Fifty apps organised by the problem each solves. Install five at a time, max — the gain from any app only appears once it's invisible in daily rotation.

Tasks & project management (7)

1. Things 3
2. Todoist
3. OmniFocus
4. TickTick
5. Microsoft To Do
6. Reminders (built-in, better than it gets credit for)
7. Sorted (time-block planner)

Notes & knowledge (7)

8. Notion
9. Obsidian
10. Apple Notes
11. Bear
12. Craft
13. Evernote
14. Drafts (quick-capture to anywhere)

Calendar & scheduling (5)

15. Fantastical
16. Google Calendar
17. Cron / Notion Calendar
18. Cal.com
19. Calendly

Email (4)

20. Fastmail
21. HEY
22. Spark
23. Superhuman (paid; fast)

Focus & timers (5)

24. Freedom
25. ScreenZen
26. Forest
27. Session
28. Opal

Reading & archiving (4)

29. Readwise
30. Readwise Reader
31. Instapaper
32. Pocket

Password & security (2)

33. 1Password
34. Bitwarden

Capture & quick input (4)

35. Drafts
36. Voice Memos (built-in; reliable)
37. Otter (transcription)
38. PDF Viewer Pro (annotations)

Finance & tracking (4)

39. YNAB
40. Copilot
41. Monarch
42. Splitwise (shared expenses)

Health & habits (4)

43. Streaks
44. Way of Life
45. Strong (workout logger)
46. Sleep Cycle

AI & writing assistance (4)

47. ChatGPT (iPhone)
48. Claude
49. Grammarly
50. Lex (AI-assisted drafting)

Pick one from Tasks, one from Notes, one from Calendar, one from Focus, one Password. That five-app starter kit outperforms fifty randomly chosen apps every time. Add from the others only as specific frictions appear.