Although you use your Mac regularly, you might feel you are not using the device to its total capacity. Almost all users know the Command + Space shortcut to bring up Spotlight, but some other workflows and tasks might be cumbersome. If you don’t know your way around your computer, you might be wasting precious time and reducing your productivity.
You don’t need to feel disheartened because there are simple tricks that can transform your work life when using a Mac. Some of the productivity tips are mentioned below for your convenience.
Build a Timeline using Pages
Your work might demand you to present complicated information to the shareholders or team members. However, if you cannot simplify this information, it will not help you or your team. Additionally, timelines are created to streamline work, which will help you remain on track with your project deliverables.
If you need to build a timeline on Mac, you can use Pages. Pages are the macOS native tool, and you can use it to create charts. Alternatively, you can use third-party apps like Timeline Maker Pro.
Use Hot Corners
Hot Corners is a fantastic feature that allows you to utilize the screen’s four corners. You can activate it to trigger different actions, and all you need to do is point the mouse cursor for the action to get completed. You can easily set up Hot Corners on your Mac by clicking on the Apple menu > clicking System Preferences > clicking Desktop & Screen Saver > clicking Screen Saver > clicking Mission Control > clicking Hot Corners.
For each of the four corners of your system’s display, you can click the pop-up menu and choose an option like Lock Screen, Launchpad, or Notification Center.
Suppose you wish to use one or more modifier keys, press and hold the Command + Shift + Option keys while viewing the pop-up menu. Once you are done, click OK and let the changes take effect.
Quickly Bring up the Activity Monitor
The Activity Manager is Mac’s version of the Task Manager that Windows users use. The Activity Monitor shows all the tasks and processes currently active and can help you quit the unresponsive applications so you can continue working in peace. Also, if your device is running slowly, you can go to this tool and pause all the background processes that make your system performance sluggish.
You can open the Activity Manager by pressing the Command + Option + Escape keys on your keyboard and go through the list of programs to close the ones you don’t need. It will help improve the performance of your device and save you time.
Disable the Dock Animation
Are there too many animations? Is it too distracting? It is a common complaint among Mac users that they’re easily distracted by too many animations on their devices. It can get in the way of you finishing a task or project. The best solution is to minimize the animations, such as the Dock opening animation. Keep it to a minimum so that it doesn’t bother you much. You can even hide the Dock if you don’t want this tool to take up precious screen real estate.
You can remove the auto-hide animation of the Dock by employing a Terminal command. Open the Terminal > go to Finder > go to Applications > click Utilities. Once you have opened the Terminal, you must paste defaults to com.apple.dock autohide-time-modifier -int 0;killall Dock and then press Return.
Customize the Taskbar & Dock
Most Mac users argue that the default setup for the Taskbar and Dock is not perfect for improving efficiency and productivity. They seem cluttered and might get in the middle of users trying to complete their tasks. They might even distract you from your tasks.
Therefore, you must remove everything except the bare minimum from the Taskbar and Dock. To do this, hold the Option key and drag the icons away, so they are removed. It is the quickest way to remove them and set up the Dock and Taskbar the way you want. You can smoothly finish your work by getting rid of unwanted distractions.
If you need to add new apps to the Dock, you can right-click on them, and when they’re open, click Options and click Keep in Dock. As for the Taskbar, you can decide to add Audio Control and Bluetooth for your ease of accessing these options, especially during a virtual call with your colleagues. You can add these by going to the Apple menu > clicking System Preferences and clicking Bluetooth > ticking the box next to Show Bluetooth in the Menu Bar. For adding sound control, follow the first few steps and then click Sound and tick the box next to Show Volume in the Menu Bar.
The Bottom Line
These tips will streamline your work life and enhance your productivity. Try them out immediately.
