What’s on my Macbook? | MacBook Apps for Productivity in Grad School and Academia

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Hello, friends! Today, I’m talking aaaall about what’s on my MacBook! I’ve done a lot of posts about some of my favorite tools on the iPad, but the apps I use on my MacBook are equally as important to my productivity in grad school - sometimes an app solves problems that I didn’t even know I had! So without further ado, my favorite MacBook apps for productivity in grad school :)

My MacBook Pro Setup

• 13 inch MacBook Pro

• MacBook Pro Hard Case

• Keyboard Cover (best, thinnest keyboard cover ever!)

• Apple Magic Mouse

• Apple Magic Keyboard

(1) Zotero

Free to Download on Mac or PC

Y’ALL. If you are a grad student or an academic, DO NOT SLEEP ON A CITATION MANAGER. I repeat. DO NOT SLEEP ON A CITATION MANAGER. There is nothing more tedious and unnecessary than having to do all of your citations by hand. Yes, a citation manager isn’t going to be perfect, but technology is a reaaaally powerful thing and it can get you 80% of the way there - so use it!

My citation manager of choice is Zotero and the most powerful way I’ve found to use it is to also download the Zotero Google Chrome extension. This extension allows you to save articles from webpages you’re visiting and most of the time, it’s able to save all of the information you need for a citation. Then once you’ve saved the article, you can easily right click on any entry and ask it to create a bibliography out of the items you’ve selected. It even saves a copy of the article in PDF form (if it’s available) so that you can access the PDF easily through Zotero. I literally use Zotero every single time I’m writing a research paper and cannot recommend it ENOUGH.

(2) Magnet

$7.99 on the App Store

If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s an easier way to look at two windows on your MacBook screen, you NEED Magnet. I’m usually not a big purchaser of apps on my MacBook but damn if this little app isn’t worth every single penny.

If you’re an academic or student - you know what it’s like to write a paper or run a bit of data analysis and need to have every 1000 windows up in order to write one dang sentence. Magnet is an app that allows you to super easily split up your screen real estate with quick shortcuts. It has tons of options (e.g., you can split your screen into halves, thirds, quarters etc) and makes viewing things in the ideal format a lot easier.

The app is inherently simple and doesn’t do much other than that, but this is a game changer. ANY app that turns something that would’ve taken me a minute to adjust and turns it into a 1 second keyboard is saving you time in the long term and making it easier for you to be productive!

(3) Notion

Free for Educators/Students

If you’ve taken a peek at my Best Notetaking Apps for Students post, you know that I have a bit of a mixed relationship with Notion! I’ve had a couple of experiences of not being able to access my notes at vital time points, so for that reason, I can’t 100% recommend it as a good notetaking app for students. However, I can recommend it as a tool for productivity!

Notion is absolutely great for tracking progress on projects and I frequently use it as a way of tracking blog posts I’m writing and where I am in the process of writing those blog posts! It’s also super, super useful for writing literature reviews for research papers because you can easily tag, filter, and sort papers based on content.

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(4) Google Drive

Free to Download: 15 GB of free storage, then paid.

This is going to sound like Zotero 2.0 buuut it has to be said - if you are a grad student or academic, DO NOT SLEEP ON A FILE MANAGER! I swear the number of files that lived on my computer increased by a billion as soon as I became a grad student. I have about 1000 versions of my dissertation and every research article under the sun saved on my computer, so having a file manager that automatically backs up my computer and allows me to access the files on any device has been a life saver on MULTIPLE occasions!

My file manager of choice is Google Drive because I already use Google for many other services (e.g., gmail) and because unlimited storage is offered by my university. Not only is it vital when your computer or another device decides to die on you, you also never know when you might need to access a file from your office at work or on your phone or iPad - and using Google Drive to sync everything has given me a lot of peace of mind.

P.S. if you haven’t already - definitely take a look at what digital file management systems your university already provides for students and faculty. It’s worth taking advantage of it since it’s a resource that is available to you!

