Some useful tools:
-Chocolatey is like yum/homebrew for Windows: https://chocolatey.org/
-Start11 (and other Stardock tools): https://www.stardock.com/products/start11/ let you once again customize W11's butchered start menu & taskbar
-Software controls for your monitor's backlight: https://twinkletray.com/
-Easy Window Switcher so you can use alt-` to switch between windows of the same app, like macOS and I think some Linux desktops: https://neosmart.net/EasySwitch/
-Microsoft PowerToys for various tweaks: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/
-Nevermind the install footprint... not worth it when you start running into update issues. Yes, there are tools out there, but why bother when you can just buy a bigger SSD?
-Windows key --> Startup Apps to disable all the useless start apps (like Adobe or Cortana)
-Windows key --> diskmgmt.msc to manage volumes
-Turn on BitLocker if you want full disk encryption
-Taking screenshots is a PITA; use Windows-Shift-S for the newest version (snipping tool), but the old print-screen /alt-printscreen shortcuts work too. Also Windows-Alt-R to record a video of the current window. For some reason that is tied into the Xbox app.
-Use 1password (or your browser if you're lazy) to sync passwords between platforms. Also supports MFAs. Lastpass is another popular one but it has security issues.
-Check out the Windows Subsystem For Linux (google it) if you need to do occasional Linux work, or just want bash. Or Ubuntu Multipass for similar functionality. Or just dual-boot/replace Windows altogether.
-The built-in text editor sucks. Use VSCode, SublimeText, Notepad++, or UltraEdit.