Here are some of the things I typically do on a new installation of Kali Linux:
apt update && apt upgrade
apt autoremove
## If running as VMware guest:
apt install open-vm-tools-desktop
## Install some of the tools I use:
apt install emacs shutter sshuttle
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.mouse natural-scroll false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad natural-scroll false