Once upon a time I bought a shiny new MacBook Pro. I bought it because although I’ve been a PC user for over 20 years, I needed a laptop and also to be able to test how my websites look on a Mac. I didn’t believe all the Mac-lover hype – in fact I find the whole love-in kind of obnoxious – but I do agree Macs are well-designed things of beauty, so I figured, why not.
That was almost 2 years ago, and I’m still not comfortable using the darn thing. I didn’t take a full plunge into adapting to it and so it only gets used quite occasionally for testing sites and travel. But even then – when I travel I don’t do the kind of work (neither type nor volume) I do at home. Kind of a chicken-or-egg thing, really. I never took the time to settle into the machine so it’s unproductive for me, hence I expect to be unproductive with it. I don’t go to internet cafes and do the modern mobile worker thing as much as I could if I slogged through the set up and studied the envious, mysterious ways of a Laptop Bedouin.
Now on top of all that, my PC really needs an upgrade and TLC. And I’m planning to move my home office, but don’t want to make my sweetheart pull any wiring, so that got me looking at wireless gadgets for the desktop… and well, I figure I really should have a proper go at adapting to this machine.
I spent time today arranging file structures, looking for software options, etc. I’m slowly getting better with the shortcuts and interface differences. I find “Finder” confusing sometimes; like how to move folders around to very disconnected spots (like the cut and paste in Windows). I seem to have lost one folder that displayed a “poof” and I’m not sure where it ended up. Probably something that’s uber-obvious to a Mac user… But this is the kind of thing I point out when people rave about how eeeaaasy Macs are vs. PCs. Macs take learning too, and if someone who’s very comfortable learning new software on-the-fly like myself can have trouble, that claim is too simplistic.
So if there’s any Mac-savvy readers among you, I’d love your input on software and tips.
Here’s what I have installed
- NeoOffice – just today, we’ll see how it goes
- CyberDuck
- TextWrangler – not sure how I like the integration with Cyberduck, maybe need to configure better or something
- Photoshop of course
- Parallels to run Windows
I also need some time tracking software. I’m used to TimeSlice for Windows. I’d like a desktop app so I can track time when I’m offline too. I downloaded TimePost and discovered it’s really ONLY meant for integration with online services like FreshBooks. I might go there, but until I do it’s kinda useless. I installed Time Trek and it seemed confusing. Now I’m looking at Fanurio and OfficeTime. Any suggestions?
Hardware-wise, I need to attach the MacBook to a keyboard and monitor for when I’m at home. Or maybe just put it on some kind of riser that keeps it at a better angle for typing. I hate typing on this thing with the edge of the laptop pushing into my arms. Any tips on external monitors or docking stations or really, anything that might make a person love their Mac are most welcome 
Time59 (www.time59.com) handles time and expense tracking and invoicing. The first 30 days are free. It sounds like you travel a bit and a web-based app is a real bonus in that situation.
You know, Tzaddi, I thought I was a superstar Mac user until I read your post. Heh. There are a bunch of little things I now have trouble with that I didn’t used to before I made the switch. It bums me out a little to think about this. Haha. But, I’m okay with the sacrifices I’ve made and I’m a pretty happy, loving Mac girl : )
Anyway, I’m not trying to sell you on anything — promise! — but, I wanted to let you know that FreshBooks has desktop time trackers for both Vista (http://www.freshbooks.com/widgets/windows-vista-time-tracker-gadget/) and OSX (http://www.freshbooks.com/widgets/time-tracker/).
You can track time on-the-go and while you’re offline. As long as you’re online when you submit your hours, you’re golden.
Drop me a note if you have any questions or need a hand!
Rayanne Langdon — Marketing Coordinator, FreshBooks.com
Thanks for the suggestions!
@Chris yes, I do travel a bit, and some of the travel is without wi-fi (on a ferry). So ideally I’d like to be able to track while offline. But Time59 looks like a good product other than that; nice price point compared to Freshbooks.
@Rayanne sorry to bum you out
Yeah, I saw the widget and am definitely keeping that in mind if I decide I need an invoicing solution. I haven’t felt the need for one so far so the price is kinda high from that perspective – if you look at it from long term vs. price of buying time tracking software outright.
Oh, I definitely feel you, Tzaddi. Thing is, though, if you’re not invoicing — only tracking time against projects — FreshBooks won’t cost you a thing! Our pricing structure is based on the number of clients you invoice, and since you won’t be doing that, you should be good to go. Check out our Moped (free) package ; )
OK, you sold me on at least trying it! The 3 clients thing was making it seem like not worth the bother so it’s good to know about that structure. Now that I’m in there it looks like I can archive clients too, so maybe the moped would work even for billing until I grow some more.
Now I see how it works… hand out a little candy and get us hooked, huh?
Seriously though, I appreciate the info!
Candy? Who has candy? Send some over here!
Yeah, you can definitely archive clients, but keep in mind archiving clients in FreshBooks doesn’t free up the client space — deleting does. And I know “delete” is a scary word, but we never actually delete any information. You can un-delete a client at any time (barring you have the client space) and access all his or her information.
The Moped plan works for a ton of people for quite some time, so like you said, it doesn’t hurt to give it a go ; )
Have you tried Quicksilver? It’s an essentially an application launcher, but also so much more if you want it to be.
When I’m on a Mac that doesn’t have it I feel like I’ve got one arm tied behind my back.
Also I just started using TextExpander and it’s life changing.
Thanks for the tips, Nathan. I’ll check them out. “Life changing” and not having your arm tied back sound like pretty great recommendations!
HourDoc is another tool for Time Tracking. http://www.HourDoc.com is right treatment for time and labor management processes has to be an easy-to-administer and affordable solution for Freelancers, supervisors, employees and HR and payroll managers. They offer free application to companies less than 50 employees. You must Try it!