Lesser Known Mac Productivity Hacks You Wish You Knew Before

Working on a Mac can be the best thing regarding productivity and an enhanced user experience. However, many times we tend to use a more extended method than a shortcut that would save you time and help get things done faster. Whether you have been using a Mac regularly for years or bought a new Mac some days back, you might not have explored all its features, and here you will unearth some of the precious features that a Mac offers to you to enhance your productivity. Here, you will find some lesser-known Mac productivity hacks to help you be more efficient and productive.

Arrange Your Desktop Icons

If you are someone who saves everything on the desktop, then you aren’t alone. It is always easier to have everything in one place and within reach. However, it can be challenging to find a specific file out of the many files dumped on the desktop. To range your files in order, click on the blank space on your desktop and select the View Menu. Click on Use Stacks, and all your files and folders will be arranged according to their category. You can even organize them as per your choice by selecting View and then clicking on Group Stacks By.

Recover Unsaved Word Documents

You often lose your hard work due to low battery or a sudden system reboot; however, unsaved word document recovery on Mac is easy. Your system has a folder that stores the temporary files, and you can find your word document there. Head over to Terminal on your Mac and enter the “open $TMPDIR” command. Now, look for the TemporaryItems folder in the list and if you find your word document, right-click on it or drag it to another folder or desktop.

Fast Typing with Text Replacements

Texting can be frustrating sometimes; however, you can let your Mac handle the hard work for you. You can save some common bits of text like you can save your address as add, and your system will automatically expand the text for you. Open System preferences and click on Keyboard and then on Text. You will see some of them are saved by default. Here, you can add or replace any text you want to enter.

Get Acquainted with Shortcuts

Your productivity will skyrocket with some of the shortcuts you can use while working on your Mac. Suppose you want to close a browser tab or Finder window; you don’t have to manually click on the cross to close it, instead press Cmd+W. To open the Spotlight search bar, press Cmd+Space. One of the best things about Mac is that it allows users to customize their shortcuts. Open System Preferences and click on Keyboard; under the Shortcuts menu, you will notice some shortcuts that you can edit and add your own.

Say No To Typing

Typing for long hours can strain your fingers and speed up your writing simultaneously; however, there is an easy way to avoid the strain on your fingers. You can dictate rather than type every time you have to write something. You can enable this by opening System Preferences and going to Keyboard and Dictation. You can enable Dictation on your Mac from here, and whenever you want to dictate anything, press the Fn key twice. While dictating, you will see a microphone; click on “done” after you have finished dictating.

Use Notifications Wisely

Notifications can be helpful to boost your productivity if used judiciously. Mac allows you to customize the notifications of several apps, and you can disable the notifications from distracting applications. You don’t have to pause all notifications at once; instead, you can enable the notifications of work-related apps. This would help you work for long hours with deterring concentration and boost your productivity.

Finder Sidebar

You might have noticed all the folders on the left side of your Finder Window. Do you know how you can file to the Finder Sidebar? Just drag any folder or file and drop it on the Sidebar, and that’s done. Now you can drag any file on the folder, and it will be saved without your right-clicking or copying. No extra effort is needed! It is easier for you to fetch a file from the Sidebar whenever you want to use it.

Windows Option

The windows key on Mac is widely different from that of Windows. The green button will enter the full screen and hide the dock and top bar. The red button closes the window but not the app. At the same time, the yellow button minimizes the window.

The hacks mentioned above will be helpful for you in regular use and will boost your productivity and enhance your performance.