How To Use Your Mac To Be More Efficient And Productive

Many of us work hard to keep our physical space neat and orderly, helping us concentrate on our daily tasks. However, it’s also important to use the same approach when it comes to our computers, as they can greatly affect our productivity levels. So, if you aim to achieve more quickly, consider examining your Mac and learning new methods to boost your productivity and efficiency. Below you will find some of our best tips on using your Mac for productivity and resolving any issues which may be slowing it down.

Keep Your Mac Startup Disk Tidy 

If you are running low on storage, there might be a few actions that you can take to optimize your Mac. However, keeping your Mac startup tidy should be one of the first things to consider, as this way, you can avoid a number of issues which may affect the performance of your device. Seeing a message saying ‘Mac startup disk full’ means that you may have too many outdated files, caches, or apps you don’t use anymore. Keep in mind that moving things to Trash is unlikely to resolve this issue. Check out Setapp’s guide for step-by-step instructions on what to do in this situation.

Create A Good Organizational System

Creating an effective organizational system tailored to your needs and goals is another crucial task to prioritize. Typically, Macs come with various quality organizational tools and settings that you can take advantage of.

For example, you can:

• color-code your folders 

• use tagging and labeling

• stay on top of your schedule with a built-in calendar

• sync your documents and files across all devices

• use Time Machine to back up your entire system

No matter what system you come up with, it’s essential to make it easy to find documents, applications, and other files more quickly and easily so that you can focus on your tasks.

Start Using Keyboard Shortcuts

You may not realize this but the time it takes to relocate your hand from your keyboard to your mouse and back may mean you are wasting precious time. This is where keyboard shortcuts may come in handy to help you save some time and boost your productivity. Thankfully, there are keyboardshortcuts for practically every app you normally use. Mac devices usually come with a few preset keyboard shortcuts that you can view by going to System Preferences. Alternatively, you can create your own shortcuts or use tools, such as Keyboard Maestro.

Update Your Operating System

This one might sound obvious, but it’s something that many Mac users often forget. Remember that keeping your Mac up-to-date can significantly impact its performance, security, and other factors that may affect your productivity. Therefore, monitoring your operating system and updating it every time a new version is released is crucial. Similarly, you should also keep your apps updated so that you can fix bugs and enhance security. It’s also possible to set your operating system and apps to update automatically, if you think you may forget.

Remove Clutter On Your Desktop

Your desktop environment is another key factor to consider, which might make it difficult to stay focused. It’s often recommended to forego using folders and icons on your desktop altogether for the best results. The fewer folders and icons you have on your desktop, the less virtual clutter you need to deal with, which can help you increase productivity. Also, you will need to use your home folder and focus on keeping your files organized. Moreover, it can be a good idea to choose a plain or colored background instead of a desktop wallpaper, as it will be less visually-distractive. When switching between tasks, you won’t be distracted by the imagery you have chosen for your desktop wallpaper.

Experiment With The Focus Feature

The Focus feature was introduced with the aim of helping you filter your notifications. For instance, you can set up your Focus feature to only allow emergency contacts and colleagues to contact you during working hours. Depending on your needs, you can also assign notification settings for each part of your day. Moreover, Focus syncs across multiple devices, so if you have an iPhone, any changes you make will be reflected on your Mac immediately, keeping your notifications in check.

Switch Off Your Mac Every Now And Then

Leaving your computer running constantly can have a negative effect on its performance and, thus, your productivity. Therefore, it can be helpful to unplug every once in a while. Similar to other devices, Macs often require reboot cycles to reset software and scripts. As such, remember to shut down your Mac the next time you finish your tasks for the day. As a result, you’ll likely have a more productive day tomorrow, and your computer will work more efficiently.