(5) Alfred

Free on the App Store

Alfred may be my favorite Macbook app of ALL TIME. Literally, life changing. It has saved me SO much time over the years and has made my life SO MUCH EASIER. Alfred is an app that allows you to search for any or file on your computer or search the web with a quick keyboard shortcut. You can pick the keyboard shortcut that works for you (mine is control + space bar) and then whenever you type in that shortcut, no matter what app or window you’re viewing on your computer, alfred will pop up and you can start typing down whatever it is you’re searching for.

Now, this might not sound like a super helpful app at the onset but think about ALL of the time you usually spend navigating to an app on your computer desktop or searching for a file that you’ve buried god knows where. With Alfred all you have to do is hit your keyboard shortcut and start typing the name of the file or the name of the app you’re looking for. Hit enter as soon as you see it and your file or app will start opening. This has saved me TONS of time since navigating to the file I’m looking for usually takes me a couple of minutes - but when I search for it on alfred, the file I’m looking for usually appears within the first 3-4 letters I type! A really simple, elegant solution for a problem I didn’t even know I had 😊

(6) OneNote

I’ve talked extensively about using OneNote on my iPad so I won’t go too in-depth here, but it’s worth mentioning on this list, too, because it is again one of my most used app on my MacBook. I use OneNote to track every research idea, every research project, and every teaching lesson I’ve ever planner. I also use it all the time for personal projects like improving my mental health, journaling, and collecting all of my favorite recipes! To see how I use OneNote check out my best apps for notetaking app.

All in all, most of my favorite macbook apps are all about making life easier by reducing any friction that might prevent me from being productive. Many of these apps are conceptually simple but make a massive difference in helping my day-to-day work run more smoothly! What are your favorite MacBook apps? I’m always interested in trying more and would love to hear your favorites!

Regular iPad versus iPad Pro for Grad School | Which Should You Choose?

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As many of you know I'm a big proponent of using iPads for grad school - there are so many great benefits to it! But, how do you know which iPad to get? There are so many on the market now and it's tough to figure out what you actually need when there are so many bells and whistles to look at! Last year, I decided to switch to a 12.9 inch iPad Pro from my 9.7 inch 6th gen iPad - but even though I now have a newer, larger iPad, I find that I still use both of my iPads regularly. Today, I'll compare the two iPads to help you figure out which one is the best fit for you.

P.S. If you’re curious about how I use my iPad and the apps I use on my iPad, I wrote a couple other posts about how I use my iPad for grad school: What’s on my iPad? and How I use my iPad for Grad School

Cat for scale :) — just kidding! Ollie just has really bad FOMO and always wants to be involved in everything, including taking photos of iPads!

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My iPad Pro Set-up

• 12.9 inch iPad Pro, 256 GB

• Apple Pencil 2

• Apple Pencil case

• Thin case from Amazon

• Keyboard case from Amazon

• Matte screen protector

My Regular iPad Setup

• 6th Gen 9.7 inch iPad, 32 GB (the specific iPad I have is no longer available to be purchased new, but there are many refurbished options if that’s the specific one you want!

• Apple Pencil 1

• Apple Pencil Case (similar, the one I have is no longer available)

• Clear Case

• Flat Covered Case

• Keyboard Case

• Mosiso Sleeve

• Matte screen protector

Functionality (Winner: iPad Pro)

Alright, so I'm not very tech-y when it comes to defining functionality, but what I will say is that my iPad Pro makes working on my iPad much more seamless. Simply put, it's a more powerful iPad so you get less lag, things download faster, and your iPad crashes way less (something that happened to me a lot with older iPads). This is probably a minor point for most people, but I can get pretty impatient and I also tend to load up my iPads with tons of apps, photos, and downloads, so an iPad that can continue to run things smoothly even after I load up ALL of my stuff on it makes my life a lot easier.

App Availability (Tie)

As as grad student, my primary use case for my iPad is as a planner, for taking notes, and for reading journal articles. These requirements are all satisfied by both iPads and you can pretty much get all the same apps on both iPads!

