of the synching and exporting features not included in the free app.

Maybe you're looking for a pure, simple, full-featured, free to-do list to replace Todoist, Things or any of the other paid or subscription-based apps out there. Enter Wunderlist. Not only does it offer all of the features of the others for free (including sync, subtasks and an Apple Watch app), but it has collaboration features, too. Use it to manage all of your own projects or set up your coworkers or family with access to shared lists to split up the workload.

Collaboration

Notion.

Speaking of collaborating, you might be searching for a change in routine to boost creativity or energize your team. A new app could be the solution, a replacement for Slack or Trello or Google Drive. Try Notion. It's a free, universal notes/to-dos/wiki app that works on desktop, mobile or in-browser on any computer. You can work offline, sync between devices, invite your team to workspaces and collaborate in real time. It looks great, too. There is a paid pro tier that removes limits on card numbers and upload sizes, but the free version has plenty of features for a small team.

Email

Collaborating with a small team is easy with an app like Notion, but email still dominates working from home or out of office. It's often a necessary drudge, but make it easier on yourself with Spark. This free email app from Readdle offers features like email snooze, send scheduling, swipe shortcuts, pinned messages, tons of smart folder options and more, all with the goal of reaching Inbox Zero. Spark wants to change your habits from leaving thousands of old, unread messages in your inbox to archiving or deleting those messages and leaving only the messages you need in your inbox or in a folder. The snooze feature, alone, makes it worth downloading.

The work

All of these time-saving productivity apps lead to one thing: the work. Two app highlights are worth mentioning: Be Focused and iA Writer.

Be Focused.

Be Focused is a tiny timer app that lives in the menu bar as a stopwatch icon. Set the timer and ��click start, and the app simply counts down. It doesn't block social media or lock you into a writing screen like other apps. It is not a restriction or a monitor, but a reminder to break up your work into blocks and take short breaks in between those blocks. You'll see that this psychological trick helps quite a bit.

iA Writer.

iA Writer is an essential tool for anyone whose work involves a significant amount of writing. It presents a beautiful, simple, powerful, Markdown-compatible writing space and brags a feature called "Focus Mode." When you enable it, this mode dims all of the text that is not the current sentence (or paragraph, or whatever you choose) so that your eyes remain on the current thought. It drives the work forward by avoiding the editing-while-writing quicksand. iA Writer can also highlight syntax in different colors, revealing your love of adverbs or repetitive verb use. And it has "Night Mode," a white-on-black theme that saves the eyes during late-night projects.

In the end, the work is up to you. But you can help yourself finish projects more quickly and efficiently with the help of the apps above.

Tom Twardzik is a writer covering personal finance, productivity and investing for Paypath. He also contributes pop culture reviews for Popdust and travel writing for The Journiest. Read more on his website and follow him on Twitter.

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6 of the Best Jobs to Make Extra Money from Home

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You may have a full-time job, or perhaps a part-time gig, but most of us could use some extra money. Unless you have a super-high-paying career (or a trust fund), the struggle to pay the bills and afford the extras is real.

Have you considered further padding your wallet and bulking up your bank account by taking on an additional job from the comfort of your own home? We're not talking scams and schemes, but real deal jobs that bring in much-needed cash.

Here are six that may just fit the bill when you're anxious about paying your next bill.

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Your Opinion Matters

Get paid to take surveys. Yes, it's as simple as filling out questionnaires and clicking thoughtfully about your preferences. As per The Penny Hoarder, "Surveys are a great way to cash in on your down time. Fill them out while you're watching TV, riding the bus or waiting in line. One survey site we love is called InboxDollars. It offers several short, daily surveys. If you take all of them each day, you could earn an extra $730 a year."

Another legit survey site to check out is MySurvey. You'll get paid up to $5 per survey, get free stuff to test out, and be an influencer on what consumers buy in the future. MySurvey rewarded more than $30 million to their members, so it's worth a shot.

Keep the Books

Are you good with numbers, management, and organization? If you like helping others keep their matters in order and you have some extra time on your hands in the evenings and on weekends, consider becoming a virtual bookkeeper.

According to Accounting Tools, "(A bookkeeper) creates financial transactions and creates financial reports from that information. The creation of financial transactions includes posting information to accounting journals or accounting software from such source documents as invoices to customers, cash receipts, and supplier invoices. The bookkeeper also reconciles accounts to ensure their accuracy."

As per The Penny Hoarder, "You can earn up to $60 per hour as a part-time bookkeeper. You don't have to have a CPA to be successful in this business. All you really need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems."

These days, there's not much need to be there in person when nearly everything is at your fingertips online. Keep the books and keep that cash flow coming in.

Help Others Earn an A+

Are you skilled and well-versed in a particular field or area of education? Tutoring from home is a great way to help others make the grade and you can set your own hours when you've got the time to teach. Virtual tutoring is the way to go these days, something that is efficient for both parties.

As per Work at Home Adventures, "The best part about online tutoring jobs is that you can find a job that perfectly matches your skills."

Try virtual tutoring via Skype or video-conferencing and you'll feel like your right there with the student.

