Est. 2025 • Seattle, WA

The Mac Alchemist

Transforming Mac Chaos Into Productivity (Results May Vary)

"Where I spend hours researching productivity apps instead of actually being productive"

The Formula

Self-Deprecation
+ Genuine Testing
+ Mac Optimization
+ Terrible Decisions
= This Blog

Hi, I'm Nihal—your friendly neighborhood Mac obsessive who somehow thought researching productivity apps for hours WAS productivity.

I write about Mac workflows, automation, and apps that actually matter. You know, after testing approximately 47 launchers, 23 note-taking apps, and enough automation tools to make my Mac sentient.

What makes this different from every other Mac blog? I actually admit when I'm wrong. Like that time I wrote a 2,000-word defense of Alfred and then switched to Raycast two weeks later. Or when I thought I needed 240 apps from SetApp (spoiler: I didn't).

You'll find honest reviews, practical workflows, and the kind of self-aware commentary that comes from someone who spent three hours automating a task that takes five minutes manually.

Current Status: Contributing to Mac O'Clock Publication (80K+ followers) and probably over-engineering my Downloads folder as we speak.

Recent Experiments

Where I document my journey through the Mac productivity rabbit hole

The Curated Arsenal

These are the apps I actually use. Not the ones I downloaded once and forgot about. Not the ones that looked cool in screenshots. The ones that survived the brutal audit process of "do I actually launch this?"

Launchers & Productivity

  • Raycast
    My current obsession. Replaced Alfred after much denial.
  • Alfred
    Still here for file operations. We have a healthy relationship.
  • NotePlan
    Where my organized chaos lives in markdown format.
  • macOS Automator
    For when I want to feel like a real programmer.

SetApp Essentials

  • CleanMyMac X
    Because my Mac accumulates digital garbage faster than I accumulate productivity apps.
  • Bartender
    Hiding my menu bar shame since 2023.
  • iStat Menus
    For knowing exactly how many browser tabs are killing my RAM.
  • PixelSnap
    Measuring pixels like my life depends on it.

Just For Fun

  • Typeface
    My font collection organized. Finally.
  • Navi
    Browser tab management that sparks joy.
  • DaisyDisk
    Making storage visualization actually beautiful.
  • Dato
    A menu bar calendar that doesn't look like it's from 2003.

Raycast Extensions

  • Kill Process
    For when apps refuse to quit gracefully.
  • Giphy
    Essential for expressing emotions in Slack.
  • Dictionary
    Making me sound smarter since last Tuesday.
  • Reddit Search
    For "research purposes" only, obviously.

Essential Mac Settings

The tweaks that actually matter (learned through painful trial and error)

1

Disable WiFi Auto-Join for Hidden Networks

Settings → Network → WiFi → Details → Auto-join: OFF

Save yourself from my fate. Trust me on this one.

2

Set Up Folder Actions for Downloads

Automator → Folder Action → Downloads folder → Organize by file type automatically

Transform your Downloads chaos into organized bliss.

3

Configure Hot Corners Intelligently

Desktop & Dock → Hot Corners → Set up corners that actually make sense for your workflow

Not all of us need Mission Control in every corner.

4

Master Spotlight Exclusions

Spotlight → Privacy → Add folders you don't want indexed (like Downloads)

Because nobody needs 47 duplicate screenshots in their search results.

5

Customize Your Menu Bar

Control Center → Customize menu bar icons → Hide what you don't need

Or just use Bartender and hide everything. No judgment.

6

Enable Three-Finger Drag

Accessibility → Pointer Control → Trackpad Options → Enable dragging with three fingers

Life-changing. You're welcome.