Cost (Winner: Regular iPad)

This is pretty much a given but the iPad Pro is going to cost you at least $1000 (yep you read that right) whereas the regular iPad cost me around $300. My specific iPad Pro was around $1300 because I opted for the 12.9 inch screen over the 11 inch screen and added some extra storage (I have the 256 GB version) so that I could make the iPad last longer. If you’re not a crazy iPad obsessed person like myself, then I think the regular iPad is more than enough - especially for the $1000 price difference.

Screen (Tie)

This might be a hot take, but I don’t really care that much about screen clarity - ah! I know the die hard Apple fans are going to be upset about that one because the iPad Pro screen is supposedly SO much better than the regular iPad screen. Don’t get me wrong, it is better and I can tell, but for my use case, it doesn’t really matter how clear it is because I don’t notice it a ton and I usually end up putting a matte screen protector on it anyway.

Portability (Winner: Regular iPad)

This is the primary reason I still use my regular iPad on an everyday basis. I LOVE my iPad Pro but I usually use it at home when i can lay it flat on my work desk or prop it up to watch TV. If I’m on the go working in a coffee shop or on campus, I typically prefer to bring my regular 9.7 inch iPad because it’s so much lighter and easier to carry. I also love that it’s a good notebook size so it really feels like I’m carrying a paper planner around!

Storage (Tie)

You can add different tiers of storage to either iPad so it’s really customizable to how much storage you think you’ll need! Personally, I bought a 256 GB iPad Pro because I knew that 32 or 64 GB was too small for the number of video lectures I record (they take up so much space!) and Netflix shows I download :P

Access (Winner: iPad Pro)

Ok, this one might seem like a minor one but trust me - it’s not. The regular iPad I have right now is an older model that only uses your thumbprint to unlock the iPad whereas my iPad Pro has Face ID. I love Face ID because I’m constantly snacking, washing my hands etc and my thumbprint is almost never recognized! Alternatively, though, if Face ID makes you uncomfortable (which I know it does many people) then you should opt for an older iPad model for the fingerprint unlocking option.

The Fun Side (Winner: iPad Pro)

Outside of using my iPad for grad school work, I also use it for playing games (Fellow SIMS and Diner Dash playing friends - looking at you!), watching TV, and drawing/doodling. For these purposes, the iPad Pro wins by a landslide. There’s just something so much more satisfying about having all of that screen real estate to move things around, pull up multiple programs, and see all of your Diner Dash restaurants :P

Accessories (Winner: Regular iPad)

I have both the Apple Pencil 1, which goes with the older iPad, and the Apple Pencil 2, which goes with the Pro and other newer models. Unfortunately, you can’t buy an older iPad and a newer Apple Pencil (or vice versa) because they’re not compatible. Though the Apple Pencil 2 is a little sleeker, charges via magnet, and magnetizes to the side of the iPad, I actually think this is somewhat inferior to the old Apple Pencil 1. The old Apple Pencil 1 charges by plugging the pencil into the charging port of the iPad which means that you can have any case you want on both the iPad and the pencil and it will charge. This isn’t the case for the Apple Pencil 2 - I have a sleeve on the pencil and a case on the iPad Pro which means that my pencil won’t charge when both cases are on — I have to remove one or the other. This is super inconvenient because I like to have both on at all times to protect my devices and have to remove one in order to charge the pencil.

So what’s the verdict?

I think in most cases, the smaller regular iPad (or maybe the student iPad? it may go by a different name now!) is more than sufficient for a grad student! The reason I chose to get a bigger, more powerful iPad Pro is because I'm looking at my iPad every single day and use it for eeeeverything I possibly can. If I can do it on my iPad instead of my computer, I'll do it. If I can do it on my iPad instead of on paper, I'll do it. I find it easier to be looking at a bigger screen and it's helpful for my frustration level if the processing speed of my iPad is also fast enough that I'm not hindered by a document loading.

But I realize that the way I use my iPad is not the norm and that most grad students may not use an iPad for reading, planning, writing - everything. So, if you're a grad student or an academic and you're just looking for something where you can jot down quick notes and read papers for class or for research, then a regular 9.7 inch iPad is more than sufficient. On top of that, having the smaller iPad is so much more convenient for throwing in your bag and bringing to campus. And it'll save you a lot of money without really losing that much functionality!