Work at Home Adventures lists 27 of the best online tutoring jobs for making extra money from home. Some require more experience and education than others, but there is something for everyone who has the patience and talent to teach.

The "Write" Stuff

Do you have a knack for writing? If you are eloquent, efficient, and expressive, freelance writing can be a great way to make extra money doing something you enjoy.

As per The Balance, "Freelance writing is the practice of writing for money, in its simplest state. Freelance writers produce whatever written text is needed by their clientele, generally at home in their own office, for money. They write for many different clients, often at one time."

This is the sort of job that can be done as little or as often as you have the time for. To get started, peruse Elna Cain's 20 ways to find freelance writing jobs (as a beginner). From cold pitching to guest posting to networking to joining social media groups, these tips will get you going and making money by being creative.

Critical Thinking

If you already watch YouTube videos and movie previews on your smartphone, why not make a few bucks in the process?

According to Scott Alan Turner, "You can get paid for watching videos including movie previews, news, celebrity videos, and all kinds of other videos. Sites like Swagbucks ask you to watch certain videos and like them. You have to watch for a certain number of minutes which you'll be told ahead of time. You could earn over $200 a month."

Swagbucks states that they give out 7,000 free gift cards every day. You ought to reap the rewards for some at-home entertainment too!

Set Your Sights on Websites

Scott Alan Turner notes another way to make some extra cash is by testing websites. You can earn up to $30 per hour. "Just open a website, click around, and get paid. New or updated website owners compensate you to test their sites."

Sign up with UserTesting and get paid to test. "UserTesting pays you to visit websites or apps, complete a set of tasks, and speak your thoughts aloud." Companies like Microsoft, eBay, Yahoo!, Orbitz, and Facebook use this service, so your opinion matters.

If you're willing to put in some time at home, making extra money is something you can bank on!

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The Best Places to Get Office Supplies

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You could have a desk like everybody else's, or you could make it stand out. Bring your personal style into the office and make your desk your own. Here are some of the best places to buy unique, fun, and beautiful office supplies.

Target

Target office supplies

Hey, you're already here for dish soap, aren't you? Target also has great office supplies! Check out the affordable meets glam line of office supplies by Nate Berkus. Deck out your desk in gold accented pieces to stand out from the crowd. Whether you want hammered gold letter sorter, shining pencil holder, or a glittering tape dispenser, you can up the drama. Skip the typical office attire for this glam glow up.

Wayfair

Wayfair office supplies

If you want a whole office renovation or just a couple of desktop organizers, Wayfair has you covered. Interesting desks, unique office chairs, aesthetically pleasing filing cabinets, Wayfair has it all. They also are incredibly wide-ranging in their decors, so whatever your personal style is, it will be represented. If you head there and get scared by prices, don't panic because there are plenty of products available in every price range! Don't know which direction to decorate; check out their awesome room ideas!

Think Geek

Think Geek Office Supplies

If you have a very specific design theme in mind based on your favorite book, tv show, or video game, then check out Think Geek. They have things that are useful, but they also have just plain fun desk decorations. Bring out your inner geek, have the most interesting desk, and fill your space with all of your favorite fandoms.

Poppin

Poppin Office Supplies

If you're looking for a desk upgrade that won't cost too much, then check out Poppin. They specialize in colorful modern office supplies that add something new without breaking the bank. The bright colors bring the fun while the sleek lines add a sophisticated element that makes this aesthetically pleasing.

Amazon

Amazon office supplies

Sky's the limit with Amazon office supplies. Any aesthetic you choose for your desk is right at your fingertips. Go cute and whimsical, modern sophisticate, or full-on glam with every kind of office product you could need. I mean, it's Amazon! There are a million things waiting for you, but you just have to head down the rabbit hole and seek them out.

Anthropologie

Anthropologie Office Supplies

Office supplies never stood a chance against this fashion mogul. A mix of modern and classic styles from a high end expert, they have a more quirky approach to office supplies that doesn't really feel childlike... more fun adult with a twist. Whether you're looking for boho styles, standout metallics, or whimsical goods, you'll find what you need.

TJ Maxx

TJ Maxx Office Supplies

One of your favorite clothing and home goods store also has some gorgeous office supplies. Let's be honest it's all about rooting through your stores' specific products and seeing if there is a diamond in the rough, but the online store is a good bet if you are looking for something specific. So next time you're on the hunt for a maxxinista deal, go check out what hidden gems are lying amongst the large buddha heads and scented candles.

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3 Clerical Jobs You Can Do From Home

Make your home your office. At one point our society placed high value on how many hours you logged in the office. Increasingly though now, more and more people are opting to spend more time at home and with family. Working from home presents many benefits - from reducing/ eliminating commuting costs, more time with the kids, more personal freedom. Majority of people aren't adverse to work, however the dredges of the workplace are what results in high turnover rates. Digital globalization has broke open the doors to all sorts of new income streams for people, allowing folks to be able to work from home or wherever else they'd might like. If you've got the skills you can command your hours and your price. Here is a list of 3 clerical jobs you can do from home.

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