Do you spend hours tailoring your home office space to be comfortable and efficient? I know I do, from carefully choosing my desk surface to picking the perfect rug. But sometimes, we forget to give the same attention to our computers. Your Mac is just as important as your physical office space because it’s the gateway through which you accomplish all your work.

Are you making the most of your Mac’s potential? With macOS, numerous time-saving tricks can boost your productivity. Likely, you may not even know about some of them. Here I’ve picked six quick hacks that could help increase your productivity significantly.

Tip #1 Set Your Mac Screen as an Animated Clock

Have you ever constantly checked the time while working on your Mac? If so, consider setting your screen as an animated clock. An app such as Flip Clocker can turn your Mac’s desktop into a full-screen clock that displays time with animations. Not only will this help you keep track of time, but it can also serve as a visual reminder to stay focused on your work.

Making your Mac look like a clock wallpaper is simple. Just install Flip Clocker on your computer, set it as a full-screen desktop clock, customize the clock’s appearance to create a stylish style, and display time in an easy-to-view format.

More than just a time display, the flip clocker also allows you to add white noise to create a more peaceful environment for your work and study. You can also use the countdown and timing tools to stay on schedule.

This flip clock app is made for users who want to check time quickly and avoid being distracted by checking the time on other devices. If you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of time and stay focused while working on your Mac, try it!

Tip #2 Clean Up Your Mac’s Desktop

You may have noticed that your computer can slow down over time, especially when you place many files and folders on your desktop. You need to keep your desktop clean and organized to optimize your computer’s performance.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Remove unnecessary files. Delete some unnecessary files when you no longer need them. That will help free up space on your hard drive and make finding the files you need easier.

Use folders to organize different files. Create folders on your desktop and manage your files in them.

Keep it simple: Resist the urge to clutter your desktop with files, folders, and icons. Stick to the essentials and remove anything that is not necessary.

Tip #3 Use Safari as a Search Browser

Searching for information online is one of the most important works we may perform on our Mac. But do you know how to improve the efficiency of searching? The best solution is to use Safari as a search browser.

The standard way to search for something on the browser is like this; input a search term on the search bar > press enter on the keyboard to get the results > manually scroll down the result page to find the details you need > click the specific item and open a new tab.

Now you can use Safari’s built-in search function to save time and free your hands. Press “Command + F” on your keyboard, and a search bar will appear at the top right corner of your screen. Type in your search term, and Safari will highlight all instances of that term on the page. This feature is handy for longer web pages or articles, saving time and effort.

Tip #4 Use a Second Screen on Your Mac

Are you tired of constantly switching between windows on your Mac? Do you find it hard to keep track of all your open applications and documents? Using a second screen could be the solution you’ve been looking for.

Adding a second screen to your mac setup can make life much easier, especially when juggling multiple things. With two screens, you can work on various tasks organizationally.

For example, you can keep your primary work window on one screen while using another for reference materials, communications, or secondary works.

Tip #5 Set Up Some Custom Shortcuts

Another simple way to boost your Mac’s productivity is by setting up keyboard shortcuts. With shortcuts, you can quickly perform some tasks without navigating through menus or using your mouse.

Here are some shortcuts that I use most:

• Command-X: Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard.
• Command-C: Copy the selected text or object to the Clipboard.
• Command-V: Paste the Clipboard’s contents to the chosen area.
• Command-Z: Cancel the previous command.
• Command-A: Select all text or items in a document or folder.
• Command-F: Find items in a document or open a Find window.
• Command-M: minimize the active window to the Dock.
• Command-S: Save the current document.
• Command-T: Open a new tab in a web browser or a new document in some applications.
• Command-Shift-A: open the Applications folder in Finder.

You can find more keyboard shortcuts on Apple.com to streamline your workflow.

Tip #6 Convert Images from Finder Window

If you are an editor or photographer, converting images may be one of the most tedious daily tasks. You may have searched the internet for image conversion tools as well. But if you are using a Mac, there is a super simple way to do that.

Now try to use the Finder’s Quick Actions feature to convert images to free your hands.

• Select the image(s) you want to convert in Finder.
• Right-click on the selected image(s) and hover over “Quick Actions.”
• Click “Convert to…” and choose the desired file format.
• The converted photo (s) will appear in the exact location as the original file(s).

Unlike a third-party image editing tool, Finder can save you much time and effort. And it also helps you keep your files organized. However, it should be noted that it supports limited image formats, including JPG, PNG, HEIF, and HEIC formats.

Conclusion

To summarize, improving your MacBook’s productivity is about optimizing your workflow and minimizing distractions. If you want to use a mac to help you be more successful in your studies and work, don’t hesitate to read this post.

We’ve discussed six practical Mac hacks you may not have known about before, from cleaning up your desktop to setting a clock screensaver as your desktop wallpaper. By implementing the six hacks in the article, you can create a favorable working environment and take full advantage of your MacBook’s features.