I hope this was helpful! Got any more questions? Send me an email or leave me a comment - I love talking about my tech and productivity and would be happy to chat more! :)

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Notability vs. Goodnotes for Grad Students | What's the Best Notetaking App for Grad School?

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I'm now into my 3rd year of graduate school and honestly think to myself every day - what the heck would I do without my iPad?! BUT my iPad would be nothing without the slew of notetaking apps that have been my daily companions throughout my PhD program.

Here is my current iPad set-up:

My iPad Set-up

• 12.9 inch iPad Pro, 256 GB

• Apple Pencil 2

• Apple Pencil case

• Thin case from Amazon

• Matte screen protector

I've talked about How I use my iPad and what kinds of apps I use as a PhD student, but today I thought I'd do a deep dive on the two most popular note-taking apps, Notability and Goodnotes, and what you can expect out of each of them! I use both Notability and Goodnotes daily, so I think a case can be made for each of them!

Notability ($8.99)

Notability is a note-taking app that, for me, primarily functions as a PDF reader with a crazy sophisticated note-taking component attached to it. You can write, draw, highlight, insert a post-it note, type text, add an image, or even insert audio as you are taking notes. Although you can certainly use it without the PDF reading component and just use it as a blank page to take notes, I think notability is most powerful when you're using it with lecture slides or an article that you need to read for class.

Of all the apps on my iPad, for my PhD, I use notability the most by a landslide. I started using it at the beginning of my grad school career to download all of my readings so I could highlight, write, annotate etc all over the PDFs and not have to print out a mountain of paper every single week. Even though I'm no longer taking classes as a dissertator, I'm still reading tons of papers for my own research so notability is an app I use daily!

Organization: One of the key differences between notability and goodnotes is the way notes are organized. Notability is organized in more of a traditional "computer-y" style. You can organize your notes by subject, then group those subjects into dividers, and color code them to your heart's content! I have to admit that this isn't my favorite organization style. I don't find it very intuitive and it feels less like taking notes in a notebook and more like a collection of computer files. This is why I treat notability more as a PDF reader where it houses my library of annotated articles and books.

Use Cases:

• Reading and annotating articles: This is the most obvious use case, but it should not be underestimated! I've been in grad school seminars where other students have printed out all of the readings and highlighted and written on paper. While there's nothing wrong with this, it's time-consuming, isn't great for the planet, and isn't easily accessible if you want to search for a certain note from your readings. For me, buying an iPad just to take notes on academic readings has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.

• Taking notes and recording audio during classes: I think this is truly where I fell in love with Notability. You can also download lecture slides and take notes on them in real-time during lecture. On top of that, you can also record audio and take notes at the same time. Notability's audio feature has allowed me to record entire lectures via audio and it syncs with my written notes to show me at what point in the audio I took which notes.

• Document scanning and taking notes on books: Depending on your field of study, you might be reading entire books for your classes rather than journal articles. I read a mix of both for my research and notability has been a game-changer in this area because I can check out books from the library, use the document scanning feature on Notability to scan important pages, and then annotate them without destroying a precious library book :)

Where Notability Wins: Notability definitely wins when it comes to being able to annotate. There's truly no comparison. The one thing that is common to nearly all grad school experiences is that you are constantly reading A LOT - and when you're reading hundreds upon hundreds of pages of research content each week, being able to highlight and write all over your readings is truly a godsend. Plus, I feel like the longer I've had it, the more uses I seem to find for it!

Goodnotes ($7.99)

Goodnotes is the most common note-taking app pitted against Notability - and while they have many similar functions, Goodnotes' organization system is slightly different than Notability's which means it may be better for you if you are someone who prefers to have things organized by notebook rather than by file. With Goonotes, you can also upload files, annotate files, insert images, etc. In essence, Goodnotes can do everything that Notability can do, but is organized slightly differently which can make a huge difference if you are someone (like me!) who has very strong preferences for how things are organized!

