Obsessed. Yes, this is little ole me stating that I am unapologetically obsessed with a new device I talked myself into getting. You see I honestly prefer Apple computers over brands. Not saying I don’t have other brands and don’t use them. However, I find myself rather refreshed after a day of dealing with windows to come home and enjoy the life of MacOs Sierra. Maybe having an iPhone and iPad makes me lean this way due to my life virtually syncs on the daily. I truly love the screen quality of Apple products. Well I have wanted an iMac 27 for years now. Not only because they are amazing to use, but they are simply beautiful. I was online the other day after a long day of work, saw an amazing deal for one and didn’t look back. My new post totally inspired me to write my Top Picks for Computers, Apps, and software that aids me blogging.

In blogging having the correct computer and software is key. I am going to give you all the details on all the products I use on my iMac and Macbook to blog. Not only can you use the devices to photograph for your blog due to their inept ability to upgrade any photo, but having a big screen that’s lovely to sit and type out blog posts is amazing. To me if I have a beautiful tool I am use to paint words on a page, I am more likely to have creativity flow fearlessly throughout me. I know this may sound ridiculous, but it’s the same idea that we listen to music to get the vibes going to write.

If you haven’t had the chance to use an iMac 27 or a Macbook Pro you are really missing out. Yes, they are super expensive. However, once in a blue moon you can find an amazing deal online. Granted this has been on my mind for years and was not a fast decision. It’s a financial commitment. However, I have a rule for myself that I don’t make fast decisions nor sink money into large purchases on a whim. I carefully plan my financials to allow me to do so.

I also think the iPhone is a great choice for blogging. Now I know those Android users out there may be thinking I am crazy. However, having the ability to AirDrop is one I don’t take for granted. I use AirDrop on a daily basis. I find it’s super easy to send images I have made from my laptop to my iPhone using the drag and drop method in AirDrop. Seriously these phones are iconic to photograph as well for blog posts. Afterall who doesn’t love a Rose Gold iPhone? I know my iPhone is never far from me as it’s essential for running my business and blogging.

The next tips is actually a monthly subscription. For editing all blog pictures, I use a combination of Adobe products. I use Photoshop to create images as well as to make unique combination of layers that accompanies blog posts. In the past you could outright buy these programs, but it seems now the easiest thing to do is get the $9.99 Monthly subscription. In additional I typically use Lightroom to edit all my blog pics. Bad lighting can really mess with the images and with Lightroom you can adjust particulates to correct the coloring. I using start with Lightroom and then move images to Photoshop. Both of these products are immensely useful, which you can do just about anything with images using them.

Next, I write all my posts in Microsoft word. I know this is pretty old school. However, most of the time I am places without internet and so you will see me with a USB stick everywhere. I like using Word before moving post into WordPress so that I can do most the editing before adding it to the post online. I find that sometimes typing in WordPress can really mess with the codes if you make too many change. This is just my preferred method. I also use Microsoft Excel to track my blog income and expenses. My accountant seriously thanks me every year, because I keep things super organized. I find using a blog income/expense tracker really makes tax time super easy.

Now that I have covered: the computer, the editing software, writing and tracking software it’s time to dive into apps that come in super handy. I simply adore Dropbox. I have everything sync’d on all my devices. It’s a great way to keep photos from hoarding memory. I love that I can create something on my iMac and then save it to my Dropbox and pull it on my phone to post on social media. The next app I love is Notes from Apple. I generally keep a list of hashtags in a note that I can easily access on my phone to include on social media posts. What did we ever do before apps?

I seriously love my technology system for blogging. I think all of these items aid me in writing some of the best posts I have written to date. Yes, I am loving my new computer. However, it did give me the inspiration to write this post. I hope that you find my tips here will work for you. Life is so busy that I am always looking for the better way to blog. If you have any suggestions leave them below.