Do you ever wonder what makes people tick? Is it their tireless work ethic or the support system around them? Is it their DNA or an incredible role model that inspired them to be great? Or, maybe if all else fails, their good looks.

The answers probably vary for each of us. (except for those of us who are actually good looking in which case appearance is mighty important for just about, well, everything! I submit Gisele Bundchen as proof.)

If we're really honest with ourselves, the answers are like a layer cake. Many layers make for many victories in daily life. Remove one layer and the others start to sag.

In my life, an essential component to staying productive is my toolbox of productivity apps. Some of these translate onto iPhone for mobile use but for now, I'll stick to what's working on the desktop for MAC.

We'll update these 1-2 times per year but for now, here is my list:

Nozbe: my ToDo app of choice. Works on iPhone and iPad and my favorite, on the Mac.
Gmail: the email client I use for work.
Google Docs (Google Drive): we use Google Drive as a file sharing system in the cloud.
Google Calendar: while Google Calendar doesn't sync perfectly with my iPad, I can settle for a "most of the time" success story.
Tweetbot: it's pretty and has a nice multi-collumn layout.
Apple Mail: not very fancy but simply works well. Configure the keyboard shortcuts and you can really fly through email. I use Mail for my personal email.
Google Chrome: browser of choice.
Omni Outliner: a simple outliner that I use for my podcast prep. Simply amazing!
Pocket: while Instapaper has its fanboys, I reallly enjoy Pocket for anything I'm reading online or via Twitter but can't get to right away.
Scrivener: every blog post begins in Scrivener.
Camtasia: what I use for my screencasts and demos.

These are what are helping me get more done. What's in your toolbox of apps?

Photo courtesy of BH