14 Tips & Tricks to Turn Your Mac into a Productivity Paradise

Quick Tips / October 23, 2019 / Kristie

When you run a small business, productivity is everything! The good news is, your Mac comes equipped with several ways to turn you into a productivity machine. Whether you’re a first-time Mac user or a seasoned pro, there’s always something new to learn in macOS! Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite tips that keep us more efficient than ever. Did we miss any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments!

animated character riding vespa up an arrow

Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are a must for anyone looking to get more done, and once you get in the habit of using them, you’ll never turn back! 

Silence distractions

Command ( ⌘ ) + click the Notification Center icon to toggle Do Not Disturb mode and quickly silence any distractions

Take a screenshot

Command ( ⌘ ) + Control + Shift + 4 to take a screenshot and have it automatically copied to the clipboard(and not saved on the desktop! Bye clutter!)

Quick search

Command ( ⌘ ) + Spacebar to open up Spotlight Search and easily find what you’re looking for

Switching apps

Command ( ⌘ ) + Tab to switch through your open apps without using a mouse or trackpad

Find documents

Command ( ⌘ ) + Shift + O to open up your Documents Folder

Multiple-select

Command ( ⌘ ) + A to easily select all items

Jump to preferences

Command ( ⌘ ) + Comma to open the Preferences Menu in any app you’re in

Quick preview

Spacebar to preview files in Finder without having to open them – just select the file and hit spacebar for a quick look

Daylite Tip: If you’re a big fan of keyboard shortcuts, check out 7 Handy Keyboard Shortcuts to Start Using in Daylite Right Now to get even more productive! 

Apps & Settings

Screen Time 

You may have already used Screen Time on your iPhone or iPad, and you can now use the app on your Mac! With Screen Time, you can get reports on how much time you spend with various apps, limit certain app usage, and even limit communications, whether in general or from specific contacts. It’s even capable of enforcing some downtime, making sure that you spend a bit of time away from your Mac for a much-needed break! 

Screen Time for Mac macOS catalina

Text replacements

If you often find yourself typing out the same thing, you can use Text Replacements to create quick keyboard shortcuts to save time! For example, just type @@ to have your email address generate anywhere. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Text to quickly expand 2-3 letter combinations into the needed text.

Daylite Tip: You can use a similar text replacement concept in Daylite! In Activity Set or Pipeline Preferences, you can set up tasks and appointments that have @@ in their title. When the Activity Set or Pipeline is added to a person/company/project/opportunity/group in Daylite and the task (or appointment) is created, the @@ in the task/appointment title is replaced with the person/company/project/opportunity/group name!

Do Not Disturb mode

We already learned you can use Command ( ⌘ ) + click the Notification Center icon to toggle Do Not Disturb mode, but did you know you can also set a recurring time for Do Not Disturb mode? Go to System Preferences > Notifications > and set a time period to automatically turn on Do Not Disturb. Whether your lunch break, a meditation break, or just quiet time to check your inbox, stop the distractions without even a second thought. 

Do Not Disturb mode macOS

Siri

It’s easy to forget about Siri! You can ask her to change Settings, open an app or website, turn on Do Not Disturb, dictate a note – the list goes on and on! You can activate Siri with one click or hold down Command ( ⌘ ) + Spacebar. It really is nice to have a personal assistant! 

Siri macOS

Daylite Tip: You can ask Siri to create a task that then pushes to the Reminders app on your Mac. Reminders can be configured to integrate with Daylite so tasks from your worklist and inbox are now shared directly with the reminders app on your Mac, iPhone or iPad.

Siri macOS

Dictation

If you’ve got a lot of typing to do, trying using Dictation! Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation and configure your settings. The more you use Dictation, the more it’ll learn how you speak. This is a great tool if you’re a slow typer or just want to give those hands a break!  

Hot Corners

Your Mac has four hot corners in each corner of the screen. You can use hot corners to accomplish tasks with a quick movement on the trackpad instead of clicking through the dock or Finder. Go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Hot Corners to set up your own, like putting your display to sleep, viewing your desktop, or opening up Mission Control.

Hot Corners preferences macOS

If you’re looking for even more ways to be productive, check out Best Mac Tips, Tricks, and Timesavers from MacWorld and macOS Tips from Cult of Mac

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