Organization: I have always been an avid notebook, planner, and journal user so I find that Goodnotes is a much better replacement for that due to its notebook based organization system. In Goodnotes, you can actually create a notebook OR a document and then you can nest those notebooks or documents within folders. While the document storing on Goodnotes is fine, it is definitely more catered to the notebook system because you can create a cover for each notebook that is visible when you open the folder. In addition to that, Goodnotes offers a whole host of built-in templates like different notebook paper, graph paper, and planner pages.

Use Cases:

• Planner: I have been an avid planner addict for years and purchasing Goodnotes, it has become the home of my digital planner where I use daily, weekly, and monthly spreads to plan out my teaching, research, and dissertation-related responsibilities. I love having a digital planner because you can pick templates that work best for you and switch between templates if you have a busier vs. more relaxed day.

• Goal Setting: Like I said... I am a big planner nerd 😅 so I've gotten into the habit of doing all of these goal setting worksheets and planning goals at a weekly and monthly level. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - but Goodnotes has always been the home for my goal-setting planner because I can collect different goal setting templates and fill them out all in one place!

• Notebook - Like I mentioned before, Goodnotes has essentially eliminated the need for all of the notebooks I had floating around my home before! If there are any thoughts or to do's I want to jot down quickly, I'll jot them in a catchall notebook on Goodnotes so I can re-visit and even search for them later.

• Scrapbook/bulletin board: In my free time I enjoy doing crafts or DIY projects and I've found Goodnotes to be the perfect fit for planning out those projects. For example, I'm currently loving making my own polymer clay earrings and to plan this project out, I've collected photos of my favorite designs and put them all together in a scrapbook style Goodnotes notebook where I take inspiration from my favorite designs and make them my own.

• Doodles, illustrations, coloring: I also find that Goodnotes is a great place for me to collect simple coloring pages and create simple doodles and illustrations. It's definitely no Procreate, but if I'm just designing my own sticker for my planner - it does the trick!

Where Goodnotes Wins: More flexibility and as a notebook replacement. If you're looking for a true notebook replacement, Goodnotes is where it's at. You can choose notebook paper templates that work best for you and replace just about any type of paper based notebook in a way that is easy to understand and user friendly. It also has a lot more flexibility when it comes to how you want to organize your notebooks - which allows for a more free flowing, creative application.

The Lowdown on Both: Syncing & Cost

The downside is that they both cost money - something that isn't true of all notetakings apps- and I know that with the low stipends given to most grad students, an expensive app may not be in the cards. The good news for both Goodnotes and Notability is that they are one-time purchases (not subscriptions) so once you buy it, it's yours to keep. The bad news is that if you want it to sync across your different devices (e.g., your Mac) you will need to buy the Mac version of the app. If you buy the iPad version of Goodnotes or Notability, you can automatically download it to your iPhone, but if you want it to sync to your Mac, it requires a separate Mac app.

I wrestled with buying the Mac app in addition to both iPad apps but in the end, I think it was well worth it. I use both apps daily and when I'm writing notes on my iPad but then want to switch to typing up a summary on my laptop, it's nice to be able to swing around to my laptop and have it available there as well. For me, paying for both the iPad and Mac versions of both apps has been WELL worth it because of how much headache and trouble they've saved me.

Another downside I wanted to point out for both apps is that syncing your notes across both apps is not always a seamless process. I have had issues with both apps not syncing and needing to troubleshoot the apps by updating them, deleting them, redownloading them, forcing it to sync over and over again - you know the drill. 80% of the time the syncs work well, but that remaining 20% of the time is frustrating AF. If you choose only to have the apps on your iPad though - which is still GREAT - then you'll never run into this problem 😝

It's common for students to either use Notability OR Goodnotes - but not necessarily both. I use both apps but for slightly different purposes and have found that both apps bring a whole lot of value to my PhD and personal life. Whichever notetaking app you choose, I think, largely depends on how you plan on using the app and what your personal notetaking style is like. I hope this deep dive was helpful! If you have any other questions, drop me a comment below and I'd be happy to help!

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